• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

RailUK Fares & Ticketing Guide - Section 9 - Transactions & Compensation

Status
Not open for further replies.

IanXC

Emeritus Moderator
Joined
18 Dec 2009
Messages
6,331
9.1 Ticket Office

9.1.1 Ticket Offices

Some stations have manned ticket or booking offices which sell the full range of tickets for immediate and future travel. Smaller stations may have restricted hours and be unable to issue reservations (preventing them offering Advance tickets), whereas the largest stations' offices may be open until the last train of the day and have separate areas for immediate travel and travel at future dates.

9.1.2 Rail Industry Vouchers

Rail Warrants are a voucher issued by companies, charities and government organisations to allow the holder to obtain travel tickets and pay certain other amounts due to TOCs. Organisations participating in the scheme have their vouchers debited to their Account for subsequent payment. Travel Agents (except those specially authorised) cannot accept Rail Warrants. A separate format of Warrant is required for the purchase of Season Tickets and a similar scheme, MOD Rail Travel Warrants, exists for the Armed Forces. Railcard discounts (including HM Forces) are not available for any ticket purchased using a Warrant.

National Rail Travel Vouchers are issued under Passenger's Charter Schemes and Delay Repay Schemes, they are issued for a face value amount and can be used to purchase tickets from Ticket Offices and onboard trains subject to the usual provisions.

9.1.3 Credit and Debit Cards

Credit and Debit Cards are one of the main payment methods used at ticket offices. All TOCs accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and UK Maestro cards. Some TOCs are known to accept Diners Club International and Visa Electron.

9.1.4 Banknotes and Coins

Cash is accepted, including all Scottish, Northern Irish, Channel Island and Isle of Man bank notes (although not Jersey, Guernsey or Isle of Man coins). Some train companies accept payment in foreign currency bank notes at their ticket offices (such as East Midlands Trains who accept EUR banknotes), however these are limited in number, change will be given in Sterling and the notes will be exchanged at a fixed rate which will almost always be very detrimental to the customer.

9.1.5 Cheques and Travellers Cheques

Travellers Cheques are accepted for the purchase of tickets, although only certain companies accept those denominated in foreign currencies. For a restricted range of tickets some TOCs accept payment by Cheque, although most restrict this to Company Cheques (the current list is available here). Ticket Offices also accept payment by UK issued Postal Order.

9.1.6 Concessionary Transport Tokens

National Transport Tokens and Local Authority Tokens, minted in denominations of 10p, 20p, 50p and £1, are issued by certain agencies to certain groups. These can be used to purchase tickets and timetables. Change is given in Sterling for amounts less than the lowest value token used in a transaction.

9.1.7 Excess Fares Windows

An Excess Fares Window is a specific instance of a ticket office, found within the gated area of a station with automatic, or manual ticket barriers. They allow passengers who boarded at unstaffed stations, and who were unable to purchase a ticket during the journey, to purchase a ticket before reaching the gateline.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

IanXC

Emeritus Moderator
Joined
18 Dec 2009
Messages
6,331
9.2 Self Service Machines

9.2.1 Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs)

These are provided at an increasing number of stations and allow passengers to purchase a limited range of tickets, typically for journeys from the station in question, or in most cases, for the collection of tickets purchased online or by telephone. Known as Ticket on Departure, care should be taken when using this facility as it can take up to 2 hours for tickets purchased to be available for collection. When collecting ToD tickets the passenger should check carefully to ensure that the number of tickets to be issued (shown on screen) matches the number physically printed and collected from the machine.

Most TVMs accept cash and card payments, although the cards accepted may not be as extensive as at the Ticket Office. Some TVMs, at typically otherwise unstaffed stations or in higher crime areas, may only accept payment by Debit or Credit Card.

9.2.2 Permit to Travel Machines (PERTIS)

Another type of machine available are Permit to Travel Machines, these allow passengers to purchase a 'permit to travel' by inserting coins to the value of their fare (or towards their fare in the case of high value fares). In some areas staff suggest you pay less, such as a token amount of £0.05, however the rules continue to state you should insert as many coins as possible towards the fare. PERTIS machines are typically found in Penalty Fare areas and allow passengers demonstrate their intention to pay for a ticket, which will subsequently be deducted from their ticket, which must be purchased at the first opportunity.

