Information Development Group

Transcription

1 Good Practice Guides for Customer Information As an industry we will provide timely, relevant, accurate and consistent information easily understandable and accessible wherever, whenever and however required so that all customers can make informed choices about their travel plans or assist others to do so. Delivering the Industry s Vision for Passenger Information

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3 Document Control Version Author Date 1.0 Jason Durk 25/09/ Jason Durk 07/03/ David Whittle 24/09/ Jason Durk 30/06/ Kathryn Daniels 30/11/ Kathryn Daniels 30/09/ Kathryn Daniels 26/11/2013 Version

4 Introduction High quality information is key to driving up passenger confidence in using rail transport. Several research studies have highlighted the increasing need for up-to-date information to be available consistently at all times and across all channels of communication during normal service, when there are changes to the advertised timetable and during disruption. To make sure the industry had focus on improving information provision, the Passenger Information Strategy Group (PISG) was formed. Following creation of a licence obligation for Passenger Information by the Office of the Rail Regulator (ORR), PISG was disbanded. In 2013, the (IDG) was formed to work with the Customer Information Strategy Delivery Board to realise the benefits of the Core projects. The is a practitioner group reviewing how TOCs and 3rd Parties (e.g. PTE s) propose to leverage the Core services delivered by the Customer Information Strategy projects, under the guidance of to the Customer Information Strategy Delivery Board. The group also serves to identify customers requirements and is responsible for the maintenance and development of the industry s Good Practice Guides for Customer Information as well as for tracking their use. Aims and Objectives of the Group To gain agreement from the Customer Information Strategy Delivery Board that projects are aligned with the Customer Information Strategy in order to apply for funding (from funding bodies such as NSIP) to deliver the projects either locally by TOC or for national improvements To facilitate Customer Focus Groups on hot topics to understand customers requirements To explore initiatives in all areas of information with a view to developing front end improvements in providing information to customers in alignment with the Customer Information Strategy To keep up-to-date the Good Practice Guides for providing information to Customers and seek agreement from the Customer Information Strategy Delivery Board regarding changes and updates to the Guides. Version

5 Impact Over the past few years, various information groups have contributed to a year on year improvement in the NPS results. The graph below shows the improvement through the Autumn waves of the survey. In 2008 additional questions were introduced to the NPS survey examining, information provision during delays. What is Customer Information? Customer information encompasses all aspects of the journey from planning in advance to the arrival at the intended destination. This can be broken down into the following categories: Journey information who to contact for any pre and post journey care how to get to or from the railway station including by public transport station information timetable information the correct fare for the journey whether there are any promotions available what facilities are available on board each train changes to train times special events / engineering work etc. Real time information how trains are running in real time Information during disruption what options are available to them when there is disruption to a train or trains that they planned to catch Version

6 Good Practice Guide layout and structure This Good Practice Guide is formed of the following key sections: Principles of Information Provision Good Practice Guide o o o Information off Station Information on Station Information on Train Glossary of Terms Summary of Actions Throughout the guide, there are a number of specific items, designated as good practice, which are classed as recommended or supplementary. As good practice continually evolves, the industry will work towards compliance with these items, taking into account new technologies and future developments. Recommended items are underlined in red and are numbered with an Arabic numeral. All TOCs agree, subject to any explicit restriction in their Franchise or Concession Agreement, to implement all recommended items or develop a plan for achieving full compliance with these items. Supplementary items are underlined in blue and are numbered with a Roman numeral. All TOCs agree, subject to any explicit restriction in their Franchise or Concession Agreement, to consider implementing all supplementary items or developing a plan for achieving full compliance with these items. Keeping good practice up-to-date Key to keeping good practice up-to-date is understanding passengers priorities and their changing requirements in how they receive and perceive information. To make sure that good practice reflects this, IDG continues to facilitate focus groups with passengers to understand what these requirements are. After severe disruptive events the IDG holds Severe Incident Reviews (SIR). The objective of the reviews is to ascertain how well the Industry performed against current good practice and to identify any further opportunities for identification of good practice. Accordingly, the output of each SIR consists of a list of recommendations for IDG ratification. The outcome of which is written into the Good Practice Guides to improve information provision in the future. Review process The Good Practice Guides are reviewed at least every 12 months and updated accordingly. These Good Practice Guides were reviewed and signed off by the in September The next review is due in August Version

