Transport User Voice March 2026 – Delays and compensation

30 March 2026

Making things easier for passengers 

Compensation claim systems are set to be easier than ever for passengers to navigate under Great British Railways. This month, the Department for Transport announced plans to simplify Delay Repay following following recommendations from the Office of Rail and Road’s review into revenue protection practices.  

The announcement also follows our joint research with the DfT that revealed that just 45 per cent of eligible passengers are claiming Delay Repay.  

This represented the first time that the claim rate has fallen since reporting of this data back in 2016. 

Despite satisfaction with the claims process remaining high, with nearly all passengers receiving a decision on their claim within the agreed four-week deadline, some passengers still don’t think it’s worth their time to claim. 

We’ve known for a while now that many passengers would prefer a more automated compensation process that takes the hassle out of the process.  

While this is the case for some operators, there are still others that require you to manually input all your journey information which can be complicated and time-consuming for passengers – and a reason behind the declining number of passengers who are claiming compensation.  

Speaking on the recently announced changes, Transport Focus’ Natasha Grice said: “Our latest research shows just over half of all eligible passengers are missing out on money that they are entitled to having experienced a disrupted journey.   

“These new measures will help make it easier for passengers to claim. Once set up, Great British Railways must go further and make the process automated, with minimal steps for passengers to receive delay compensation.” 

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