9.2.3 Collection-only ToD kiosks

These machines are simplified TVMs, which are set up specifically to only issue tickets purchased online or by phone, known as 'Ticket on Departure'. The most common version is the ToDler machine manufactured by Parkeon.
 
Last edited:

IanXC

Emeritus Moderator
Joined
18 Dec 2009
Messages
6,331
9.3 Onboard

9.3.1 Availability

Where there is not a booking office, TVM or PERTIS facility (or where specific instruction is given by a TOC) passengers are able to purchase a full range of tickets onboard the train from the Guard/Train Manager/Revenue Protection Inspector. Where a facility was available for a passenger to purchase a ticket and they have not made use of that opportunity to obtain a ticket, a restricted range of tickets will be available and, other than Disabled Railcard holders, no railcard discount will be available. In some areas a Penalty Fare is payable.

9.3.2 Payment Methods

Onboard staff will accept payment by cash and National Rail Travel Voucher in the same way as a Booking Office. Card payments are accepted, however it is not usually possible to use "All Authorise" or "Electronic Use Only" debit cards onboard (this may not be marked on the card).

9.3.4 Disputes

There are various outcomes which can arise from a passenger not holding a ticket, or holding an invalid ticket, whilst on a train (when boarding at a station with ticket purchasing facilities) or in certain circumstances on a station. Our Disputes section explains the processes followed and our Legal section covers the legislative provisions and most serious consequences.
 
Last edited:

IanXC

Emeritus Moderator
Joined
18 Dec 2009
Messages
6,331
9.4 Online and Telephone Sales

9.4.1 Online

Train Companies and a number of third party providers operate online ticket retailing websites. These enable passengers to purchase tickets for delivery by post, or collection from a Ticket Vending Machine using a facility known as Ticket on Departure (ToD).

Payment is accepted via the website by Debit or Credit Card at the time of booking. When collecting tickets using ToD it is typical for the TVM to require the exact card used to purchase the tickets to be inserted into the machine for identification purposes, and then for a booking reference number provided at the time of booking to be typed in. If your bank issues you with a new card, for example if the old one expires, retain the old card to collect the tickets booked using it. Should the card used be lost or stolen contact the website for assistance.

9.4.2 Telesales

Most TOCs, along with certain third party providers, offer the ability to purchase tickets by telephone. Payment will be taken by debit or credit card during the phone call, and tickets dispatched by post (subject to delivery time being available before the journey) or using Ticket on Departure, with the passenger collecting the ticket from a TVM at the station.

9.4.3 Differences between providers

All TOCs operate "impartial" online retailing, this means that tickets for any journey using National Rail may be booked with any online retailer, however some may give their own tickets and services preference when listing available fares (for instance Virgin Trains). There is, though no requirement to purchase tickets from the TOC operating the service the ticket is for. Different online retailers may levy fees for posting tickets out, for collection using ToD or for making card payments, however by shopping around it is usually possible to avoid these fees.

9.4.4 Sleeper Services

The UK National Rail network has 2 Sleeper Services, the Caledonian Sleeper (operated by Serco) and the Night Riviera (operated by Great Western Railway). Sleeper tickets and reservations for these services are available from most manned ticket offices, but only from the online and telesales services operated by Scotrail and Great Western. The expertise of the telesales operation can be particularly useful as few manned ticket offices regularly deal with sleeper reservations.
 
Last edited:

IanXC

Emeritus Moderator
Joined
18 Dec 2009
Messages
6,331
9.5 Stranded Individual Location Known (SILK)

9.5.1 Purpose

The NRCoT requires all passengers to have a valid ticket for the journey they intend to make. However, there is a facility available to issue tickets to a passenger who is stranded with no means to pay the required fare by getting a friend or relative to make the payment remotely. This is known as Stranded Individual(s) Location Known (SILK).