7 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 Principles of Information Provision Journey Planning Principles Changes to Train Times Information During Disruption Disruption Policies Station Zoning Information off Station Websites and e-services Contact Centres Travel Alerts Recorded Information Telephone Lines Information on Station Pocket Timetables Posters / Signs Station Information Screens Electronic Display Screens Announcements Help Points Ticket Office / Travel Centre staff Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) Information on Train Posters / Signs Announcements Passenger Information System (PIS) Glossary of Terms Summary of Recommended and Supplementary Items Links to the Appendices to the Good Practice Guides: The following appendices are available at: (for a password please kathryn.daniels@atoc.org) Appendix A Amended Delay Phrases Appendix B Station and On Train Safety Quality Forms Appendix C New Fare Names Presentation Guide Appendix D Standard abbreviations for station names Appendix E Standard layout for CIS screens Appendix F Derivative timetables and train service card Appendix G The principles of fares simplification Appendix H Announcement Scripts Appendix I Information Services Appendix J CIS Standards Links to Reference Documents Department for Transport Accessible Train and Station Design for Disabled People: A Code of Practice July 2008 (ISBN ): Version

8 Principles of Information Version

9 Principles of Information 1.0 Principles of Information Provision All information needs to be made available to passengers across all media, which includes: Information off Station Websites and e-services Contact Centres Travel Alerts Recorded information telephone lines Information on Station Pocket Timetables Posters / Signs Station Information Screens Electronic Display Screens (EDS) Announcements Help Points Ticket Office / Travel Centre staff Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) Information on Train Posters / Signs Announcements Passenger Information System (PIS) 1.1 Journey Planning Principles All journey planners should be compliant with all the journey planning principles in this section 1. Station information Station names and station name aliases should conform with those obtained from a Rail Settlement Plan (RSP) Approved Source. Timetable information Journey Planning queries should return train times consistent with the Integrated Train Planning System (ITPS) Publication Timetable layer. Interchange data The correct origin station departure time and date, destination station arrival time and date, and the arrival and departure times and dates at any station where interchange is required, should be shown for each journey opportunity identified for the passenger. Intra-station, inter-station and inter-toc interchange times should conform with those obtained from an RSP Approved Source. Interchange preferences (e.g. via, avoid) should be correctly reflected in the query results. Single journey Where the passenger selects a single journey, options for the return journey leg should not be available for selection. Version

10 Principles of Information Overtaken journey Journey planning systems could show overtaken journey opportunities, in addition to the fastest. Where options for the display of such journey opportunities are provided they should be clear to the passenger. Return journey For a return journey, journey opportunities for both the outward and return legs should be shown, unless the user has selected an Anytime Return option. Journey preferences A quickest or fastest journey query could be capable of reporting all journey opportunities, within a user defined departure or arrival time band, which: and are not overtaken are valid for at least one walk-up, standard class fare. If a journey planning system is unable to check fare availability and validity, this limitation should be clearly indicated to the user. A cheapest journey query could be capable of reporting all journey opportunities, within a user defined departure or arrival time band, which are valid for the cheapest walk-up (taking into account the time of the day) and, where available, the cheapest advance purchase fares. If advance purchase quota controlled fares are reported, the system should either: or confirm availability for a journey opportunity by interrogation of the reservation system indicate that the availability of such fares is limited and subject to change. The correct fare for the journey Fares information should conform with the fares data obtained an RSP Approved Source unless otherwise approved by RSP. Range of public fares Journey planners should offer the full range of public walk-up single, return and zonal fares when identifying the valid fares for a journey opportunity. Quota controlled fares Advance purchase quota controlled, as well as walk-up single and return fares, for a journey opportunity may be shown. If such fares are shown the system should confirm availability for a journey opportunity by interrogation of the National Reservation System (NRS) i. If advance purchase fares are not shown, or the range is limited to the fares valid on some, but not all of the TOC s trains, such limitations could be clearly indicated to the user ii. Season tickets Season ticket, as well as single, return and zonal, fares for a journey opportunity may be shown. Where season tickets are shown, prices for monthly and longer period season tickets should be calculated in accordance with the formula advised by an RSP Approved Source (this does not restrict the ability of the TOC to offer discounts to their TOC-only season tickets). If season ticket fares are not shown, or the range is limited to the fares valid on some, but not all of the TOC s trains, such limitations could be clearly indicated to the user. Version

