Dear

TfL Ref: FOI-4398-1718

Thank you for your email received by us on 05 February 2018 asking for information about delayed and incomplete journeys.

Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy.  I can confirm that we hold the information you require. I have answered your questions in the order you have asked them.

How many journeys are affected by delays that would incur a partial or full refund of the ticket? Please break this down monthly and annually historically.

You can find information on refunds for delays here http://content.tfl.gov.uk/service-delay-refunds.pdf and here (https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/customer-service-op-performance)

Comparing this to the computer system that charges for incomplete journeys does TFL possess the facility to automatically refund tickets where delays take place?

We analyse the data collected from the Oyster and contactless card systems to refund customers under two main scenarios: where there has been an obvious error - for example when a customer uncharacteristically does not touch out on a journey or where it is clear that the ‘wrong’ card has been used; or ‘service delay refunds’ at times of major disruption where there has been a delay beyond a certain time threshold.

Where major disruptions happen we may proactively refund Oyster Travelcard and pay as you go customers (Oyster and contactless) who travelled on the disrupted sections of the network and were delayed by more than 15 minutes according to our ticketing data.

Not all customers touch in and touch out so it’s not possible to identify all those who might be impacted. Also the natural variability in journey times (especially on the Tube and DLR where trains run every few minutes) can lead to variations in journey time of 15 minutes from the average without any delays. This means that outside of major disruptions, we encourage customers to apply for their specific journey refund where they have been delayed.

If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely

Paulina Tuffour
FOI Case Officer

FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London