Transport User Voice – February 2021 – Casework successes

28 January 2021

How we’ve helped passengers

CrossCountry

Ms M usually buys her tickets from the station but due to the pandemic she bought them online which turned out to be far more expensive. She was travelling from Birmingham to Cardiff and felt the cost had doubled and wasn’t happy with the response from CrossCountry so she approached Transport Focus for help. On appeal it was found that CrossCountry had been confused with the correspondence and agreed that in recognition of this a goodwill gesture would be appropriate. We also looked into the fare that Ms M had selected online and was able to provide an explanation as to why it was so expensive and help her find cheaper online fare options.

Trainline

Mr P accidentally bought a digital Railcard which he couldn’t use as he doesn’t have a smartphone. Originally, Trainline said there was nothing that could be done as the Railcard was non-refundable. Mr P then came to Transport Focus for help. The caseworker asked that this case be reassessed as selecting the digital option looked a fairly easy mistake to make. Trainline reconsidered its original stance and decided to provide a refund.

TransPennine Express

Mr M’s son travelled with an expired Railcard and was issued with a Penalty Fare Notice (PFN). This was appealed too late due to son having ADHD and only being aware of it when the paperwork was found in a pocket. The appeal was rejected. On appeal by Transport Focus, TransPennine Express agreed to refund the admin fee but not the PFN as the railcard expired in July. A note of Mr M’s son’s disability has been put on his record in case he’s stopped in the future. It was also suggested that Mr M could get him a sunflower lanyard and an assistance card.

 

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