11 Principles of Information Fare restrictions The following should be taken into account when determining the validity of a fare for a journey opportunity: Fare validity any TOC restrictions any restrictions limiting use of the fare to particular station zones any time of day, day of week or specific train restrictions any specific restrictions applicable to holders or beneficiaries of particular railcards or other discount schemes any need for reservations number of passengers and their status any fares routeing restrictions for a return journey, restrictions applicable to both the outward and return legs. Fares that are not valid for a particular journey opportunity should either not be shown at all or, if they are shown, clearly indicated as not valid with the reason. Fare changes Prices for travel after a planned fares change should be applied in accordance with the rules notified by RSP. Temporary fares Details of restrictions limiting the sale of Temporary Fares to particular locations or types of locations (such as internet sites or telephone sales offices) may be shown. If a journey planning system is unable to show temporary fares this limitation should be clearly indicated to the passenger. Two singles instead of return A journey planning system may optionally offer 2 singles instead of a return where this is a cheaper option. Journey planners should display the current timetable sourced from Darwin 2. Journey planners should provide real time train running information that is consistent with Darwin Changes to Train Times Informed Traveller Process All TOCs should advertise their train services - including bus substitution, diversions and amended timetables - 10 weeks in advance (subject to notification of train and engineering work plans by Network Rail being provided in line with the Informed Traveller Process) 4. The industry standard is that seat reservations can be made 9 weeks in advance. Bus substitution Sufficient numbers of staff could be made available to direct people to the right service, answer questions, control crowds and assist with luggage where passengers are interchanging between bus and train and vice versa iii. An estimate of the number of people expected to travel could be made based on historical loadings and sufficient buses ordered in accordance with that estimate iv. Version

12 Principles of Information Standards should be drawn up for the bus operator to work to these could include standards of appearance and behaviour of staff 5. The words Rail Replacement should be advertised on buses and should display window labels detailing the destination, stopping points and the name of the TOC by which it has been hired 6. Timings for rail replacement buses should be input into Darwin 7. TOCs should have documented procedures detailing how information will flow between bus operators, CIS controllers and station staff regarding the real time running of buses, e.g. last minute traffic diversions or road congestion 8. After major engineering work, a TOC representative could meet with the bus contractor to discuss what has gone well and what lessons need to be learned to improve the service v. Please also see ATOC managing the risk of passengers and staff - ref: tosggpg002 Stations with low passenger demand or poor access for buses Where a TOC has a station with poor accessibility or low passenger demand, it may be more cost effective to book alternative transport. In such circumstances, information about these arrangements, including where to wait, should be displayed prominently at the station, available on TOC websites and passed to the National Rail Communication Centre (NRCC) 9. With very low footfall stations, where the cost of having alternative transport standing by would be disproportionate, it may be appropriate to ask passengers to use the Help Point or contact customer services to alert the TOC that alternative transport is required 10. In these circumstances information about what passengers should do, including a back up telephone number in the event that a Help Point is not working, should be displayed prominently at the station, available on TOC websites and passed to the NRCC 11. Where there are stations with no road access and it is impossible to provide alternative transport, or where a TOC has formal dispensation from its franchise obligation to provide replacement transport in the event of engineering work, advice that no service will be provided from that station between dates x and y should be displayed a minimum of 5 days in advance prominently at the station, available on TOC websites and passed to the NRCC 12. Where those changes are major and prolonged, information about the changes and the reason should be displayed 4 weeks in advance at the stations affected Information During Disruption When there is disruption, information and the way in which it is presented, and how often updates are provided to passengers has to be consistent. Initial Holding Message An initial holding message should be sent within 10 minutes of the Control office receiving advice of the incident stating that the Control is in the process of determining travel advice 14. Core Message Controllers should create and disseminate a Core Message whenever the train operator declares CSL2 arrangements are being implemented 15. The Core Message should convey the problem, the impact and the advice to passengers which will allow them to make choices regarding their travel plans 16. The Problem The industry should ensure that the reason given is consistent with all operators involved 17. For example, a broken rail at location xyz should not be described as Emergency Engineering Work by TOC A and Emergency Track Repairs by TOC B. The focus should be on the route affected, not the location 18. For example, Balcombe is on the route between Haywards Heath and Brighton. If Balcombe was the location of a Version

13 Principles of Information disruption, rather than say Trains on all routes via Balcombe say Trains between Haywards Heath and Brighton are being disrupted due to an [incident] at Balcombe. Route locations which are likely to be familiar to the greatest number of passengers should be used. The message should make clear whether trains in both directions, or in one direction only are affected 19. The Impact An estimate of likely delay should always be included, even if this is a preliminary estimate 20. All estimates should be reviewed for accuracy each time the message is updated 21. When an estimate of likely delays categorically cannot be given it should be made clear that an estimate will be provided as soon as possible 22. Where multiple service groups are affected by the same disruption, the impact on each service group (if different) should be shown 23. If some service groups are unaffected by the disruption this should be included 24. If a reduced service is running, the message should state what is running 25, e.g. A reduced service is running between London Euston and Manchester, trains at 15 and 25 minutes past each hour from London to Manchester and at 11 and 55 minutes past each hour from Manchester to London will run. Where an amended timetable is in place, basic principles of the timetable should be contained within the Core Message 26. For more detailed information (such as intermediate calling points and times), recipients should be directed to where they can obtain this level of detail (for example, National Rail Enquiries, the TOC website or the staffed station information point) 27. When listing departure times in a Core Message, the use of xx in front of timings should be avoided (e.g. xx:20 could be replaced by 20 minutes past the hour ) 28. The Advice The Advice should include details of alternative routes where these are available 29. For example, if an incident affects trains between London Kings Cross and Cambridge then the London Liverpool Street to Cambridge route may be given as an alternative. Actions that passengers will need to take to complete their journeys should be clearly stated 30. For example, a requirement to change at any location for onward travel by train/rail replacement bus service. If the advice to passengers is to use a different operator s trains and / or a different station then the advice needs to be explicit as to whether or not tickets will be valid on the route; the phrase valid should be used rather than accepted or passed and the message should state whether there are any restrictions or other specific advice 31. If no alternative arrangements are possible (for example a line is blocked and there is no diversionary route and alternative transport cannot be provided) this should be clearly stated 32. The Core Message should be sent as soon as possible and reviewed at least every 20 minutes with a current situation update 33. The information within the Core Message will form the basis of all onward communications to staff and passengers and therefore promote consistency. An example of a simple core message for Cross Country may read:- Problem Impact Flooding at Oxford and Cheltenham No Cross Country services will run south of Birmingham or south of Cheltenham for the remainder of the day. Version

14 Principles of Information Advice Passengers will be accepted on South West Trains / Virgin Trains / Chiltern Railway & London Midland. Consistent information from Control To ensure that information is consistent, all TOCs should ensure that they report all of the following: Train cancellations 34 Train delays 35 Diversions to trains 36 Additional stops 37 Cancelled stops 38 Failure to report individual train amendments into Darwin, the National Real Time Database which feeds many downstream systems departure boards / websites / alerts / apps etc., will not contain accurate real time train running information. To ensure that passengers also have information regarding the reason for the disruption to their service, the TOCs should ensure that the appropriate agreed reason is used 39. See Appendix A for the agreed reasons. Relevant information from Control To make sure that messages sent by TOCs are sent to the correct recipients, TOCs should undertake a review of their address books at least annually 40. This should include deletion of out of date addresses as well as the inclusion of new addresses where required. Each TOC should have a process for inclusion of new addresses as they are required 41. Shared Locations At large stations, where two or more TOCs are present, key staff (for example: senior Network Rail and TOC Station Managers) should have the facility to share a central location from which to work and share information Disruption Policies Passengers need consistent information and this should be reinforced when the route they were expecting to travel on is experiencing disruption. To achieve a consistent approach, TOCs should adopt three policies: Ticket Acceptance Policy Cheapest Ticket Policy Do Not Travel Policy Ticket Acceptance Policy All TOCs should have a written Ticket Acceptance Policy 43 for implementation during disruption, in accordance with the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA) Section 10.2 (1)(b) If any event occurs which is capable of affecting two or more trains of an Operator and is likely to result in passengers who are using or wish to use those trains being delayed by more than an hour, every other Operator should use its reasonable endeavours to enable the passenger to complete his journey on its trains at no extra charge. Note: 10.2 (2), exception, states: The obligation in sub-clause (1)(b) above only applies if the affected Operator could not reasonably have been expected to make alternative arrangements to prevent the Version

15 Principles of Information passengers referred to in that sub-clause being delayed by more than an hour, having regard to the length of any notice it had of the event which affected its train(s). A period of amnesty should be included 44 to make sure that passengers who have been rerouted due to disruption earlier in the day are not penalised on their return journey when the disruption has ended. An example of this would be: Passenger holds a ticket from Banbury to Marylebone but is advised- as an option - to drive to Oxford and catch the train into Paddington. On returning later the same day, the passenger has to go back to Oxford to collect their car, but is charged a single ticket because the ticket they hold is not valid. This should be agreed and communicated within 20 minutes of the initial notification 45. The criteria under which Ticket Acceptance should be invoked are as follows: Tickets should be accepted by other TOCs on alternative routes 46 to enable passengers to complete their journeys when the TOC they are travelling with is experiencing disruption which triggers the Advanced Customer Service threshold (Customer Service Level 2 (CSL2)) the thresholds for CSL2 are determined by the Passenger Information during Disruption Approved Code of Practice. Passengers inconvenienced by the disruption should suffer as little additional hindrance as possible. The accepting TOC should treat rerouted passengers as if they were their own; however the impact on their own passengers should be minimised. Seat reservations of passengers already booked on the accepting TOC s train could be honoured, but the accepting TOC should make every effort to find seats for rerouted passengers 47. If Standard accommodation is severely overcrowded, consideration could be given to declassifying some or all of the First Class accommodation vi. Rerouted First Class ticket holders, irrespective of the type of ticket held, are entitled to travel First Class on the accepting TOC s train 48. Where possible, rerouted First Class ticket holders could receive the same level of onboard service as any other First Class ticket holder vii. Disrupted trains It is imperative that passengers who have tickets on a train that experiences disruption should not pay more than they would have done had their original journey not been disrupted 49. Ticket acceptance policies should ensure that a passenger making a multi leg journey can have their ticket endorsed: DISRUPTED on [train s headcode and TOC Code] 50. They should then be accepted on the next available service(s) if their intended connection(s) have been broken including the waiving of restrictions on all ticket types 51. In the event that a passenger has not had their ticket endorsed, staff should be empowered to use their discretion 52. An example of this would be: Passenger holds an Advance ticket from Portsmouth to Scarborough via London. The South West Trains service is disrupted and causes the passenger to miss their booked connection at King s Cross. In this instance, the SWT guard endorses the ticket DISRUPTED 1P52 SW. The passenger arrives at King s Cross to find that the train they were booked on has already left. The receiving TOC in this case East Coast accepts the passenger on the next train out of King s Cross at no additional charge to the passenger. Version

