Taxis in Disruption (08-Dec-25)

[Alex C.]

SWR are having an absolutely terrible evening. Emergency services dealing with an incident at Wimbledon and a fallen tree at Milford. These things happen. My wife has just told me that the guard on her service (which made it as far as Woking heading towards Portsmouth) has told everyone that they don't know when the service will be restored and they should pay for a taxi home and reclaim it.

I recognise this process well from previous disruption. Is it really reasonable to expect passengers to fork out £100+ to get a taxi which they will then need to reclaim, potentially taking 2-3 weeks (or more given Christmas), almost certainly in the form of a cheque. Not so unreasonable when it's a short local journey but for many people, being out of pocket by that much cash over Christmas is impossible.

This happens constantly on SWR, where 'authorising taxis' seems to be them relinquishing any duty of care to passengers. We see the same with TOCs failing to meet their NRCOT obligations on the basis they can't accommodate another TOCs passengers during disruption, despite the fact they will happily sell them a ticket for the same service.

There are plenty of Uber's available in Woking right now. Uber do corporate travel accounts, why do SWR not have a corporate account they can make bookings through? They have plenty of staff at Woking who would be able to support this process.

That's not even to mention the prospect of rail replacement buses being put on - taxis were authorised at 4:52pm according to X - nearly 2 hours later surely they could have got a coach company to rustle something up by throwing a wad of cash their way.

I completely understand that disruption is inevitable (and that the failures tonight are not SWR's fault) but is this really the best possible solution to helping passengers during disruption?

 

[David57]

A lot of potential RRB Drivers will have done school contracts this morning and afternoon, and will potentially be out of duty hours, so throwing 'a wad of cash' wouldn't be an option..

 

[800001]

SWR are having an absolutely terrible evening. Emergency services dealing with an incident at Wimbledon and a fallen tree at Milford. These things happen. My wife has just told me that the guard on her service (which made it as far as Woking heading towards Portsmouth) has told everyone that they don't know when the service will be restored and they should pay for a taxi home and reclaim it.

I recognise this process well from previous disruption. Is it really reasonable to expect passengers to fork out £100+ to get a taxi which they will then need to reclaim, potentially taking 2-3 weeks (or more given Christmas), almost certainly in the form of a cheque. Not so unreasonable when it's a short local journey but for many people, being out of pocket by that much cash over Christmas is impossible.

This happens constantly on SWR, where 'authorising taxis' seems to be them relinquishing any duty of care to passengers. We see the same with TOCs failing to meet their NRCOT obligations on the basis they can't accommodate another TOCs passengers during disruption, despite the fact they will happily sell them a ticket for the same service.

There are plenty of Uber's available in Woking right now. Uber do corporate travel accounts, why do SWR not have a corporate account they can make bookings through? They have plenty of staff at Woking who would be able to support this process.

That's not even to mention the prospect of rail replacement buses being put on - taxis were authorised at 4:52pm according to X - nearly 2 hours later surely they could have got a coach company to rustle something up by throwing a wad of cash their way.

I completely understand that disruption is inevitable (and that the failures tonight are not SWR's fault) but is this really the best possible solution to helping passengers during disruption?

When LNER paid me for a taxi I had used, it was via BACS.

 

[CyrusWuff]

Train Companies will usually have a contract with a specific company for Rail Replacement, both planned and ad hoc.

When they request replacement transport, that company will offer it out to companies they work with and see who takes it.

For unplanned requests, it can easily take two hours or more to get a vehicle to site, hence SWR's pragmatic approach of allowing customers to source their own taxi and claim it back.

 

[Mattplans]

Even in the most severe disruption I have never ever seen Southeastern inform its’ passengers that it’s okay to book a taxi. Better than nothing

 

[JonathanH]

There didn't appear to be a blanket approval for taxis. Instead, they seemed to be approved for journeys between Surbiton and Chessington South, and stations on between Surbiton and Effingham Junction. The former is a 20 minute bus ride, but I note that the latter could involve a longer (and more awkward) journey without a taxi option.

 

[Angmering1974]

Of course it's not the best they can do. It's the cheaper option and they get away with it, because what you going to do? Take them to court? Stage a sit-in in protest? Never take the train again?

They know enough people will just pay up/give up/grumble a bit and then move on with life.

