London, 17 Sept 2021, Southeastern has launched a video to remind and inspire customers to support the accessibility needs of fellow passengers returning to the railway. The campaign aims to encourage passengers to have a little patience and understanding that others may need extra time or help whilst travelling across its network.
Filmed at Sevenoaks and London Bridge stations, the emotive video showcases the importance of being open-minded to the experiences of others and features a cast of actors with both visible and non-visible accessibility requirements.
The video is now available to view on the Southeastern website with shortened versions on social media, and digital screens at the network’s stations – each of which are subtitled to ensure easy viewing for all customers.
The campaign will run across Southeastern’s owned channels, including its website, digital screens at the stations and on social media. The train operating company is also working in partnership with tourist organisations to widen the reach of the campaign across the network.
To create the video, Southeastern worked with The Team – collaborating with filmmaker Iris Gibson – to bring the message of understanding and empathy to life.
The video launch contributes to part of a wider programme by Southeastern to support all passenger journeys, informed by its Accessible Travel Advisory Panel – led by triple Paralympian Andy Barrow – who will continually review and improve policy and practice.
Recent updates include the introduction of a roving Mobile Assistance role where specially trained personnel provide extra help onto trains, a bespoke disability awareness training program for all of Southeastern’s 4500 staff and accessibility updates to the Southeastern rail app.
This summer, the app became the first of its kind in the UK to incorporate mobile screen reader technology and dark mode to improve user accessibility. Passengers can also use it to access Passenger Assist, a national system across train companies which allows Southeastern to assist passengers with disabilities or restricted mobility. Customers can set up an accessibility profile on the app and book to request assisted travel with ease.
Alongside these changes, long-term support such as Priority Seating Cards, JAM Cards (Just a Minute) Sunflower lanyards are available to support passenger journeys, they can be found on the Travel Support section of the Southeastern website.
Southeastern’s Head of Marketing, Nikki Causer, comments: “We wanted to engage with our passengers in a memorable way on the topic of accessibility, creating a campaign that was emotive and inclusive, rather than directly telling passengers how they should behave. As more passengers return to travelling on our trains after the pandemic, it felt like the right time to launch a campaign that works on different levels, focusing on the human detail of travelling to show how just a moment can make a big difference.”
ENDS