16 Principles of Information Alternative routes All TOCs should develop a comprehensive list of alternatives as per the ATOC Code of Practice for Customer Information 53 CACOP014v1, 10.1 Passenger Information Communications Plans for each station where they are the Station Facilities Owner (SFO) - or the Access Beneficiary - where the SFO does not run any trains. This will ensure that when disruption occurs, the accepted routes for passengers to take are already known and agreed. In such cases where disruption occurs and no advice is given to the NRCC that Ticket Acceptance has been agreed, the NRCC will seek clarification once the disruption has triggered the required parameters from the affected TOC or TOCs that Ticket Acceptance is in operation. For example: Route affected From To Via Accepting TOC Reasonable routes Sheffield Sheffield area First TransPennine Express, Northern, CrossCountry London Sheffield Doncaster East Coast London Kings Cross Doncaster Sheffield Chesterfield /Derby Tamworth Virgin Trains, CrossCountry, London Midland London Euston Birmingham New Street Chesterfield Nottingham Grantham East Coast London Kings Cross Grantham Nottingham Leicester Luton / Bedford Peterborough or Nuneaton Virgin Trains, East Coast First Capital Connect London Kings Cross Peterborough Leicester & London Euston Nuneaton Leicester London St Pancras Luton / Bedford All TOCs should share their list of alternatives with neighbouring TOCs and the NRCC 54. All TOCs should have maps showing alternative route options available for staff and passengers 55. TOCs could consider agreeing in advance a process for granting automatic ticket acceptance. If this is agreed, ticket acceptance will be granted automatically on predetermined routes as soon as a CSL2 Core Message is sent from Control or a notification of service disruption appears on National Rail Enquiries. This automatic ticket acceptance could be provided for a period of at least 90 minutes For disruption in excess of 90 minutes or where automatic ticket acceptance is not in place, the disrupted TOCs Control will arrange for the acceptance of their passengers Decision-making on the day Version

17 Principles of Information The disrupted TOC s Control Manager should arrange for the acceptance of their passengers 56 - with tickets routed via the affected route - with the intended receiving TOCs Control office(s). The only circumstance that an accepting TOC may refuse to convey these additional passengers is if they are experiencing disruption which has triggered CSL2 on their services on the route expected to be used as an alternative or where there are safety concerns. During the period that Ticket Acceptance is in place, ticket restrictions should be lifted on the routes affected - all ticket types should be included in this 57 - including Advance Purchase, complimentary and TOC-only tickets. TOCs may choose not to lift their own ticket restrictions at times when capacity is reduced. Communication on the day Unless automatic ticket acceptance is in place, a message invoking Ticket Acceptance a message invoking Ticket Acceptance should be sent via the normal recognised channels 58 - pager, SMS, etc. Updates should be issued throughout the day so that all shifts are aware 59. Passengers have to be advised of their travel options and any alternatives available to them as soon as possible using the Core Message, below: Problem Impact Flooding at Oxford and Cheltenham No CrossCountry services will operate south of Birmingham or south of Cheltenham for the remainder of the day Advice Passengers with CrossCountry tickets will be accepted on South West Trains / Virgin Trains / Chiltern Railways & London Midland. Ticket issuing during the period of disruption Tickets should not be sold when there is disruption without the passenger being informed that their journey is likely to be disrupted 60. It is therefore required that: The ticket office clerk informs the passenger at the point of sale Ticket Vending Machines carry a relevant message Reservations are not made on trains that are expected to be disrupted Website and telesales outlets warn passengers of likely disruption to their journey 61 Period of Amnesty Tickets should be accepted throughout the day in order to allow passengers to make their return journeys 62 as some passengers may have parked their car at a different station in order to avoid the disruption and disruption has ended. An example of this would be: Passenger holds a ticket from Banbury to Marylebone but is advised - as an option - to drive to Oxford and catch the train into Paddington. On returning later the same day, the passenger should not be charged when they return to Oxford. If the customer is returning on a different day to that when the disruption occurred, TOC staff should check with their Control whether tickets were being accepted and endorse the back of the passenger s ticket 63. Cheapest Ticket Policy All TOCs should agree a Cheapest Ticket Policy 64 for implementation on the first day of the disruption. This will ensure that passengers do not have to pay a higher ticket price for their ticket on the day of travel because of disruption to the service they would have caught. An example of this would be: Passenger wishes to travel from Brockenhurst to Derby, route Not London the fare for which is However, there is no Not London option due to a suspension of Cross Country services, and therefore they are sent via London at a cost of Version

