An innovative new Accessible Travel Simulation “Serious Game”, which won the Gold Award for Innovation at the recent UK Customer Experience Awards, has been developed to support people who are anxious or need Passenger Assistance, including disabled customers and those with hidden conditions, to build confidence to travel by train.
This first of a kind digital solution has been developed by Northern with lead partner Chrome Angel Solutions and digital technology experts Totem Learning, working closely with industry partners Angel Trains and Community Rail Lancashire. The team won funding from the Department for Transport’s Accessibility Transport Research and Innovation Grants (TRIG: Accessibility) programme delivered by Connected Places Catapult to develop and test a proof-of-concept demonstrator.
Speaking about the benefits of the new travel app and the award win, Northern’s commercial and customer director, Mark Powles commented: “Our challenge was to offer a tool to help those who would like the opportunity to travel but are not confident enough to take the train.
“This amazing new app will give confidence to some of our customers, and even prospective rail travellers to enable them to take independent journeys and widen their horizons by travelling by train.