Londoners are being failed by the rail regulator over train delays, says commuter group London TravelWatch
The government has been urged to create a new system that would give commuters automatic compensation if their train is delayed by 15 minutes or more.
Passenger group London TravelWatch has branded new measures for tackling train delays a "disappointment", and urged for a more decisive approach – which would include auto-payments for late trains.
Regulator Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has announced plans for acting against train operators over delays after finding that 80 per cent of passengers do not make claims about poor services. The ORR wants to ensure passengers have more information on how they can claim compensation – measures announced in response to a "super-complaint" by the consumer watchdog Which?
But London TravelWatch, which is funded by the London Assembly, said it hoped the ORR would start forcing train operators to act, rather than "embarking on a round of research which will mean passengers have to wait longer for a fairer compensation system".
"Ultimately passengers don't want compensation – they just want their trains to run on time," said London TravelWatch chairman, Stephen Locke.
"It is up to the ORR as regulator to ensure that operators come up to the mark – and it is time for the regulator to demonstrate its consumer credentials by clear and decisive action."
Richard Lloyd, executive director of Which, said: "Where breaches of consumer law and licence conditions have been found, the ORR must take enforcement action without delay".