Visually Impaired People

Name

Visually Impaired People

Legal name

Travel Hands

Website

https://vipworldservices.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Assistance and Mobility Services

NAICS

Special Needs Transportation (485991), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)

akta.pro primary industry

Mobility & Transfer Assistance (HSABABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wheelchair-Accessible & Mobility Vehicle Transport (HSABAOAC), Accessibility & Special Assistance Ground Transport Programs (THACAIAK)

Keywords

• Assistive travel services
• Mobility assistance platform
• Accessible app design
• Volunteer guide matching
• Disability journey support

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Journey Transaction Fee: VIPs pay £3 per journey for up to 3 hours of volunteer assistance. Payment collected through online form, bank transfer, or call centre.
2. Donations: Charitable donations accepted through website donate page. Legacy giving through free wills partnership mentioned.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Visually Impaired People operates Travel Hands, a community-led mobility assistance platform that connects visually impaired people (VIPs) in Greater London with vetted, trained volunteer sighted guides for outdoor journeys. The service is delivered through a dedicated mobile app (iOS and Android) and a toll-free call centre, both available 7 days a week from 9 am to 9 pm, with journeys bookable up to 48 hours in advance, capped at 3 hours and a 3-mile radius, and priced at £3 per journey.

Product overview

Travel Hands is a charity platform offering a dual-channel service combining a mobile app (iOS and Android) and a call centre to connect visually impaired people (VIPs) with vetted volunteer sighted guides for outdoor journeys. The Travel Hands Mobile App and Call Centre Service operate as the core offering, both available 7 days a week from 9am to 9pm. VIPs can book journeys at least 48 hours in advance, paying £3 for up to 3 hours of volunteer assistance within a 3-mile radius. The service includes Enhanced DBS-checked and trained volunteers, one-time secret code verification, real-time customer service route tracking, and a post-journey feedback system. The VIP Journey Booking Service is the primary user-facing service tying these channels together.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VIP (Visually Impaired People): A service for visually impaired people to book journeys with sighted volunteer guides.

Products and services

• Travel Hands Mobile App

Quantifiable outcome

• VIP testimonial indicates improved physical stamina during travel

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Un Ltd (Scotland Unltd)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial enterprise support organization providing backing for Travel Hands as a charitable initiative supporting disabled communities.
• School for Social EntrepreneursminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharitable organization supporting social entrepreneurs that has provided support and development programs for Travel Hands.
• Sport EnglandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment body investing in sport and physical activity that supports Travel Hands' mission of promoting wellbeing through walking and social connection.
• GeovationcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGeovation accelerator program housed at Sutton Yard, London. Provides office space and accelerator support for Travel Hands. Primary operational partner hosting charity headquarters.
• FreeWillsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFree wills platform partnership allowing supporters to leave gifts to Travel Hands in their wills, supporting legacy giving.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Be My Eyes: Volunteer-driven app connecting visually impaired users with sighted helpers for visual assistance in real time. Comparable to Travel Hands on mission, target persona (VIP), volunteer supply model, and mobile-first delivery, though Be My Eyes provides on-demand video help rather than physical accompaniment.
• Aira: Subscription-based visual-interpreting service connecting blind and low-vision users with trained agents via smartphone camera for navigation and task support. Direct competitor in the visual-assistance category with similar VIP target market, but employs agents rather than volunteers and is monetized via subscription.

Emerging players

• GoodSAM: Volunteer-based platform that dispatches trained bystanders to medical and community emergencies via app. Highly comparable to Travel Hands on the volunteer-supply, app-based dispatch, and DBS-vetting dimensions, though it focuses on emergency response rather than VIP accompaniment.

Broad incumbents

• RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People): UK's largest charity for people with sight loss, offering advice, products, accessible reading services, and campaigning. Comparable as a UK VIP-services ecosystem incumbent; Travel Hands' mobility-accompaniment focus fits alongside RNIB's broader service catalogue rather than competing directly with it.
• Guide Dogs UK: Major UK charity providing guide dogs, mobility training, and rehabilitative services to visually impaired people. Addresses overlapping mobility and independence needs through a different asset (trained dogs vs volunteer guides) and at much greater scale, making it the most relevant incumbent comparable for Travel Hands' UK VIP mission.
• Transport for London (TfL) - Dial-a-Ride: Public-sector accessible transit service for London residents with mobility impairments, offering door-to-door transport for those who cannot use mainstream public transport. Provides a free or low-cost alternative to Travel Hands in the same geography, framing it as the institutional incumbent for accessible passenger transport in London.
• Uber Assist / Uber WAV: Uber's wheelchair-accessible and assistance-focused ride products address similar VIP mobility needs via a commercial rideshare platform with vehicle-based service. Comparable as a scaled solution to the same "getting VIPs from A to B" problem, but with paid drivers rather than volunteer accompaniment.
• Lyft Access Mode / Lyft Healthcare: Lyft's accessible ride services and healthcare transport partnerships offer wheelchair-accessible and door-to-door transport in the US. Comparable as a B2C/B2B accessible-mobility platform addressing similar use cases (medical appointments, independent travel) but vehicle-based rather than walking-based.

Regional players

• Curb Mobility: US-focused accessible taxi and paratransit dispatch platform connecting riders with wheelchair-accessible vehicles. Comparable in the accessible ground-transport category but US-centric and vehicle-based rather than volunteer-led.
• FreeNow (mytaxi/Hailo): European taxi and ride-hailing app operating in London (as Hailo/FreeNow) with options for accessible taxis. Comparable as a London-based on-demand passenger transport provider with accessibility considerations, but operates paid professional drivers rather than volunteer accompaniment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vipworldservice
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNCqoOlYgSvKuzuy89iuKiA
• Facebookfacebook.com/vipworldservices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vip-visually-impaired-people-world-services
• Instagraminstagram.com/travelhands_uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Visually Impaired People