Are Mobility Scooters Allowed On Trains?

Welcome to Mobility Scooter Geek, where today we’ll be discussing: “Are Mobility Scooters Allowed On Trains?”.

As a mobility aid user, there are going to be times when you want to go on a trip somewhere, or even just to some shops that are not quite local to you (or your scooter isn’t suitable for road use).

So naturally, you’ll want to use public transport to get there, including trains.

So let’s take an in-depth look at the rules around mobility scooter use on trains. We’ll check out whether there are any laws on this, and the rules of the train industry as a whole, as well as the individual train companies.

Introducing: Are Mobility Scooters Allowed On Trains?

Let’s check out what the law has got to say about this…

The Law – Mobility Scooter Accessibility on Trains

There’s no specific law governing this

Firstly, there are no laws saying mobility scooters must be allowed on trains.

That is, there is no direct, specific law which says that. We’ll go on to discuss why.

However, there are more general equality and discrimination laws which companies must follow to allow as much access as possible for disabled people and those with mobility issues.

For example:

The Equality Act 2010

In the UK, the Equality Act 2010, which replaced the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995, is a law providing protection for discrimination arising from disability.

It covers key areas of normal life including employment, education, facilities and services (such as hospital access), and transport.

Therefore, companies (and all organisations) have a duty to make reasonable adjustments.

Firstly, you never have to pay for the adjustments.

Regarding the adjustments they make, they only have to made if it’s reasonable. And that depends on your disability, how practicable the changes are, if it would actually solve the problem, and the size and financial resources of the company.

As a result, the rail operators must make access easier by doing the following:

1. Changing the way things are done – for example, a new practice or policy. Including changing things that would be a barrier for you (unless it’s not reasonable to do so).
2. Changing a physical feature to improve access (for example, steps, entrances, toilets, doors etc.) In the case of disabled access, reasonable changes could be providing ramps, widening doors, and installing automatic doors.
3. Providing extra aids or services. According to the Equality Act 2010, these auxiliary aids and services must be provided by companies to aid your access. This can be things like extra staff assistance.

Companies have a duty to do these things if you’re placed at a substantial disadvantage compared with non-disabled people.

If they don’t cooperate with these duties, the Equality Act says this is unlawful discrimination and you can make a discrimination claim under this Act.

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The UK is also a signatory of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which gives clear guidelines to follow that help disabled people.

It says that countries must take “effective measures” to provide the “greatest possible independence” for persons with disabilities. The country’s government then must ensure its organisations and companies comply with these laws.

Therefore, companies like train operators must take actions that are:

“Facilitating the personal mobility of persons with disabilities in the manner and at the time of their choice, and at affordable cost.”

Article 20 – Personal mobility, UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

What does this mean for you getting access to trains on your mobility scooter?

It means that to comply with these  laws, all companies must ensure they provide as much access as they can to disabled people. Therefore, train operators must make take reasonable measures that allow disabled people to travel, or they are breaking the law.

That’s why all major UK train companies have provisions that describe what access they can offer to people with mobility impairments.

In other words, they must have rules that show exactly what disabled access they allow for.

That takes us to train companies and their rules…

Train Companies Rules On Mobility Scooter Accessibility

Bearing in mind, the laws they must comply with, which we have just discussed, let’s what the train operators are doing regarding access to trains for people on mobility scooters.

National Rail

National Rail is the association of the passenger train operating companies of England, Scotland and Wales.

Wheelchair rules

Regarding access for disabled people, they say that most trains can accommodate WHEELCHAIRS with dimensions less than 700mm wide, by 1200mm long. And a small number of older trains can only accommodate a width of 5500mm.

The maximum combined weight of wheelchair and person is limited by the capabilities of:

1. the staff member involved; and
2. the safe maximum load of the ramp (230kg to 300kg).

A staff member will NOT lift a person in a wheelchair, under any circumstances.

Mobility Scooters Rules

National Rail say that since mobility scooters come in many different shapes and sizes, and so many have problems on trains, such as:

• Tipping over on ramps
• Being heavier that the ramp’s safe load
• Being unable to manoeuvre inside the carriage due to their shape

As a result, some companies and some trains cannot allow access for mobility scooters.

So you must contact the train company you’ll be travelling with, to ask if you’ll be allowed access with your scooter.

You must also give them the station and train you’ll be getting so they can check, since different stations and trains have different access capabilities.

If you need assistance, you can request an assistance booking until a minimum of 2 hours before your journey. That applies any time and day of the week.

Mobility Scooter Permit Scheme

In late 2020, National Rail enacted a new mobility scooter permit scheme.

This follows the successful implementation of a similar policy by the bus and coach operators association – the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT)

National Rail are the train equivalent of the bus and coach operators association (the CPT), and though they don’t have a formal Code of Best Practice regarding mobility scooters, their members each have mobility scooter access policies, available on their websites.

National Rail’s mobility scooter permit scheme is a recommendation that their member train companies provide the opportunity for mobility scooter users to apply for a permit which will allow them to access the train on their mobility scooter.

This scheme was rolled out to 21 routes and 140 stations in the UK, to make rail travel more accessible for mobility scooter drivers.

How to apply?

All the train companies have information about their mobility scooter permit scheme on their website, and you can also call them to ask about it.

When you apply to the train company, you’ll give them details about your scooter: such as the make, model and dimensions so they can assess it. Then, if your mobility scooter is approved, you’ll get the permit (typically a card with your personalised details) and you’ll be issued with a personalised and identifiable sticker.

This scheme ensures that if you have the permit you know you’ll be allowed on the train, as long as the service is operated by that company.

Remember, that if your journey involves several different train operators, you’ll need a permit for each one, assuming they have a mobility scooter permit scheme.

Northern Rail

Northern Rail has been one of the major networks to launch a permit scheme, ensuring mobility scooter drivers travel to and from more than 100 stations on the Northern network.

As an example, here is the Northern Rail’s version of the permit, called a “Rail Ready” permit. It’s a simple process to apply online.

Train Operating Companies

Most train operators allow mobility scooters, as long as it has maximum dimensions of length 1200mm, width 700mm. In other words, they follow their maximum limits for space allowed for wheelchairs.

And many have a maximum weight limit of 300kg.

So your best chance of being allowed on trains on your scooter is to have a lightweight, folding mobility scooter. The lightest by a distance, by the way, is the Superhandy scooter.

Some of these companies operate a Scooter Permit Scheme.

IMPORTANT: However, each train company has different rules. We’ve listed them all below, their policy on scooters: whether mobility scooters are allowed, whether you need to apply to them for a mobility scooter permit, and what their maximum dimensions of mobility scooter are.

Here are the rules for each of the major rail service providers below: