During the December 2019 strikes we did our utmost to keep passengers moving and carried over 80% of the number of passengers we normally would have done at this time of year.
However, having listened to customer feedback, and given the duration and intensity of the strike, we are now offering additional compensation, over and above the normal delay repay arrangements.
The cost of rail travel for up to 5 days will be paid as compensation and will be offered to season ticket holders and daily ticket holders who travelled frequently during the strike.
The compensation scheme will run in two phases.
Phase 1: SWR season ticket holders for whom SWR holds details will be contacted directly to arrange compensation;
Phase 2: will be for holders of other tickets, such as weekly season tickets or daily tickets, as well as any monthly or longer season ticket holders who have not received a contact from us. Customers with these tickets will need to apply for compensation, we will communicate how to do this when this phase opens.
We are working on creating an online eligibility checker, so customers will be able to find out their entitlement before the scheme opens. SWR will notify customers when the eligibility checker is available and when each phase opens.
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What compensation are you offering?
Monthly or longer season tickets:
This includes monthly, monthly plus, and annual season tickets. We are offering these customers 5 days’ worth of compensation. The value of this will be calculated from the daily value of each of those season tickets, for any days valid whilst the strike took place.
For ticket holders who bought their ticket from one of our stations or our website, we already hold contact details, so we will make contact with these customers directly to arrange this compensation with them. Customers for whom we don’t hold details will need to apply for compensation in phase 2.
Weekly season tickets:
We will offer weekly season ticket holders 5 days’ worth of compensation, for travel during weekdays affected by strike action.
The compensation available is not dependent on the number of weekly season tickets bought, provided that at least one ticket was valid during the strike.
For example:
- A customer who bought one weekly season ticket, would be eligible for 5 days’ worth of compensation
- A customer who bought 4 weekly season tickets, would also be eligible for a maximum of 5 days’ worth of compensation.
Daily tickets:
Customers who travelled using daily tickets (this includes Anytime and Off-Peak single or return tickets, Carnet, Oyster and Contactless Pay as You Go) would need to have travelled for at least 3 days in a 7-day period. This would be available up to a maximum of 5 days’ worth of compensation for the whole strike period.
For example:
- Customers who travelled for 3 days in a 7-day period, would be eligible for 3 days’ worth of compensation.
- Customers who travelled for 4 days in a 7-day period, would be eligible for 4 days’ worth of compensation.
- Customers who travelled for 5 days or more in a 7-day period, would be eligible for 5 days’ worth of compensation.
- Customers who travelled for more than 5 days or in more than one 7-day period, would also be eligible for 5 days’ worth of compensation.
Weekly and daily customers will need proof of purchase, this can be in the form of the ticket, receipt, bank/credit card statement that shows payment to South Western Railway, or any email receipts if you purchased tickets online from South Western Railway or another ticket retailer such as Trainline.
Season ticket holders whose station received no train service or bus replacement:
Customers who fall into this category will receive the full cost of travel for the days in which they had a valid ticket during the period of the strike.
Depending on the origin, destination and route of the ticket the value of compensation will vary. Customers may receive less compensation where another operator also provides a service along that line of route or where customers need to travel partially with another operator to complete their journey.
