Appealing to London TravelWatch

If you are unhappy with the way the operator has dealt with your complaint, you can appeal to London TravelWatch.

Email: enquiries@londontravelwatch.org.uk (please be aware that emails you receive from our casework team will end in @transportwatchdog.org.uk)
Write: Freepost LONDON TRAVELWATCH, Timothys Bridge Road, Stratford Enterprise Park, Stratford-Upon-Avon CV37 9BG
Call: 0203 176 2999 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).
Please enclose all information relevant to your complaint. 

We do not have formal power to overturn a penalty fare or reduce the amount owed. However, we will review every case brought to us and consider whether we are able to help.

When you can appeal to us

We accept appeals from users of most Transport for London services (excluding London Overground and the Elizabeth line) and Eurostar. We also handle appeals relating to Victoria coach station, but not the services provided by coach operators.  

If your appeal is relating to a rail operator including London Overground and the Elizabeth Line (not penalty fares) you should contact the Rail Ombudsman who will contact us if they believe your appeal is out of their scope.  

If your appeal is relating to a bus operator outside of London or any coach operator, you can contact Bus Users UK. 

London TravelWatch will consider most appeals about roads and streets (not including road and pavement maintenance) where TfL has responsibility. TfL is responsible for most of London’s major roads, known as red routes, as well as the congestion charging zone, the Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ). We do not consider appeals around the introduction of any new road initiatives or from those affected by vehicles using London’s roads.

How to appeal to us

If you are appealing to us, include as much information as possible and explain why you are unhappy with the operator’s response. We will review your issues impartially before deciding if we can help, and can request that your complaint be reconsidered if we don’t believe it was handled appropriately. 

We aim to

• Respond to your initial contact within five working days
• Respond to you within 10 working days of receiving a full response from the transport provider or ticket retailer
• Close your appeal within 35 working days.

Please note that we cannot insist that a transport provider or ticket retailer responds to us in a timely manner. We will continue to make representations on behalf of an appellant (for those appeals we take forward) until we are in receipt of a full response. This may mean that an appeal takes longer than 35 working days to close.

Unfortunately, we are not always able to get the outcome you might have wanted, and we will write to explain why this is. While we are not able to engage in continued correspondence relating to your case, we welcome feedback which we can use anonymously in our discussions with the transport industry in our efforts to secure improvements for passengers. 

There are a number of circumstances where we will not be able to help you.  

Abusive language of any kind will not be tolerated, and we will not engage with any person whose communication is abusive in any way. If we believe you are not taking the complaint process seriously, we will write to advise you that we will not continue correspondence. 

A very small number of passengers can take up an unreasonable and disproportionate amount of resources. London TravelWatch may choose to invoke our unreasonable behaviour policy to manage unreasonable or unreasonably persistent contact. 

Find out how we use your information. 

What to do if you are not happy with our response

London TravelWatch does not have the authority to insist that a transport provider or ticket retailer agrees to any appeals we make. This means we may not be able to secure a favourable resolution on your behalf.  

If you think your appeal has not been properly handled, please contact the caseworker dealing with your complaint in the first instance so we can review your complaint.  

If you are still not happy with how we have handled your case, you will be advised how you can contact the Head of Casework. 

You can also contact London TravelWatch’s Chief Executive if you have a complaint about a staff member. The Chief Executive will investigate all complaints about London TravelWatch staff but not the outcome to the appeal itself.