Plus they always have a million excuses for not doing something.

At least now they're state owned you can write a letter to your MP, which will result in nothing changing but it might be cathartic

 

[Bantamzen]

Train Companies will usually have a contract with a specific company for Rail Replacement, both planned and ad hoc.

When they request replacement transport, that company will offer it out to companies they work with and see who takes it.

For unplanned requests, it can easily take two hours or more to get a vehicle to site, hence SWR's pragmatic approach of allowing customers to source their own taxi and claim it back.

Assuming that passengers can afford the taxis in the first place. Surely if the decision is to use taxis, the the TOC should be looking to cover the cost without passengers having to fork out for it & get it back in a few weeks, and leaving some passengers with no options because they can't afford it?

 

[Cornish Pasty]

Personal experience with SWR a few weeks ago saw my £120 taxi bill and 100% Delay Repay - I only claimed 50% - in my bank account within 10 days of claiming.
The relevant forms are on their website.

 

[Alex C.]

Personal experience with SWR a few weeks ago saw my £120 taxi bill and 100% Delay Repay - I only claimed 50% - in my bank account within 10 days of claiming.
The relevant forms are on their website.

Thank you for this - I know they could only issues cheques in the recent past (outside of delay repay) so knowing this has changed at least is a positive.

 

[Jimini]

There didn't appear to be a blanket approval for taxis. Instead, they seemed to be approved for journeys between Surbiton and Chessington South, and stations on between Surbiton and Effingham Junction. The former is a 20 minute bus ride, but I note that the latter could involve a longer (and more awkward) journey without a taxi option.

Image shows a tweet from SWR informing passengers that they can book and claim back a taxi to any points between Woking and Portsmouth.

The tree falling on the line so soon after the lines through Earlsfield finally reopened was awful timing. Anyone commuting from Waterloo down via. Haslemere towards Portsmouth would have had a positively ghastly evening.

 

[DelW]

Of course it's not the best they can do. It's the cheaper option and they get away with it, because what you going to do? Take them to court? Stage a sit-in in protest? Never take the train again?

They know enough people will just pay up/give up/grumble a bit and then move on with life.

Though the justification given for SWR's timetables still featuring covid-era cuts is that commuter numbers are still too far down to restore the full service, so maybe some of those people have voted with their feet (and wallets) and have abandoned the railway?

Days like yesterday certainly won't help get those customers back.

 

[fwsmVor]

What was going on at Worplesdon??

(image: a train leaves Woking Jn 34 late, arrives at Worplesdon 109 late)

 

[Jimini]

What was going on at Worplesdon??

(image: a train leaves Woking Jn 34 late, arrives at Worplesdon 109 late)

It was waiting at Worplesdon for the tree to be cleared off the line at Milford (it arrived there three minutes after clearing Woking junction).

 

[EbbwJunction1]

I appreciate that it was a different situation and a different TOC, but I was caught in a potentially similar situation last week.

I was travelling from Swindon to Newport (South Wales) last Monday with GWR. The train was late leaving Swindon because of signalling problems and, just outside Bristol Parkway, we were informed that the train would be terminating there and an unspecified alternative method(s) of transport was being arranged for passengers to South Wales and the South West.

This had only recently been agreed and, on arrival at Bristol Parkway, it was a bit chaotic. However, there were loads of taxis outside the station, and these were being filled with passengers who wanted to travel to Bristol Temple Meads and the intermediate stations. I understood that people going further on to the South West would be changing at Bristol Temple Meads for trains.

So, the question was - what about those of us who were travelling to South Wales (I was on a train to Carmarthen)? We were asked to wait for coaches; these didn't take very long to arrive from South Wales and set off quite quickly. Although I was abut an hour late getting back to Newport, it could have been much worse.

The important thing to note is that the system worked, and once decisions had been made, most people (staff and passengers) seemed to know what was going to happen and what was actually happening. I have made a Delay Repay claim and I'm waiting for a payment.

 

[DarloRich]

I recognise this process well from previous disruption. Is it really reasonable to expect passengers to fork out £100+ to get a taxi which they will then need to reclaim, potentially taking 2-3 weeks (or more given Christmas), almost certainly in the form of a cheque.

