Better Train Access For Mobility Scooters

TGA and Northern have launched a new partnership aimed at making train travel easier with a mobility scooter or wheelchair.

The Northern network provides local and commuter services in Humberside, the Northeast, Northwest and Yorkshire and, through its commitment to inclusivity, Northern is currently making more stations and trains accessible to passengers who use a mobility product or find it hard to walk.

People can now travel from over 160 stations, on 28 routes, using their scooter or wheelchair. This extra accessibility, which is growing all the time, means more rail passengers are now enabled. So, to increase awareness of this improved service and to help passengers access trains with the right kind of scooter, TGA has teamed up with Northern.

Whilst all powerchairs and wheelchairs can be taken on accessible routes, only certain smaller mobility scooters are permitted ¬– this is where the Northern mobility scooter permit scheme and TGA can help.

Passengers can apply for a free permit on the train operator’s website which will show whether their scooter is suitable for rail travel. If not, then TGA can provide advice on which products from its range can be safely used on the Northern network, such as the Minimo Autofold and Minimo Plus mobility scooters.

With a mobility scooter permit and an ‘approved train friendly’ scooter from TGA, passengers can get on and off Northern trains without restrictions.

This new partnership means a shared message will get to more people as Maxine Myers, accessibility improvement manager at Northern, explains: “Due to our historic “no scooters on trains policy”, we knew Northern would benefit from extra help to get our new accessible message out to the community.

"We were fortunate to be approached by TGA who have some great innovative scooter models and two in particular, the folding Minimo and Maximo, perfectly fulfilled the criteria of our scooter scheme and provide excellent lightweight vehicles for their users.”

To celebrate the new partnership and to encourage more people onto the trains, Northern passengers with new mobility scooter permits will qualify for a 10% discount on train friendly TGA products. These products are the TGA Maximo, Minimo, Minimo Plus, Minimo Autofold, Zest and Zest Plus mobility scooters; Strongback wheelchair; TGA Wheelchair Powerpack; Whill C2 and Whill F powerchair.

Daniel Stone, TGA Managing Director, concludes: “We are delighted to be partnering with Northern who are providing greater accessibility on the rail network and opening up travel to areas in the North of England that may not have previously been possible.

"Inclusive stations and routes enable mobility scooter and wheelchair users access to the rail network with confidence and we are proud to offer our support to the scheme.”