Public transport
This information applies to England, Wales
and Scotland
Bus and Coach
services
Bus services outside London are run by private operators or
are services subsidised by a Passenger Transport Executive or a local authority.
There are six Passenger Transport Authorities (PTAs) in England and one in
Scotland. Each PTA has a Passenger Transport Executive, which is responsible for
subsidised services in its area .
Local authorities may provide some bus services and they must
provide bus services to meet the needs of elderly and disabled people. The local
authority will normally have a public transport officer responsible for bus
services.
Bus services in London are the responsibility of Transport
for London (TFL), which gives contracts and licences to private bus
operators.
All coach services in Britain are privately operated.
Penalty Fares
In London only, you may liable to pay a penalty fare if you
travel without a ticket or valid pass. A penalty fare is not a fine but is a
fare set at a higher rate than the normal fare.
If you do not pay the bus penalty fare when asked, you must
give your name and address to the official representative of Transport for
London (TFL). Refusal to supply these details is a criminal offence and you
could be prosecuted. If you want to appeal against being charged a penalty fare
- whether you have paid it or not - you have 21 days to do this. TFL then has to
show why you should pay and, if you continue to refuse, will have to take
proceedings in the county court. If you want to appeal write to Revenue
Protection Services .
If you feel you have been unfairly treated by being charged a
bus penalty fare you should complain in writing to Transport for London .
Complaints about bus services
If you have a complaint about any bus service (for example,
unsafe driving, overcharging, late running, unacceptable staff behaviour) you
should complain directly to the bus operator. The name and address of the
operator must be shown on the vehicle and will also usually be displayed inside.
In London, you can complain directly to Transport for London (TFL).
Many private operators and Passenger Transport Executives
have charters or codes of practice setting out how complaints are dealt with and
what a passenger can expect.
If you have complained about a London bus service and are not
satisfied, you should contact the London Transport Users' Committee (LTUC) .
If you are travelling outside London and have a general
complaint about bus services, for example, about the lack of a service in your
area or where a bus stop or shelter is situated, you should contact the local
authority or, if you are in an area covered by a Passenger Transport Authority,
the Passenger Transport Executive .
In London, you should contact Transport for London (TFL) Buses Customer Service
Centre .
If you have a complaint about a bus service in Scotland,
contact the bus service operator first. If this does not resolve the problem you
can take your complaint to the Bus Users Complaints tribunal (BUCT) .
BUCT can deal with complaints about service failures, staff behaviour, service
provision and fares, and - if your complaint is upheld - can make the bus
operator pay compensation. You must complain to BUCT as soon as possible, and no
later than 28 days after you've received a final response from the bus operator.
If the complaint is outside their remit, BUCT will pass it to a body who can
deal with it, such as the Traffic Commissioner, or the Bus Appeals body. You
cannot go directly to the Bus Appeals Body with a complaint about bus services
in Scotland. You can also complain directly to the Traffic Commissioner for
Scotland. The Traffic Commissioner cannot award compensation but can fine a bus
operator or withdraw their operator's licence.
Complaints about coach services
Anyone who has a complaint about the quality of a coach
service should address the complaint to the operator. If you are not satisfied
with the way in which the operator has dealt with the complaint you should
complain to the Bus Appeals Body (BAB) .
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Rail and
Underground services
Penalty fares
Rail services
Railway operators can impose a penalty fare on a passenger
who travels without the correct ticket in some areas. This will be an on the
spot penalty above the normal fare and is not a fine. If the fare you should
have paid is £10.00 or less, the penalty will be £20.00. If the fare was over
£10.00, the penalty fare will be double the fare.
You may want to appeal against a penalty fare if there
was:-
- insufficient notice that you were travelling in a penalty fare area because,
for example, signs were inadequate,
- English is not your first language, or you were unable to read the notices
because you are visually impaired
- inadequate opportunity to buy a ticket to travel because, for example, there
was a long queue at the ticket office and the ticket machine was not available,
or you were unable to use a machine because of a physical disability.
An appeal should be made to the Independent Penalty Fares
Appeal Service (IPFAS) .
There is a criminal offence of travelling on a train with the
intention of avoiding paying the fare. If you are charged with this offence, you
should get further advice from a specialist adviser, for example at a Citizens
Advice bureau.
Underground services
Penalty fares are only imposed on London underground services
and not underground services outside of London. Penalties are imposed for the
same reason as on buses, and are dealt with in the same way - see under heading
Bus
and Coach services.
If you want to appeal against a penalty fare, you should
write to the London Underground Penalty Fares Appeals Office - see under heading
Transport
services in London.
Complaints about rail services
If you have a complaint about a train journey or a train
delay or cancellation, you should address it to the train operator's customer
services officer. You may be entitled to compensation for late or delayed
services. You should check this with the train operator's customer services
o
fficer. If you are complaining about a station, you should
find out whether the station is run by a train operating company or by
Railtrack. You can do this by checking the logo displayed at the station. You
should then address the complaint to the appropriate customer services
officer.
