In Touch - Helping you get there safely - Transport for London
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2020
In
Touch
YOUR DIAL•A•RIDE NEWS
Helping you get
there safely
All the latest from Dial-a-Ride
and TfL’s other accessible services
2
Welcome to In Touch,
Dial-a-Ride’s annual
newsletter
As Director of Bus Operations at Transport for London,
I’m delighted to introduce this year’s edition of In Touch.
Dial-a-Ride is a fantastic service We have enclosed our recently
and it is vital in helping you launched Accessible Travel
and 40,000 other customers to in London leaflet, which
travel in London. To make your explains all of the support
journey more comfortable, and services available to help
we’ve recently introduced you travel in London.
90 new ultra-clean diesel
buses with better heating and I wish you a safe and pleasant
air-conditioning, and will be travel experience with Dial-a-
introducing a further 160 over Ride over the coming year.
the coming months.
In this update, we’ll provide
information about keeping you
safe on your journey, explain
the changes to our mobility
scooter policy and share
information on how you can
help us provide more journeys
with some helpful reminders.
There is also some information
regarding the special booking
arrangements for this year’s Claire Mann
Director of Bus Operations
bank holidays.
3 Driver Attendant Mubeen Khaliq loves a chat with customers Keeping you safe Mubeen Khaliq, a Dial-a-Ride Driver Attendant, said: ‘I get job satisfaction on a daily basis by seeing the smiles on my customers’ faces. I enjoy connecting with customers and having chats on the journey – it feels like we are all a little community. As part of my training to become a driver, I completed a comprehensive course to ensure that customers have a safe and comfortable journey with Dial-a-Ride.’
4
At Dial-a-Ride, the safety Safeguarding and dementia
of our customers is our training are also fundamental
main priority. to this role. I’m able to look
out for the wellbeing of all
We want our customers and our customers. I am trained
their families to feel both to look out for changes in
secure and comfortable when behaviours or emotions and
travelling with us. We carefully I am equipped to observe
check that our customer is the signs of any potential
correctly fastened into the deterioration in mental and
vehicle before starting each physical health.
journey. Our buses are fully
equipped to carry wheelchairs This training enables all
and all drivers have extensive drivers to be more helpful
training in manoeuvring, and compassionate in our
clamping and taking out job as Dial-a-Ride drivers.
wheelchair users.
You can help us keep you safe
on our buses by:
• Waiting for the driver to assist
you to board the vehicle
• Always wearing your seatbelt
• Staying seated until the
driver can assist you to exit
the vehicle
Customers should always wear
their seatbelt when travelling
with Dial-a-Ride
5
Mobility scooters
on Dial-a-Ride
We have updated our policy on the transportation
of mobility scooters.
To keep you safe, any new or mobility scooters can also be
replacement mobility scooter taken on all London buses.
you wish to transport must Our Travel Mentors give tips
be no larger than 100cm in and guidance and can issue you
length and 60cm in width, with with a Mobility Aid Recognition
a turning radius below 120cm. Scheme (MARS) card to allow
If you currently travel with a you to travel confidently with
mobility scooter on Dial-a- your scooter on London buses.
Ride, you can continue to use The MARS card helps our
the scooter you have. If you bus staff better understand
are considering replacing your the service you would like
scooter and wish to travel so they can take appropriate
on Dial-a-Ride, please ensure action when you are travelling,
your new scooter meets the including pulling in close to
requirements above. the kerb and lowering the
wheelchair ramp when you are
Do keep us up to date if you boarding a bus.
change or purchase a mobility
scooter and would like to
Please contact us to
use it on Dial-a-Ride. Once
book an appointment:
you register to use your new
travelmentor@tfl.gov.uk
scooter on Dial-a-Ride, you’ll
or 020 3054 4361 (Monday
receive a visit from the Travel
to Friday, 09:00 to 16:00).
Mentoring team. Smaller
6
Help us to provide
more journeys
Regular bookings
Your regular booking will be
permanently cancelled if you:
• Cancel a regular booking at
the door or are not at home
for four weeks in a row
• Suspend or cancel a regular
booking, with notice, for
eight weeks in a row
If you know you will be
unable to travel for more than
eight weeks, please contact
us to discuss your situation.
Dial-a-Ride’s new ultra-clean, If your regular booking is
air-conditioned vehicles
cancelled, we will make every
effort to reinstate it when you
Don’t need your are ready to travel again.
booking? Cancel it
Please remember to cancel Please remember there is
your booking as soon as no longer an application
possible if you can no longer process for regular bookings.
travel. This will free the space Just request the same
for someone else who may journey each week and if
need it. Our cancellation line we are able to offer it as a
is open from 06:00 to permanent arrangement
midnight, seven days a week. we will contact you.
