Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans the Government has to amend the system of refunds for rail season tickets to ensure that commuters are not adversely affected when claiming refunds as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

All season ticket holders are entitled to claim a refund for time unused on their tickets in accordance with the National Rail Conditions of Travel.

We have worked with the rail industry to make the process for claiming season ticket refunds easier during this crisis, for example by allowing passengers to claim refunds remotely rather than returning their ticket to a ticket office. We have also allowed passengers to backdate their season ticket refund claim to 17th March, when ‘do not travel’ advice was first introduced, or the date their ticket was last used, whichever is later. The refund acceptance period for passengers has also been extended from 28 to 56 days.