Delay Repay - still payable if you wait for the next train rather than taking the Replacement Bus?

[Blinkbonny]

After all, you've paid out for a train ticket?

 

[AlterEgo]

You can’t intentionally delay yourself by refusing a connection *and* still be compensated. The train company will take the bus connection into account when calculating the delay.

 

[LittleRedTrain]

I have, in the dim and distant past, received 'Delay Repay' for a cancelled train, where a replacement bus was provided, but I declined to use it and got the next train (2 hours later) instead.

My justification for not using the bus was that the person I was travelling with got very travel-sick on buses (especially on winding Welsh roads), but could just about cope with trains.
As the line wasn't closed, it was just an issue with that one train, it was better for all concerned for us to wait for the next one than to have her 'redecorate' the bus.
This was about 20 years ago though (I think Wales & Borders was the TOC at the time!) so no idea if the same argument would work these days.

I don't know if a similar argument would work if you had a bike that couldn't be carried on the bus, or were travelling with a non-assistance dog and were refused access by the bus driver (thankfully never happened to me but theoretically possible).

 

[redreni]

In the absence of a convincing explanation of why you could not have taken the bus, I'd expect any compensation to be based on the time you would have arrived if you took the bus (although I must admit, I'm not entirely sure how you would establish what time the bus arrived if you weren't on it).

 

[Fawkes Cat]

After all, you've paid out for a train ticket?

No: you've paid for a journey to be provided by or on behalf of the railway company. In the ordinary course of events it will be easiest for everyone if the railway company chooses to fulfil this by train, but if it turns out that they are using a (timetabled, running to time) bus instead then that doesn't delay you against the timetable that you expected when you bought the ticket.

 

[saismee]

Realistically, if everyone could get away with taking the next train rather than the replacement bus, there'd be no financial incentive for the TOC to run replacement buses at all. I don't agree that this should be valid for delay repay, unless the bus fails to meet the timetable.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Realistically, if everyone could get away with taking the next train rather than the replacement bus, there'd be no financial incentive for the TOC to run replacement buses at all. I don't agree that this should be valid for delay repay, unless the bus fails to meet the timetable.

Everyone can get away with taking the next train. Even on an Advance now the rule is "the next two or previous two services". They just can't claim additional Delay Repay for it.

Certainly when I have deliberately delayed myself further to avoid how horribly crush-loaded the first train after disruption can be I've claimed Delay Repay as if I'd taken that first train. The only time I have claimed for the later one is when I've been physically unable to board the first one.

 

[Joe Paxton]

Realistically, if everyone could get away with taking the next train rather than the replacement bus, there'd be no financial incentive for the TOC to run replacement buses at all. I don't agree that this should be valid for delay repay, unless the bus fails to meet the timetable.

Everyone can get away with taking the next train. Even on an Advance now the rule is "the next two or previous two services". They just can't claim additional Delay Repay for it.

[My bolding]

What rule is this? In what circumstances does it apply?

 

[Bletchleyite]

[My bolding]

What rule is this? In what circumstances does it apply?

If you have an Advance ticket and your train is cancelled you may use, including connections, the two trains before or the two trains after that booked. Generally with a RRB the train is cancelled and the RRB is an additional service so would count as one of the two, not as the original train.

It was originally intended to apply when cancelled in advance so to determine what booking sites should offer as an alternative, but TOCs appear to be adopting it as standard policy regardless of when the train was cancelled.

This thread refers:

Changes to industry arrangements for cancelled trains

I've heard on the grapevine that there is coming down the track some sort of code of practice (or similar sort of thing) regarding passengers rights when their train is cancelled. I'm lead to believe that it intends to clarify that passengers with a cancelled train can catch either two trains...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Joe Paxton]

If you have an Advance ticket and your train is cancelled you may use, including connections, the two trains before or the two trains after that booked. Generally with a RRB the train is cancelled and the RRB is an additional service so would count as one of the two, not as the original train.

It was originally intended to apply when cancelled in advance so to determine what booking sites should offer as an alternative, but TOCs appear to be adopting it as standard policy regardless of when the train was cancelled.

This thread refers:

Changes to industry arrangements for cancelled trains

I've heard on the grapevine that there is coming down the track some sort of code of practice (or similar sort of thing) regarding passengers rights when their train is cancelled. I'm lead to believe that it intends to clarify that passengers with a cancelled train can catch either two trains...

www.railforums.co.uk

Thanks.