18 Principles of Information When Ticket Acceptance is in operation if a passenger indicates that they intended to travel on the disrupted route where a cheaper fare applies then the cheaper fare should apply even though they re travelling on a non-disrupted route therefore it is imperative that passengers who have not already purchased tickets for the closed route should not pay more than they would have done had their original route been available 65. The cheaperrouted ticket should be sold and endorsed REROUTED via [new route] 66. An example of this would be: Passenger has enquired about a journey Brockenhurst to Derby route Not London and has been quoted However, when they wish to travel there is no Not London option due to a suspension of CrossCountry services. The via London ticket costs However, the ticket issued is the Not London routed ticket. The passenger is charged and told to travel via London. The ticket office clerk then endorses the ticket with REROUTED via London. If a passenger does incur additional cost for a journey - such as paying for cross London travel or being charged an excess fare - this additional cost should be refunded by the disrupted TOC 67. If a passenger wishes to make their return journey on the more expensive route when disruption is no longer occurring then normal excess fares policies should apply. Do Not Travel Policy All TOCs should have a Do Not Travel Policy and a process setting out when it will be implemented 68. The policy will be set depending on the TOC s business requirements, but it should provide for Do Not Travel advice to be issued when all trains between two points are suspended; no trains are expected to run for four hours or more; and there is no reasonable alternative route / replacement transport available 69. Even when Do Not Travel advice has been issued, a TOC should make reasonable endeavours to assist passengers already at stations or who have started their journey 70. Any passenger that does not travel should receive a full refund with no administration charge 71. Any passenger that commences their journey after do not travel advice has been issued may not be entitled to any compensation for the delay and this could be communicated on the day. Communicating do not travel advice To ensure a consistent approach across all train companies, all TOCs will use the Core Message to formulate the wording for the communication of the do not travel advice, as below: Problem Impact Advice Flooding at Oxford and Cheltenham No CrossCountry services will operate south of Birmingham or south of Cheltenham for the remainder of the day Passengers are advised do not travel Pre-communication of the Policies All TOCs and Network Rail should ensure that these policies are communicated to all relevant staff 72 and this communication has to include the following information: The Industry s Vision for Passenger Information 73 The three principles: o Ticket Acceptance Policy 74 o Cheapest Ticket Policy 75 o Do Not Travel Policy 76 Version

19 Principles of Information TOC policies on: o Declassification of First Class 77 o Providing service to First Class ticket holders for other TOCs 78 o Charter and Refunds 79 Staff behaviours: o Visibility to passengers 80 o On train personnel should walk through the train regularly 81 o Station staff should be available on platforms and station concourses 82 o Providing regular verbal reassurance 83 o Make frequent announcements as per the On Train and On Station Good Practice Guides 84 o Proactively checking for information updates 85 o Follow the recognised internal procedures 86 o Apologising for overcrowding and inconvenience 87 o Providing complementary refreshments 88 o Refreshments should be offered, where available, when a journey has been delayed in excess of 60 minutes 89 Additional Resources It is recognised that TOCs have a finite number of staff at stations and in Control and that at times of disruption this resource can become extremely stretched. Having a pool of volunteer staff from other functions is an ideal way to supplement the frontline teams as well as generating understanding of other functions roles within the industry. TOCs could maintain a list of staff who are willing to assist when necessary, either during work time or out of hours and a briefing process and suitable training package could be in place viii. In addition to staff resources, each TOC could carry out an annual review of the equipment and processes available for the dissemination of information and take steps to address any potential shortfall 90. Use of Mobile Technology TOCs could either supply staff with a spare battery or provide access to charged batteries at key locations around the network ix. TOCs should carry out annual reviews of the technologies available to them for use by their frontline staff 91. This is to include a review of the information availability on those platforms used by each device. TOCs could carry out an annual review of their mobile phone provider s coverage to identify blackspots that require risk mitigation measures x. 1.5 Station Zoning Station Facilities Operators should ensure that information is placed in the correct information zone 92. Welcome Zone The following information (if available) could be displayed in the welcome zone: Welcome poster / sign Station map Version

