Train passengers with reduced mobility can now travel around the country more easily by using the new SNCB Assist app to seek assistance at Belgian train stations.
In 2022, assistance was requested more than 48,000 times. This can only be done in 132 of SNCB's 550 stations and requests must be made 24 hours in advance, usually through phoning ahead or filling out a form on the website. However, the new app now offers a simpler solution.
"SNCB hopes that, in the long run, all passengers will be able to take trains as autonomously as possible," SNCB CEO Sophie Dutordoir said. "To this end, the number of accessible stations will almost double by 2032 and there will be at least one accessible carriage on new trains from now on, so that travellers with reduced mobility can board trains autonomously, safely and comfortably."
SNCB Assist was designed in co-creation with Konekt, an expertise centre for the inclusion of people with disabilities. During panel discussions, they indicated the features they wanted to see in the new app and the first version was tested by future users of the app.
People with reduced mobility and their friends or relatives can now easily book assistance. Users first need to create a personal My SNCB account and the app will indicate the stations where assistance is possible. The app enables passengers to repeat a journey or book several days at once up to 30 days in advance.
"We gained a lot from that co-creative process because people with disabilities were able to have their say and SNCB learnt a lot by hearing their views," stated Konekt spokesperson Kurt Vanhauwaert.
The app remembers when assistance is requested or when it is not needed, such as when a travel companion can provide help on a particular transfer. Travellers can even indicate which carriage and door they are in, and people with invisible disabilities can add a comment on how to be recognised by the SNCB employee.
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"I have already noticed that there are a lot of people who need assistance but do not request it and still take the train. This is an important target group that we can hopefully expand by convincing these people to use the app so that they can travel more safely," concluded Eric Buyl, SNCB project manager and visually impaired himself.
The SNCB Assist app can be downloaded from Apple's App Store and Android's Google Play.
