Scrutiny of the draft Rail Reform Bill - Transport Committee

The Ombudsman Association responds to the Transport Committee's call for evidence regarding scrutiny of the draft Rail Reform Bill. We have restricted our comments to whether the interests of passengers are sufficiently promoted by the provisions of the draft Bill.

1. The draft Rail Reform Bill provides an opportunity to enhance the protections that passengers have, by extending the Rail Ombudsman’s jurisdiction to third-party ticket retailers.
2. Currently, rail passengers’ ability to access the Rail Ombudsman is dictated not by the train operator they use, but rather by where they purchase their ticket from, causing both confusion and dissatisfaction. 

Considering the wider commitment from the UK Government to strengthen consumer rights and expand access to dispute resolution, particularly in relation to the work being undertaken by the Ministry of Justice. The OA would urge the expansion of the Rail Ombudsman’s compulsory jurisdiction to cover all elements of a passenger journey.  

 

Download an accessible PDF of our response below.