7
Customers can travel with up to two
shopping bags or one shopping trolley
Helpful reminders when updates, changes and key
booking and travelling information that may affect
your booking
• Advance bookings (for time
specific appointments or • Be ready to travel 15 minutes
events only) can be made before your agreed time, as
two weeks ahead but only our vehicles can arrive up to
from 12:00 to 16:00, Monday 15 minutes before or after
to Friday this. Any delay can disrupt
your driver’s schedule and
• Please ensure we have affect other customers
your most up-to-date
contact details, including • You can travel with up to
your mobile phone and any two shopping bags or one
emergency contact numbers shopping trolley only. If you
arrive with more shopping
• When you call us, our than this, your driver will not
telephone system will be able to transport you and
provide you with important your excess shopping
8 Underground staff are trained to help customers Making the most of your travel options We have a huge range of accessible travel options, all tailored to help you get around smoothly. Whether it is a trip on the details in the Accessible Travel extensive Tube network or in London leaflet enclosed on one of our step-free DLR with this newsletter. trains, buses or trams, we have an option to help everyone get No need to book ahead, the most out of our city. We just ‘turn-up-and-go’ have summarised some of this ‘Turn-up-and-go’ is a dedicated here and you’ll find further service designed to help
9
customers who would like assistance you need and hand
personal staff assistance on the card to a staff member
the Tube, London Overground who will be happy to help.
and TfL Rail. Our staff are
specifically trained to help you Disability equality training
in a number of ways, including Our staff receive disability
getting from the train to the equality training to help them
platform, boarding the train deliver a more accessible and
and making sure someone is inclusive public transport
waiting for you at the other network. This covers a range
end. Staff can also help you of topics, including customer
plan your route, give you service, communication and
information about delays on the social model of disability.
the network and step-free All training is delivered by
availability. There’s no need to people who have lived with
book ahead to use this service, a disability.
you can simply ask any member
of staff when you arrive.
Dr Amit Patel, a regular user
of the service, says: ‘Turn-up-
and-go is a wonderful scheme
which allows me to travel
independently. For me, the
biggest benefit is that I don’t
need to pre-book assistance
and can travel when I want to.’
Travel support card
If you prefer to write down the
help you would like from staff,
a travel support card could be Dr Amit Patel regularly
just the ticket. All you need to uses the ‘turn-up-and-go’
assistance service
do is write down any kind of
10
Mary Ferrara, Customer Real-time information
Service Agent, said: ‘I think it’s on hand for customers
very important to offer good To make our ‘turn-up-and-
customer service to disabled go’ service even better, our
people – it’s very hectic staff information app has
travelling on the transport been launched which helps
network. One of the things I them provide you with live
learnt from the training is that information about the status
some disabled people don’t of lifts and escalators, and also
need your help. I walk up to to track your journey. Having
them and find out if they do this vital information at the
need assistance and then I touch of a button enables
can help. It was a very good them to provide you with the
course. I would recommend best possible service.
it to everyone.’
We are continuing to make
improvements to the app,
which will result in even better
journey planning for you.
Travel mentoring
If you’re interested in travelling
more on public transport, but
would like some help getting
started, why not try our free
Travel Mentoring service?
Whether you would like
assistance planning a journey
over the phone or want
someone to guide and support
Customer Service Assistant, you on your first few journeys,
Mary Ferrara, is on hand to help we have a team of Travel
at King’s Cross station
Mentors on hand.11
Bus drivers receive training in assisting all customers
Kathryn is a wheelchair Step-free access
user from south London. The Mayor has committed
She says: ‘Before using TfL’s to investing £160m on step-
travel mentoring service, I did free access by 2024, the
not have the confidence or single biggest accessibility
knowledge to travel on investment in London
public transport alone as a Underground since records
wheelchair user. Since being began. This will result in at
accompanied and guided by least 23 more Tube stations
my friendly and welcoming becoming step-free by 2023/24,
Travel Mentor, I have grown in with 15 ready by spring 2020.
confidence, found out more
about the practical assistance The total number of step-free
provided by TfL and am stations is currently 78, with
now able to navigate public South Woodford being the
transport independently. latest station to become step-
This has really opened many free in March 2019. By spring
doors of possibility for me and 2024, 38 per cent of the Tube
improved my quality of life.’ network will be step-free.You’ve got Get in
email! touch
Making Dial-a-Ride email Call:
bookings is easy. 0343 222 7777, then select
one of the options below
You don’t have to wait on the Bookings:
phone and you get a record of Option 1
any booking that is confirmed, Monday to Friday,
including the pick-up time. 09:00 to 16:00
Email:
You can also use it to book
DAR.reservations@tfl.gov.uk
on behalf of groups, making it
easier for organisers. Simply
Cancellations, or to check
send the details of your
where your bus is:
booking request to:
Option 2
DAR.reservations@tfl.gov.uk
Seven days a week,
06:00 to midnight
Requests are processed
alongside telephone bookings
Membership enquiries
between 09:00 and 16:00,
and feedback:
Monday to Friday, in the order
Option 3
they are received.
Monday to Friday,
09:00 to 16:00
You can also receive your copy
of In Touch by email, just call Email:
0343 222 7777* (option 3) or DAR@tfl.gov.uk
email us at DAR@tfl.gov.uk
Check out our website:
tfl.gov.uk/dialaride
* Service and network charges may
apply. Visit tfl.gov.uk/terms for
more details. Please note that
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