Whilst frustrating is that not a pragmatic approach to get people moving and reduce the number of stuck passengers? If you cant afford it then wait for the TOC to sort something out. That could take a couple of hours though.

Whenever I have been in that situation, most recently when travelling from Buxton to Milton Keynes, I asked people where they were going and buddied up with 3 other people heading to WCML south locations. I paid for a cab from Buxton to Macclesfield and eventually got the money back from Northern. I took a payment off each of the passengers mind so I was only 1/4 of the cost out of pocket

I COULD have waited at Buxton but doing so would have resulted in a hotel in Manchester as the last connection south had gone by the time some friends got back to Manchester.

 

[Horizon22]

Of course it's not the best they can do. It's the cheaper option and they get away with it, because what you going to do? Take them to court? Stage a sit-in in protest? Never take the train again?

How do you know that? Route one for a prolonged service disruption is to request emergency rail replacement transport. But if the operators can’t source buses - which I can tell you does happen - what is the rail operator to do? You need drivers and buses and they can’t be magicked out of thin air. Even when they are available it will take a few hours to mobilise and may not have the capacity required.

Taxis are then the next best option which the company can orchestrate directly, but this is also very intensive either centrally or from the station, when you have potentially a hundred or so people trying to get onward connections to a range of destinations. Some taxi companies are sceptical of the “pay later” slips they get from TOCs. This option does still exist but for anyone who has the means to do so - and wants to group up! - booking a taxi and claiming back through the TOC is a pragmatic way to get things moving.

Those who cannot book their own taxi still present to staff but hopefully the numbers are more manageable for staff.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 10 Dec 2025 ==

Assuming that passengers can afford the taxis in the first place. Surely if the decision is to use taxis, the the TOC should be looking to cover the cost without passengers having to fork out for it & get it back in a few weeks, and leaving some passengers with no options because they can't afford it?

Again these people would need to present to staff in the usual manner, but those who can afford it can reduce the overall workload and capacity needed.

You might think it is easier for a TOC to centrally order taxis “Send as may taxis as you’ve got to X”, but you’d be surprised over hundreds of individuals booking their own specifics.

 

[Angmering1974]

How do you know that?

I'm not entirely sure what your "that" is referring to?

If you meant best they can do, the clues are in your own post. You've told us RRBs are too hard - so ditch the idea? Focus on taxis. They can make better arrangements with taxi firms, to ensure reliable and prompt payments. The OP also made a suggestion about having a corporate account with Uber. They can ditch the suggestions to make it the customer's job to arrange taxis - something which seems to have become de facto practice.

I feel you are playing dumb about what could be better in order to write more apologia and regurgitate some of the "million excuses" I referenced. It's very easy to come up with some improvements, but I won't waste my time writing any more, as it will just invite more apologia

 

[Horizon22]

I'm not entirely sure what your "that" is referring to?

If you meant best they can do, the clues are in your own post. You've told us RRBs are too hard - so ditch the idea? Focus on taxis. They can make better arrangements with taxi firms, to ensure reliable and prompt payments. The OP also made a suggestion about having a corporate account with Uber. They can ditch the suggestions to make it the customer's job to arrange taxis - something which seems to have become de facto practice.

I feel you are playing dumb about what could be better in order to write more apologia and regurgitate some of the "million excuses" I referenced. It's very easy to come up with some improvements, but I won't waste my time writing any more, as it will just invite more apologia

I was referring to RRBs and the “best they can do”.

And they have done that - focused on taxis in this particular instance. Each circumstance is different - day, time of day, location, length of journey needed. Sometimes this will be feasible to get RRB at short notice, sometimes not.

Such arrangements would need to be formalised through procurement and I imagine working out the payment structure would be difficult as how do you predict such substantial disruption that may only need to be utilised in a specific area maybe just a few times a year? Maybe review incidents over the last year or so, but that might be a false representation. The principle is sound, but might be tricky to implement. Same with Uber which for some parts on the SWR network may be non-existent, for places it does exist - like Woking - the drivers have to be 100% confirmed to go potentially long-distance and if my experiences of Uber in London are anything to go by… Also how do the specifics of a corporate account work when you’ve got thousands of passengers who don’t have details for it? If it’s shared out widely via public sources, surely it’s ripe for abuse? Besides in the short-term, even if this was the way to go, these options wouldn’t be available.