Train operators must have a passengers' charter that has been
approved by the Rail Regulator. As well as setting out service standards, the
charter gives information on how to complain. If you want to make a complaint
you can get a complaint form at a station or you can complain by telephone.
Notices at stations and on trains give complaint addresses and telephone
details.
If a complaint is likely to involve more than one company, or
you are not sure which company you should make your complain to, complain to
whoever seems most likely. This company should then deal with the complaint or
forward it to the appropriate company or companies.
If you are travelling outside London and you are not
satisfied with the way in which the train company or Railtrack has dealt with
your complaint, you should complain to the Rail Passengers' Committee. The Rail
Passengers' Council (RPC)
can give you the address of the local Rail Passengers' Committee. In London, you
should contact the London Transport Users' Committee (LTUC) (see under heading
Transport
services in London for address).
Complaints about the National Rail Enquiry Service
The National Rail Enquiry Service gives telephone information
on timetables, fares and tickets on any route. It also gives information about
engineering works and the best or cheapest route to use. The telephone number is
08457 484950.
If you have been given incorrect, complain to the Rail
Passengers' Committee. The Rail Passengers' Council (RPC)
can give you the address of the local Rail Passengers' Committee. You will need
to give the RPC the date and time you made the call to the National Rail Enquiry
Service and your own telephone code for them to identify the call centre which
handled your original enquiry.
Complaints about underground services
Outside London there are underground services in Merseyside,
Tyne and Wear and Glasgow. They are the responsibility of the Passenger
Transport Executive for the area . Underground services in London are the responsibility of
Transport for London (TFL) (see under heading Transport
services in London for address).
If you have a complaint, go to the service operator. The
operator's name and address must be displayed on the train and will also be
displayed in the station.
In London, if you are not satisfied with the outcome of your
initial complaint to the line manager you can complain to London Underground
Customer Service Centre (see under heading Transport
services in London for address).
If you are still not satisfied you should complain to the
London Transport Users' Committee (LTUC) (see under heading Transport
services in London for address).
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Taxis and
minicabs
In all areas outside London, the local authority regulates
taxis and minicabs and their drivers. In London, taxis, minicabs and their
drivers are licensed by the Metropolitan Police at the Public Carriage Office
(see under heading Transport
services in London for address).
Complaints about taxis and minicabs
Taxis
If you have a complaint about, for example, a driver's
behaviour, unsafe driving, the driver not taking the direct route, or the meter
apparently being wrongly set, complain to the taxi operator. If you are not
satisfied with the response then complain to your local authority, quoting,
where possible, the licence number. The licence number is usually displayed both
inside and outside the taxi.
If you are complaining about a taxi service in London and are
not satisfied with the response you have received, take the complaint to the
Public Carriage Office, giving the driver's badge number and as much information
as possible about the complaint (see under heading Transport
services in London for address).
Minicabs
You should first complain to the operator. If you are not
satisfied with the result of a complaint to the minicab operator, go to your
local authority or the Public Carriage Office if you live in the London
area.
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Personal
injury and damage to property
If you are injured or your property is damaged while
travelling on public transport other than a train (for example, you have fallen
downstairs on an escalator), you should report it to the operator. You may also
want to consider whether you can get compensation for any injury or damage
caused by the accident.
If you are injured or your property is damaged on a train,
complain to the train operator or Miller Rail Claims . If you suspect there has been a health and safety breach you
should report it to the Health and Safety Executive .
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Transport services in London
Transport for London Buses
Customer Service Centre
172 Buckingham Palace
Road
London SW1W 9TN
Tel: 020 7918 4300
Fax: 020 7918 3999
Email: customerservices@tfl-buses.co.uk
London Underground
Customer Service Centre
55 Broadway
London SW1H
0BD
Tel: 0845 330 9880
Fax: 020 7918 4093
Email: customerse@tfl.gov.uk
Website: www.tfl.gov.uk/tube
Online Tube Contact form: https://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/contact/tube/default.asp
Open from 8am until 8pm, 7 days a week.
Penalty Fares Appeals Office
London Underground Ltd
PO Box 4092
London
SW1H 9EG
Revenue Protection Services
London Bus Services
PO Box 3893
London SWIW 9FL
London TravelWatch
6 Middle Street
London
EC1A 7JA
Tel: 020 7505 9000
(Monday to Friday, 9.30 to 17.00)
Fax: 020 7505 9003
Email: enquiries@londontravelwatch.org.uk
Website:
www.londontravelwatch.org.uk
Public Carriage Office
Officer-in-Charge
Public Carriage Office
15 Penton
Street
London N1 9PU
Tel: 020 7941 4500
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