20 Principles of Information Ticket office opening hours SFO marketing posters ATOC marketing posters Other TOC marketing posters Station name sign Ticket Zone The following information (if available) could be displayed in the ticket zone: SFO engineering work poster Other TOC engineering work poster Timetables Travelcard / regional zones map Fares information Delay repay poster Accessibility map poster Community Board Ticket Office info/ payment methods poster Secure Stations sign Queue Time poster SFO marketing posters ATOC marketing posters Other TOC marketing posters Route map SFO Passenger Charter Other TOC Passenger Charter Performance update National Rail map Penalty fare notice Train Zone The following information (if available) could be displayed in the train zone: SFO engineering work poster Other TOC engineering work poster Timetables Performance update Train connections information Complaint body information SFO marketing posters ATOC marketing posters Version

21 Principles of Information Other TOC marketing posters Safety and security posters Samaritans poster Onward Travel Zone The following information (if available) could be displayed in the onward travel zone: Onward travel information poster Thank you for travelling poster Local attraction information Where to board your replacement bus PlusBus zone poster LUL / transport links engineering work Version

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23 Information on Station 2.0 Information off Station Passengers use a variety of media to gather information about their journey when they re away from the station, either in ahead of time, or when they re about to make a journey. This good practice guide has been written to encompass all items of good practice that could be adopted for the passenger s benefit across the following media: Websites and e-services Contact Centres Travel Alerts Recorded Information Telephone Lines 2.1 Websites and e-services Advance journey information TOCs should make as much information as possible available online to enable passengers to plan their journeys. Pre and post journey care TOC websites should contain information about how to make a Passenger Assist booking and have a copy of their Disabled People s Protection Policy (DPPP) 93. Details should be given on the following: Wheelchairs and powered scooters Providing an alternative service On-train emergencies Replacement road transport Getting further information about disabled travel arrangements Train accessibility information TOC customer service department contact information Passenger Focus / London TravelWatch contact information Any Rail User Group contact information 94 Getting to and / or from the railway station including by public transport TOCs should highlight sustainable methods of travelling to and from the station 95, especially bus / tram, cycle and taxi, as a first priority and place car access and station car parking information as a second priority at stations where sustainable methods offer a good alternative to private transport. Options to integrate and interchange between train and bus services could be offered and explained including promotion of integrated ticketing systems e.g. PLUSBUS & Park and Ride 96. Version

24 Information on Station Figure 1 The availability and location of car parking, its cost, how to buy tickets / permits and realtime information on the availability of spaces could be available for main stations xi. Car sharing schemes could be promoted and available with special reserved and / or priority parking spaces for those who car-share xii. For example: Chiltern Railways run a 3 for Free promotion where if 3 rail passengers travel together to a Chiltern-operated station in the same car at any time of the day, there is no charge for parking. TOC websites should include information about the location of the nearest taxi rank or telephone numbers for local taxi / minicab firms 97. Station information TOC websites are required to clearly display information about station facilities to enable passengers to be aware of what is available. Each TOC website should display the following information as a minimum: Ticket office opening hours Accessibility information TOC Contact Centre details Customer Relations 98 Station information on websites should be consistent with NRE Knowledgebase 99. Timetable information TOCs that provide an online Journey Planner should ensure that, as a minimum, it has the following options available to passengers: CRS codes for ease of station name entry Version

25 Information on Station Configurable via option Configurable preferred minimum changes option Number of adults Number of children Class option Fare type fastest / cheapest Railcard option 100 Figure 2 Timetable information should also be made available in a line-of-route printable format, either in.pdf files or via a dynamic customer-driven Print Your Own Timetable format 101. Dynamic timetables could include STP and VSTP changes xiii. Figure 3 Version

26 Information on Station Websites should have maps showing the national railway network that passengers can use to help plan journeys 102. Maps should include the outline of the country where it is possible to show on that map 103. National maps should show as many stations as possible without compromising the legibility of the map 104. Figure 4 Websites could provide regional maps that show the routes operated by train companies within that area xiv. Regional maps should use colour coding to differentiate between TOC routes 105. Where the area covered includes regional zones (e.g. Transport for London travelcard zones) these could be shown on the map xv. Regional maps could include opportunities to interchange with other transport modes (e.g. metro / underground / buses) xvi. Regional maps should show all stations in that area 106. Regional maps should use symbols to differentiate between small and medium/interchange stations 107. Where there are a large number of stations on a map, there could be in index with grid references included to allow passengers to find the station they require xvii. Where rail routes continue off the map, an indication of the direction and main destinations should be included (i.e. to London ->) 108. TOCs that produce a map of their route should show other operators services where they overlap in the area covered by the map 109. Version

