Delay Repay

[TonyR]

When I buy a ticket on the Forum I have to give times for the outward and return journey even if it is an Anytime Return. My question is how is the delay calculated if I go to catch an earlier train. For example last week I finished meetings in Manchester early and went to get a train an hour ahead of the nominal return train time on my Anytime Return ticket. As seems to often be the case with Northern in Manchester these days two successive trains were cancelled because of shortage of crew leaving me catching the train my ticket was “timed” for. I arrived an hour later than I would have done if the trains had all been running but can I claim Delay Repay and if so how do I demonstrate which train I could have caught. I can see it being open to abuse if there is no proof but how can I prove I would have caught an earlier train if it hadn’t been cancelled?

Thanks

 

[AlterEgo]

I can see it being open to abuse if there is no proof but how can I prove I would have caught an earlier train if it hadn’t been cancelled?

Delay Repay is unwisely based on an honour system, and no proof of the specific train taken is needed.

 

[CompactDstrxion]

Yes you can claim delay repay. Train companies might look to detect fraud from people who have suspicious claiming patterns but in your case you shouldn't encounter any issues.

 

[Watershed]

If you have a walk-up ticket, the train/journey you select when buying your ticket has no bearing on your ability to claim Delay Repay. You claim against what you intended to do; this is taken on face value unless there is evidence of fraud.

 

[TonyR]

Thanks everyone for your helpful replies.

 

[DaveB10780]

I was in this situation a couple of days ago and took a photo of the arrival time board just in case.

 

[TUC]

Delay Repay is unwisely based on an honour system, and no proof of the specific train taken is needed.

How would you prove that on an Open ticket?

 

[jfollows]

How would you prove that on an Open ticket?

You don't need to prove it, that's the point, in general if you say that you turned up at your departure station at a particular time with a view to catching one or more trains with a scheduled arrival time into your destination and you're claiming Delay Repay because of the subsequent delays incurred, that's fine, and you'll be refunded.

If you want something extra and you have your mobile phone tracking your location, you could also save this information in case of query. Whether or not you enable this is something you may or may not want to do, of course.

 

[TUC]

You don't need to prove it, that's the point, in general if you say that you turned up at your departure station at a particular time with a view to catching one or more trains with a scheduled arrival time into your destination and you're claiming Delay Repay because of the subsequent delays incurred, that's fine, and you'll be refunded.

If you want something extra and you have your mobile phone tracking your location, you could also save this information in case of query. Whether or not you enable this is something you may or may not want to do, of course.

I understand that you can't prove it. My point was that @AlterEgo said it is 'unwisely' based upon an honour system, but it had to see any 'wiser' alternativ.

 

[AlterEgo]

I understand that you can't prove it. My point was that @AlterEgo said it is 'unwisely' based upon an honour system, but it had to see any 'wiser' alternativ.

Compostage or validation. Almost no other railway system runs their compensation scheme on an honour basis.

 

[TUC]

Compostage or validation. Almost no other railway system runs their compensation scheme on an honour basis.

So dependent upon staff having the time or initiative to certify potentially hundreds of tickets. Very passenger unfriendly and impractical.

 

[AlterEgo]

So dependent upon staff having the time or initiative to certify potentially hundreds of tickets. Very passenger unfriendly and impractical.

Not necessarily; compostage for example is done by the passenger. There is no need for staff to verify tickets at all. You could just have a compostage machine at the door of the train, as is common in many countries, but I’m sure there will be further objections as to why that would be a uniquely bad idea on our island!

 

[TonyR]

Not necessarily; compostage for example is done by the passenger. There is no need for staff to verify tickets at all. You could just have a compostage machine at the door of the train, as is common in many countries, but I’m sure there will be further objections as to why that would be a uniquely bad idea on our island!

How would compostage work in my case where the trains were cancelled? I didn’t even bother going to the station as the next running train was an hour away according to the National Rail app so I went & got something to eat instead.

 

[Watershed]

Not necessarily; compostage for example is done by the passenger. There is no need for staff to verify tickets at all. You could just have a compostage machine at the door of the train, as is common in many countries, but I’m sure there will be further objections as to why that would be a uniquely bad idea on our island!

It doesn't prove when a passenger arrived or indeed whether they travelled at all. I can't think of many countries that insist on compostage for delay compensation purposes alone. Generally it is a revenue protection measure instead, with tickets being available to use for a very long period (e.g. a year) and becoming valid for a certain number of hours once composted.

 

[AlterEgo]

It doesn't prove when a passenger arrived or indeed whether they travelled at all. I can't think of many countries that insist on compostage for delay compensation purposes alone. Generally it is a revenue protection measure instead, with tickets being available to use for a very long period (e.g. a year) and becoming valid for a certain number of hours once composted.

There are loads of railways that require compostage or validation for delay repay, or at the very least proof of mandatory reservation. Almost none issue open return tickets and pay out solely on honesty. Britain is an outlier in that respect.