The service is primarily aimed at providing assistance to young children stranded without funds or other persons who have a very important reason to travel (e.g. a death in the family) or are genuinely stranded and have no other means of making the journey required. It is at the discretion of ticket office staff whether or not they allow a person to use SILK to acquire their tickets.

9.5.2 Process

When using SILK the stranded passenger needs to find a friend or relative to go to another manned station, or some TOCs will allow the friend or relative to purchase the ticket by telephone. Once there they will be required to pay the Anytime or Anytime Day Single fare for the journey to be made; these are the only two fares that can be purchased using SILK. The passenger is entitled to a child or railcard discount on the fare unless payment is made using a warrant. Tickets will usually be marked "SILK" and the charge for the service will include any expenses incurred by the two stations making the arrangements (excluding the cost of the phone calls) and a £10 administration fee.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

IanXC

Emeritus Moderator
Joined
18 Dec 2009
Messages
6,331
9.6 Collection using 'any card'

9.6.1 Purpose

In a similar fashion to SILK, if someone is not in a position to pay for a ticket and a friend or relative is in a position to pay for them it is possible to purchase tickets which can be collected using any card.

9.6.2 Scotland

Should the passenger requiring a ticket be at a location with a ScotRail Ticket Vending Machine, any Ticket on Departure purchase may be collected from these TVMs with any card.

9.6.3 Other locations

For other locations, the person paying for the ticket can achieve the same outcome using the Virgin Trains East Coast website, and the full range of single & return fares is available.

The person with means to pay first needs to purchase 'Virgin Trains eVouchers' which are available in any value multiple required (from £10 upwards).

That person, or any other person with an Virgin Trains East Coast account, then needs to purchase a ticket which meets the passengers' needs, when the payment screen is reached, selecting to pay by eVoucher.

When the booking is confirmed, the booking reference is released to the passenger. By inserting any card, and entering the booking reference provided on the confirmation screen, the tickets will be issued.
 
Last edited:

IanXC

Emeritus Moderator
Joined
18 Dec 2009
Messages
6,331
9.7 Refunds

9.7.1 Obtaining a Refund

Refunds for purchases of tickets can usually be requested and processed by the office that issued the ticket. In some cases they can also be dealt with at other booking offices of the same train operating company, or by post. They will not usually be processed by other train operating companies, however other companies ticket offices can accept refund applications and forward them to the relevant company's office.

Refunds will normally be paid by the same method used to purchase the ticket (in the case of a warrant, this will be a credit to the relevant warrant account). In some cases, they may be paid by cheque in the post or by a bank transfer to a nominated account.

9.7.2 Refunds due to Disruption

If your journey is disrupted and you choose not to travel, you can obtain a refund with no administration fee if you surrender your ticket to any Train Company's ticket office at that time (this does not apply if you knew about the disruption when you purchased your ticket) or to the point of purchase at any time within 28 days of the date of travel.

9.7.3 By ticket type

Some ticket types (most notably Advance except as stated in 9.6.4 below) are not eligible for a refund - for information about specific ticket types please see our Ticket Types & Conditions section for walk up and advance fares, and our Multi-Journey Tickets section for other types such as Seasons. Other than for Advance tickets (where refunds are not available) an Administration Fee of £10 is payable, although some Train Operating Companies are believed to charge lower fees in certain circumstances.

9.7.4 Southern Railway

Southern offer a more flexible policy on refunds for walk-up tickets purchased via its website. They allow these to be refunded prior to travel through the website with no fee, so long as the ticket has not been collected.
 
Last edited:

IanXC

Emeritus Moderator
Joined
18 Dec 2009
Messages
6,331
9.8 Compensation: Delay Repay Schemes

9.8.1 Details

Delay Repay Schemes apply to certain TOCs, and allow passengers delayed by specific amounts of time to claim specific proportions of the ticket cost in compensation for the delay:

Delay of 30-59 minutes:
  • 50% of a single ticket price
  • 25% of a return ticket price
  • 1/10th of a weekly ticket price (or equivalent proportion of a longer season price)

Delay of 60-119 minutes:
  • 100% of a single ticket price
  • 50% of a return ticket price
  • 2/10ths of a weekly ticket price (or equivalent proportion of a longer season price)
Delay of over 120 minutes:
  • 100% of a single ticket price
  • 100% of a return ticket price
  • 2/10ths of a weekly season price (or equivalent proportion of a longer season price)
9.8.2 Process

Such compensation is paid in National Rail Travel Vouchers, or a 'money option' including at least one of Cheque, Bank Transfer or refund to the card account used to purchase the ticket. Claims can usually be submitted via the TOC's website, including an image of the ticket, or using a paper form submitted by post.

