Mobility Scooters

Details of all routes and stations are available in our guidance booklet. If you have any questions, please contact our Travel Assistance Team on 0800 138 5560.

If your station is on a route that allows mobility scooters, but your station doesn’t, that is likely to be due to one of several factors. We require the station to be fully accessible to accommodate safe boarding, the platform needs to be wide enough so that the ramp can be used and there is still 1.2m at the end of it to accommodate your scooter. The gradient of the ramp also needs to be within safe parameters.

If your station is on a route that is not yet within the scooter policy, please continue to check our website. We are looking to open more routes and stations as and when we can guarantee that the combination of trains and stations facilitates this.

There were several factors that we had to take into consideration to ensure that we were able to offer safe boarding to our customers. We will revisit these decisions if anything changes, such as station improvements and changes to trains.

All the information is contained on our website, but if you need a little extra support our customer experience team are always happy to help, their telephone number is 0800 200 6060.

No, you do not need a photograph, the permit is for your specific make and model of scooter and is specific to the scooter rather than a person.

Please allow 10 working days from us receiving your application to us mailing your permit out to you. There may be times when Royal Mail are particularly busy, but we will always try to turn around your application within 10 working days. If you have applied and are concerned your application is delayed please contact our customer experience centre on 0800 200 6060.

No, you will still require a valid train ticket for your journey.

We are working on a 10 working day turnaround, once you are in receipt of your permit you are ready to go out and enjoy your travels

No, your scooter must be a class 2 model with the capability of travelling at no more than 4mph. It should have anti-tip wheels at the back and have a turning circle of no more than 1.5m.  Lastly, it must fit within the standard wheelchair footprint, which is 1.2m x .7m.  If your scooter does not fit these criteria, unfortunately we cannot carry it on our trains unless it can be folded down and taken on board as luggage.  If your scooter is folded and carried as luggage you do not need a permit for it.

Unfortunately, we cannot carry class 3 scooters on our trains.

We do require your scooter to have anti-tip wheels as this safety feature has given us more flexibility to allow scooters on parts of our network that we might otherwise have had to exclude. The good news is that anti-tip wheels can usually be bought online or from accessibility retailers and can be retrofitted to vehicles.

Our Passenger Assistance team are fully briefed on our scooter policy and routes/stations that have been made scooter friendly. Assistance can be booked here or through our helpline by calling 0800 138 5560 (Text Relay 18001 0800 138 556)

Our conductors are happy to help with the ramp and supporting you on and off the train, just make yourself known to the member of staff and ensure your permit is prominently displayed so that they know you have been successful in your application for a scooter permit.

The Passenger Assistance team will hold details of other operating companies across the network and will be able to advise you. We would never advise travelling with more than one train operating company without first checking out their ability to support you on your journey.

There may be times when the train is busy and the accessible space that can accommodate scooters and wheelchairs is full, if this happens the conductors will make you aware that they cannot accommodate you on the train but will advise as to when the next train is due.

Each train operator may have different criteria for issuing their permits as well as a variety of routes and stations that they can be accepted on, please check before you travel.

The Northern scooter permit is valid on Northern trains only, please check our website for the routes that are covered.

Scooters that are folded or broken down can travel on any of our services without a permit.

If you travel with a scooter permit and we encounter disruption, we will arrange onward travel for you. If you do not hold a scooter permit or your scooter wouldn’t pass the Northern mobility scooter permit scheme criteria, we cannot guarantee onward transport.

Permits are scooter specific, if you change your scooter you will need to apply for a new permit.  Please get in touch with our contact centre for a replacement permit.

All the detail is contained within the briefing guide. Additional copies are available through our customer experience centre. 

Our customer experience centre can be contacted on 0800 200 6060.