Should Delay Repay and other compensation schemes be modified/suspended at present?

[AM9]

I think that the normal presumption that Delay Repay is due because of an event of a 'rail industry' failure might need to be suspended, as trying to do the right thing for passengers' health vis-a-vis delivering a service as advertised may in many cases actually be impossible.

 

[scotrail158713]

Perhaps yes, but I don’t know how many delays there actually are just now - going by discussion on here reliability and timekeeping is at its highest it’s been in a while.

 

[westv]

Hardly anyone is currently travelling by rail so there would be minimal delay replay claims anyway.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I would agree that any delay caused by a need to ensure social distancing should not be subject to Delay Repay at present.

I see no reason why the remaining aspects of the scheme should not continue.

 

[AM9]

I would agree that any delay caused by a need to ensure social distancing should not be subject to Delay Repay at present.

I see no reason why the remaining aspects of the scheme should not continue.

That was along the lines that I was thinking. Once there is a rise in passengers (say about the 20-25% level), there may be delays as a result of the severe capacity limits being imposed to maintain safe distancing. That wouldn't be an issue on longer distance services where seat booking is mandated, but commuter lines are almost exclusively used by walk-up passengers who might actually be late for work etc., if refused boarding. In ordinary times, they would either squeeze themselves on of claim that the train was too crowded, - not necessarily getting payment in those cases.
There might be a case for some season ticket holders to receive a pre-agreed partial reduction based on the per-journey figure costed into the tickets but other than that, non-frequent travellers I suspect would have to take the inconvenience on the chin.

 

[yorkie]

I would agree that any delay caused by a need to ensure social distancing should not be subject to Delay Repay at present.

I don't agree; if a passenger has an itinerary and is prevented boarding, I don't think that should be exempt from delay compensation.

This is a contractual change so would require re-wording of the NRCoT. Social distancing is only temporary (it had better be, anyway!) so is it really worth it?

 

[AM9]

I don't agree; if a passenger has an itinerary and is prevented boarding, I don't think that should be exempt from delay compensation.

This is a contractual change so would require re-wording of the NRCoT. Social distancing is only temporary (it had better be, anyway!) so is it really worth it?

I agree that a booked journey with a full itinerary would probably attract consideration for delay repay rebate, but in the context of travel on a turn-up basis, it would be unreasonable to expect an absolute undertaking that the railway could always provide enough space for safe distances to be observed by every passenger who would be entitled to travel.

 

[Bikeman78]

That was along the lines that I was thinking. Once there is a rise in passengers (say about the 20-25% level), there may be delays as a result of the severe capacity limits being imposed to maintain safe distancing. That wouldn't be an issue on longer distance services where seat booking is mandated, but commuter lines are almost exclusively used by walk-up passengers who might actually be late for work etc., if refused boarding. In ordinary times, they would either squeeze themselves on of claim that the train was too crowded, - not necessarily getting payment in those cases.
There might be a case for some season ticket holders to receive a pre-agreed partial reduction based on the per-journey figure costed into the tickets but other than that, non-frequent travellers I suspect would have to take the inconvenience on the chin.

Most stations are unstaffed so who would be preventing people from getting on? The only place this might happen is London termini. If even they did this at Waterloo, how would loadings be managed at Vauxhall or Claphm Junction? My personal view is that it won't be a problem for a while because almost no one is travelling. Once passenger number build up to the extent that it is a problem I think the railway will have to let passengers sort themselves out.