All our customers, and especially those with an impairment, set great store by seamless travel. That is why we are keen to make rail travel more accessible to all, every year. Since 2019, passengers can also use the NS App to apply for assistance when getting on or off a train, and we have extended travel assistance facilities to 15 more stations. In addition, 2019 saw the continued influx of Sprinter trains, which are fully accessible. They are fitted with retractable steps at the same height as the platform, allowing people with reduced mobility to board the train independently. In addition, Sprinter trains feature wheelchair-accessible toilets, tactile elements, assistance buttons and audio-visual signs at the doors.
In 2019, we began providing assistance at our stations in preparation for a boarding assistance service for wheelchair users without the need for them to arrive on the platform 15 minutes before departure. We also introduced a 'one-more-step service' at Zwolle station, Amsterdam CS, Utrecht CS, Rotterdam CS and Den Haag CS for passengers with a visual impairment who need travel assistance. The assistant guides these people to connecting public transport, a taxi or the pick-up/drop-off site so that they can easily continue their journey. We developed the 'one-step-more' service in collaboration with the Eye Association Netherlands (Oogvereniging).