Transport User Voice – April 2020 – On the blog

27 March 2020

Round-up of the month

Anthony has been blogging about refunds for unused tickets due to restricted travel guidelines (see our dedicated webpage), getting key workers to their destinations and our latest Bus Passenger Survey.

As the Government clamped down on travel, we wanted to make sure passengers were reimbursed for season and Advance tickets. We found that advice from operators was unclear and didn’t take the current situation into account.

Anthony says “The standard advice is to return tickets to the point of purchase; but what if this is a ticket office, as is so often the case for season ticket purchases? Clearly it would not be safe for every season ticket holder to set out to the station today just to claim a refund.” Read more.

We looked at how transport systems across the country have adapted to the coronavirus outbreak. While falling passenger numbers have resulted in reduced services, it’s essential to balance that with ensuring key workers are able to reach their destinations.

Anthony says: “In an unprecedented challenge facing our nations the actions taken by the transport industry across all modes and by national and local government has been fast, responsive and adaptable. The efforts by transport staff to maintain essential services and information have been huge and are greatly appreciated in the face of very difficult times.” Read more.

Following this, we had a guest blog from Tim Bellenger, policy and investigation director at our partner London TravelWatch, to understand the situation in London. The balancing act of a reduced tube service in London has come under scrutiny as the morning rush hour continues to show packed trains.

Tim says “We will all have to think about how we can, while adhering strictly to the instructions, help avoid the social and health consequences of loneliness in the coming weeks. Public transport is traditionally a social experience and can be the only human contact that the people who live on their own in the city have on a day-to-day basis.” Read more.

Our latest Bus Passenger Survey came out on Thursday 26 March. While the country has been placed on ‘lockdown’ for the time being, when services start up again this information will be crucial for operators and decision-makers to meet the needs of passengers.

Anthony says “ At a time of crisis when we need to get our essential workers to do their very best by us, it is worth saying again that we are truly grateful for the huge efforts being made by bus operators, drivers and other frontline staff to make sure this happens.” Read more.

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