Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it will be the responsibility of on-board supervisors of trains operating under driver-only operation to assist disabled passengers when required, and whether there will be an on-board supervisor on every train and in all circumstances.

On-board supervisors (OBS’s) on Southern services are responsible for assisting all passengers who need it, including passengers with accessibility requirements. Southern will have more on-board staff on trains than before, but in exceptional cases where the OBS is not available the train will still be able to run, to avoid inconveniencing potentially many hundreds of passengers. If anyone with accessibility needs is about to travel on a train where an OBS is not available, the operator will make alternative arrangements.