27 Information on Station Figure 5 Where changes to train times mean that a journey leg should be completed by bus this should be indicated to the passenger within journey planners 110. Passengers could not have to view a journey details in order to find that a leg of their journey is by bus 111. Journey planners should offer the ability to find out supplementary information about the changes to train times e.g. the cause of the work / detail about its affect on journeys etc The correct fare for the journey and whether there are any promotions available Types of Fares to be shown All through-ticketed fares should be shown to customers 113 for example: Internet Only fares Tickets which are only available to purchase online. Special promotion fares Some TOCs offer promotional fares that do not appear in the fares database. These are generally limited by either the duration of the offer or by the fare destination. Additionally, promotions offering 2 for 1 or similar offers should be included. Rover and Ranger tickets Fares allowing travel within defined geographical areas. Add-ons and Executive packages Add-ons such as PLUSBUS, Dining, Car Parking, Rail Links etc. which are part of a through fare. Version

28 Information on Station Group discounts Small groups e.g. GroupSave, TOC-specific discounts for large groups and other Zonal group discount fares e.g. Family Travelcard. Supplements Such as Cycle Reservations, Weekend First and Sleeper reservations which are for use in conjunction with an existing ticket. Zonal Fares For example, London Travelcard and other Zonal fares mainly offered by Passenger Transport Executives. Season Tickets Tickets which have a validity period of between 7 days and one year. Filter Questions A series of questions could be asked before any fares are presented, to filter out the display of unnecessary fares xviii. This will ensure that the response meets the customer s requirements. These questions will vary, depending on the route, type of tickets available, etc. For example, if PLUSBUS is not available from the origin and/or destination station, the related question need not be asked. For example, If they are available, would you like to add Executive Services to your ticket, for example Car Parking, an Underground ticket or a Meal Voucher? The Journey Planner could calculate any potential savings (versus the Anytime fare) and present these to the customer xix. Fares Information Matrix Fares should be presented in a table 114, known as the Fares Matrix examples of which are used throughout this guide. Grouping of Fares Fares should be grouped to show: Advance; Off-Peak and Anytime 115 to enable customers to easily decide the most appropriate ticket type for their journey. They should be shown according to class of travel. Once the appropriate fare has been selected, the full ticket name should be displayed: Advance should be used to group together tickets that should be purchased in advance of travel Off-Peak should be used to group together tickets that are named Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak Anytime should be used to group together tickets that are named Anytime Version

29 Information on Station Figure 6 The ability to filter by Anytime / Off-Peak or Advance tickets could be offered to the customer xx. Figure 7 Fares Price Range Only the cheapest available fare in each group should be shown in the fares matrix 116. The range of fares returned will be dependent upon the results of the filter questions. However, once the answers to these questions have been taken in to consideration, the cheapest suitable fare should be shown. Grouping allows the website to present fares which may be inter-available or route specific. The price shown should be the cheapest fare in that group. For example, within the Anytime group, ticket A. may be 100 with an Any Permitted Route, whilst ticket B. maybe 50 routed via station Y. The cheapest available for the displayed journey should be shown to avoid passengers buying a more expensive ticket than they need. Class of Travel Fares presented should be sub-divided into First and Standard Class 117. This will give customers who ordinarily travel in standard accommodation the opportunity to see both full fare and discounted First Class tickets that may be suitable to them. In the long term, this has the potential to convert customers future business into First Class travel, creating additional revenue for the TOC. Version

30 Information on Station Availability of First Class fares Where there is no First Class fare set for the journey being requested, the fares matrix should show only Standard Class fares 118. It should not offer the option to view non-existent First Class fares or an empty First Class fares matrix. Availability of First Class Accommodation If First Class accommodation is not available for the entire journey, the fare matrix should show a symbol to reflect this 119. This should then be explained further. Ticket Availability Only tickets that are available for purchase at the time of the enquiry should be displayed 120. The Journey Planner should query with the National Reservations System the availability of each ticket which is valid for the journeys presented. If a fare is unavailable, it should not be displayed. This will reduce the customer s perception that there are too many fares to choose from. Journey Match to Fare Customers should have the ability to find journeys on which a certain fare is valid and available 121. Below are two examples of Fares Matrices showing return journeys where the ticket selected for outward travel is valid and / or available: Figure 8 Version