Europe by train: travelers with special needs chose the best carrier
The Swiss railways took first place in the ranking of the best railway carriers in Europe. Rating - The Great Train Comparison Report, compiled by the booking service of the train tickets Loco2 based on the interviews of passengers - parents with young children, people with disabilities and other travelers with special needs, for whom a train ride entails additional difficulties. In total, 12 groups of travelers participated in the survey to find out how effectively European railway companies meet their needs.
16 railway companies took part in the rating. Participants filled out a questionnaire of 100 points, indicating all the possible services available for passengers. Swiss railways became leaders in the rating in the opinion of families with young children, people with disabilities, cyclists and fans of winter sports - these passengers rated the services of the company above all others. For example, there are special play areas for children in the Swiss railway cars. The second place in the ranking of parents with children took Deutsche Bahn.
Travelers with disabilities and low-mobility passengers also put the Swiss in first place. Second place this group of passengers awarded the Spanish carrier - the company Renfe. The top three in this category was completed by the company Eurostar, which provides passengers with wheelchairs the opportunity to upgrade the transport class from the Standard to the Standard Premier, which provides more space. By the way, TGV Lyria does the same on trains running between France and Switzerland.
The compilers of the rating also noted that more and more carriers provide special preferential fares for passengers with disabilities and accompanying persons.
It is worth noting that the company Virgin East Coast has become the leader in the rating according to passengers who travel with pets - in its wagons pets can be held free of charge.