08.01.18
GTR forks out £15m in compensation claims in 2016-17 as total payouts exceed £73m
Passenger compensation claims exceeded £73m in 2016-17, the latest figures from the DfT have revealed.
The total compensation paid for delayed journeys and discretionary compensation following complaints has increased by £29m since 2015-16.
Govia Thameslink Railway, the parent company of beleaguered operator Southern, topped the table with repayments of almost £15m last year – which amounts to a seven fold increase compared to the £2.2m it paid out in 2015-16.
The TOC also paid out an additional £11,972 to Southern season ticket holders for the “extraordinary disruption” in 2016.
Virgin Trains East Coast and Virgin Trains West Coast weren’t too far behind, paying out £13.7m and £13.2m respectively.
c2c again stands out as having paid out the smallest amount of compensation - just £236,000.
Anthony Smith, chief executive of the independent watchdog Transport Focus said that the figures reflected “patchy punctuality.”
He added that while it is positive that more people were claiming compensation, passengers would rather enjoy more reliable journeys on the UK network.
“Our research has shown that almost two thirds of eligible passengers were unaware they could claim, so it is good to see more people getting some money back to take the sting out of the situation,” he continued.
“We think the process could be made even easier – with greater automation – to help yet more people claim.
“And of course, the best case would be for performance to improve so there is no need to claim.”
Back in April last year, the travel watchdog warned that many Southern passengers were still unaware of compensation schemes available to them that would allow them to claim money back following delays caused by frequent union strikes last year.
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