Connecting buses and delays/disruptions

[stevieinselby]

I'm interested to know how connecting buses that are included within the NRTT are counted in the Conditions of Travel.

The situation: I am planning a journey later in the year where the final leg is on a local bus that GWR include as a Rail Link service. I would potentially be travelling on the last bus of the day, and I can see that although buses are (for the most part) timed to connect with trains, it doesn't look as though any attempt is made to hold the connection when the train is running even a few minutes late. If my train is delayed, causing me to miss the last bus, would GWR still be responsible for providing onward travel? I don't want to find myself stranded and having to fork out £50 or more for a taxi for the last leg of the journey!

 

[Swedenorer]

If it's on the itinerary and the final destination is on the ticket I can't see how they could avoid getting you onward. Just ask their customer services. They are described as integrated bus services on the map so I would assume that means what it says.

 

[Watershed]

The NRCoT claim that tickets which include validity on for non-rail services (or operators outside the list of participating TOCs in Appendix A) represent separate and unrelated contracts for each portion of the journey. It is essentially implied in condition 35.3.2 that you are 'on your own' if there are any missed connections in either direction.

It is perfectly capable of a single ticket to amount to separate but linked contracts; for example, if you book connecting flights involving different airlines, each airline would have their own conditions of carriage which apply to their portion of the journey. But it would still be a set of linked contracts and neither airline could refuse responsibility for getting you to your destination.

I don't think the NRCoT position would hold up under consumer law; it's a very significant restriction on your rights and completely different to what the average person would assume when presented with a single itinerary and a through fare. As such, it would have to be "prominently" presented when buying your ticket to even be capable of being assessed as a fair term.

Most retailers do no such thing and simply provide a link to the NRCoT, where the alleged position is buried deep in a 30-odd page document. I cannot see how that would be regarded as "prominent". In practical terms your difficulty would lie in enforcing your right to onward transport and/or accommodation, of course. It may require legal action as many TOCs see to believe that complying with their consumer obligations is optional.

 

[stevieinselby]

The NRCoT claim that tickets which include validity on for non-rail services (or operators outside the list of participating TOCs in Appendix A) represent separate and unrelated contracts for each portion of the journey. It is essentially implied in condition 35.3.2 that you are 'on your own' if there are any missed connections in either direction.

It is perfectly capable of a single ticket to amount to separate but linked contracts; for example, if you book connecting flights involving different airlines, each airline would have their own conditions of carriage which apply to their portion of the journey. But it would still be a set of linked contracts and neither airline could refuse responsibility for getting you to your destination.

I don't think the NRCoT position would hold up under consumer law; it's a very significant restriction on your rights and completely different to what the average person would assume when presented with a single itinerary and a through fare. As such, it would have to be "prominently" presented when buying your ticket to even be capable of being assessed as a fair term.

Most retailers do no such thing and simply provide a link to the NRCoT, where the alleged position is buried deep in a 30-odd page document. I cannot see how that would be regarded as "prominent". In practical terms your difficulty would lie in enforcing your right to onward transport and/or accommodation, of course. It may require legal action as many TOCs see to believe that complying with their consumer obligations is optional.

Thanks, that's what I was worried about – especially as the tracking evidence on bustimes and RTT suggests the bus driver will quite happily drive off while they can see the train pulling into the station and won't wait even a couple of minutes for it. I would prefer not to have to worry about going down a legal challenge ... I might just have to make sure I'm not going for the last bus!