9.8.3 Participants

The following franchises operate a Delay Repay Scheme:

  • Greater Anglia
  • c2c
  • Caledonian Sleeper
  • CrossCountry
  • East Midlands Trains
  • West Midlands Trains (trading as London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway)
  • Northern
  • ScotRail
  • South Western Railway
  • Southeastern
  • Thameslink Southern Great Northern (trading as Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink)
  • Transpennine Express
  • Virgin Trains East Coast
  • Virgin Trains (West Coast)
 
Last edited by a moderator:

IanXC

Emeritus Moderator
Joined
18 Dec 2009
Messages
6,331
9.9 Compensation: Passenger's Charter Schemes

9.9.1 Details

Compensation is paid by certain TOCs under their Passenger's Charter. These schemes operate differently depending on whether single, return or weekly season tickets are held, or whether season tickets 1 month or over in duration are held. Full details of the levels of compensation available are included in each TOC's Passenger Charter.

The circumstances where claims can be made are limited; for instance claims for journeys where the delay was advised to passengers before travel, where the cause of the delay is outside the TOC's reasonable control (eg vandalism, terrorism, severe weather or delays caused by third parties), where proof of travel (such as endorsement by ontrain staff) is not available, or where a refund is also being pursued or the claim is otherwise subject to doubt.

9.9.2 Single, Return and Weekly Season Tickets

For daily or weekly tickets an amount of compensation is paid in National Rail Travel Vouchers, or a 'money option' including at least one of Cheque, Bank Transfer or refund to the card account used to purchase the ticket. The amount is calculated, depending on the delay and according to the specific time periods set out in each TOC's Passenger Charter. These are processed by post, using a form available from Ticket Offices, and in some cases of disruption, onboard.

9.9.3 Season Tickets valid 1 month or longer

For season tickets 1 month and longer in duration, a renewal discount is available where performance on the route in question falls below a benchmark set in the TOC's Passenger Charter. This discount is applied by the ticket office when the renewal season is purchased.

For a discount to be applied the ticket must have expired, and be within 28 days of the expiry date. Furthermore the new ticket being purchased must be for the same or similar route to the expired one, and for the same or shorter time period.

ScotRail monthly or longer season ticket holders on individual journeys being delayed by more than 1 hour benefit from enhanced compensation which means that "If [they] are delayed by an hour or more, we will give [them] National Rail vouchers to the value of 20% of the part of [the] journey which was delayed" ScotRail Charter.

9.9.4 Void Days and Disruption

TOCs also have the option of declaring "Void Days" for days where services are subject to large scale delays or disruption. TOCs will advise whether passengers can use these void days to extend the validity of their renewal season tickets, or obtain a refund within 28 days of the expiry date. Passengers holding weekly seasons cannot extend their current ticket, and must have any extension added to their next weekly season.

During period of intermittent disruption TOCs may allow refunds to be made during the course of a season ticket, rather than requiring the ticket to have expired.

9.9.5 Participants

The following franchises operate a Passenger's Charter Scheme, under Condition 42 of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage:
  • Arriva Trains Wales
  • Chiltern Railways
  • Grand Central
  • GWR (Great Western Railway; including Heathrow Connect)
  • Merseyrail
9.8.6 Different charter schemes

TfL (on behalf of London Overground and TfL Rail) operate a scheme which is limited to delays within rail industry control, although a full refund applies when a delay exceeds 30 minutes.

Heathrow Express Hull Trains both operate schemes that are similar to Delay Repay, but as they are not franchised operators answerable to the Department for Transport, they operate the schemes at their discretion.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top