Transport for Wales Ticketing Services

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:39 pm on 8 October 2019.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Russell George Russell George Conservative 1:39, 8 October 2019

Last week, First Minister, I was written to by a constituent, in a handwritten letter, who outlined her experience of travelling by rail. This particular person is a disabled person, has mobility issues, carries a blue badge. I got the impression that this person is an elderly person, and she certainly doesn't feel comfortable, apart from the mobility issues, using a ticket machine on a station, because previously she had made mistakes and found it difficult to use. She also outlined to me in her letter that she doesn't own a phone—a smartphone—let alone know how to use one. So, she explained her difficulties to the conductor when he came around to collect the fare and check the tickets on her, and she said he came short of accusing her of fare dodging. So, my issue is that, with this particular lady, she was issued with a penalty fare, and I suppose the question here, First Minister, is what support does Transport for Wales offer conductors in terms of how they respond to and how they support people who have disabilities and mobility issues. And how does Transport for Wales's revenue protection policy support the kind of issue that I've just outlined to you?