Hardly think it is “apologia”, more the OP wanted some info on why things are the way they currently operate.

 

[Haywain]

I feel you are playing dumb about what could be better in order to write more apologia and regurgitate some of the "million excuses" I referenced.

So are you. Is it better that, say, 50 people get on there phones and organise their own taxi or that they queue up to give details to the two members of staff who the have to pass details on to the drivers as they arrive? I know which I would prefer both as a passenger or as a member of staff. As long as those who are not in a position to pay for a taxi are not being abandoned there doesn’t appear to be a problem to me.

 

[GuyGibsonVC]

On the handful of occasions I have had to get a taxi due to disruption and missing the last train, LNER have been spot on in arranging a taxi from Newcastle going north.

All paid for by LNER upfront and no money to be claimed back. Last time, I got out at Morpeth whilst the other passengers were off to Edinburgh and further afield.

In fact, the LNER staff reminded me not to pay the driver, even if they asked, as it was all covered.

 

[Haywain]

All paid for by LNER upfront

I very much doubt it was paid upfront!

 

[GuyGibsonVC]

I very much doubt it was paid upfront!

Wrong choice of words. All covered, I should’ve said.

 

[Uncle Buck]

Can I ask, does the taxi drop you at your house, or just the station to which you were heading?

Also, how far are we talking here? I have heard anecdotes from a Glasgow cabbie about drivers in Preston making a fortune from huge drives up the M6 and M74 after the WCML is disrupted.

 

[Haywain]

Can I ask, does the taxi drop you at your house, or just the station to which you were heading?

Also, how far are we talking here? I have heard anecdotes from a Glasgow cabbie about drivers in Preston making a fortune from huge drives up the M6 and M74 after the WCML is disrupted.

I've had a couple of taxi trips on the meter which have clocked over £100 for a 30 mile trip, and they were around 20 years ago.

 

[KNN]

Can I ask, does the taxi drop you at your house, or just the station to which you were heading?

It might be different by TOC, but in my experience it's the destination station, as a rule, though some drivers are more generous.

 

[omnicity4659]

A lot of potential RRB Drivers will have done school contracts this morning and afternoon, and will potentially be out of duty hours, so throwing 'a wad of cash' wouldn't be an option..

Driving associated with emergency rail replacement is exempt from domestic and assimilated driving hours; so as long as it doesn't risk road safety they can drive out of hours... as I did for the first time after the Shap derailment!

It heavily relies on the goodwill of drivers, who quite frankly and understandably don't want to be putting up with stuff like this on an evening or weekend, even for a 'wad of cash'.

 

[The exile]

If you meant best they can do, the clues are in your own post. You've told us RRBs are too hard - so ditch the idea? Focus on taxis. They can make better arrangements with taxi firms, to ensure reliable and prompt payments. The OP also made a suggestion about having a corporate account with Uber. They can ditch the suggestions to make it the customer's job to arrange taxis - something which seems to have become de facto practice.

I’m fairly certain that if you search back far enough in here you’ll find people up in arms about the fact that “the railway “ said they wouldn’t reimburse privately arranged taxis at times of disruption. It’s a bit of a damned if they do and damned if they don’t situation.
I agree however that it must remain the railway’s ultimate responsibility but to say “it’ll be quicker if you arrange it yourself and claim it back” seems pragmatic enough.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

I didn't enquire about how the taxis from Bristol Parkway were being paid for.

However, I did have the impression that the passengers didn't have to meet the cost and claim it back. They all seemed to be local journeys - say, to Temple Meads. I think that there were requests for some to Newport, and the people concerned were told to wait for the coaches - which, as I've said, didn't take long.

On the only occasion when I've had to take a taxi, I claimed it back without any problems.

 

[Tetchytyke]

On the handful of occasions I have had to get a taxi due to disruption and missing the last train, LNER have been spot on in arranging a taxi from Newcastle going north.

That’s my experience at Leeds too, where it used to be relatively common that we’d miss the last train up the Aire Valley due to delays on LNER/EC. The taxis are on a block booking by the TOC, you just queue up and they fill them up.

My experience is that drivers will let you out away from railway stations but they won’t go too far from the route. Which is fair enough really.