impaler

I did a quick search, and this doesnt seem to have been mentioned here before, and having been to London more than half a dozen times I still was not aware that.....

You can get a refund of your Tube fare if your trip is delayed by more than 15 min

It also appears that there are some refund-processing companies that make that process arguably more convienient, eg this one allows you to submit the data for your claim via SMS

I am not sure in what form the refund is issued (voucher/check) or if it can be requested from outside the UK

But anyway, perhaps next time you are stuck on the Picadilly line, jot down the time and station!

stut

Most UK railways have this too, with differing degrees of refund depending on the type of service and delay. I've currently got over £50 of rail vouchers (and 4 free all-network passes for FCC) on the fridge! See also http://www.traindelays.co.uk/

However, it's (thankfully) pretty rare to see a Tube delayed for more than 15 minutes. It's more likely to apply to the outlying stations that have a rather less regular service (e.g. the ends of the Met, District or Central lines), and will not apply where engineering works are advertised.

Aus_Mal

"Please note that claims must be submitted within 14 days of the delay"

(This was based on the PDF claim form on the site).

I was hoping to claim for my last UK trip - it was only 16 months ago

ajax

The Tube refund scheme is among the coolest and most useful features ever to come out of TfL.

You've clearly never traveled on the Northern Line. I lived in Tooting for about a year, and I claimed for a refund at least twice a week. Trains were delayed all the time.

Now I live in East London, and submit for delays on the Central Line about twice a month.

There's no feeling like approaching the counter and cashing in £40 worth of vouchers, and then doing the same thing the next month and the month after that. ;o)

stut

Commuted on a daily basis for about 5 years, first from Tooting, then Clapham Common, then Stockwell, before discovering I could bike it far more quickly and painlessly

I remember a couple of meltdowns (not least when de Menezes was murdered) but generally, I'd get on a train within 2 minutes. There'd be slow points, but what do you expect? That line is completely at capacity, and it takes several minutes to unload and load between London Bridge and Moorgate.

What counts as a delay at peak hours?

Anyway, if crawling from Kennington to Elephant causes a refundable delay, well, I wish I'd known about this sooner, I'd have been rich!

kaiflyer

it's been referred to already, but it is indeed a voucher which is valid for 13 months from the date, so you can generate a neat pile before using them at any London Underground ticket desk..

I recall that they recently allowed you to specify a station where your Oyster card could pick up the refund onto top-up balance simply from passing the barriers with the oyster card in question... I haven't seen this feature recently though..

Strawb

If part or all of a line is suspended (e.g. points/signal failure) or a station is closed due to defective reasons and you have to use alternative routes or other modes of transport to reach your destination then you can claim if the delay is 15 mins or more, even if you weren't actually stuck on a train for 15 mins.

ajax

How odd. I had delays on the Northern Line all the time. It was not uncommon to sit outside of Kennington for 10-12 minutes, and the same with London Bridge. No idea why.

Generally, I use the following rule of thumb: if the trip takes at least 15-20 minutes longer than the posted time (the approximate number of minutes between destinations are posted on the wall of every platform) then I claim. It's never failed me.

The delays can be due to any number of reasons, including planned engineering work, multiple stops-and-starts, weather-related delays, and many others. The big exception to this rule is the strike a few weeks back; since we knew about it, we're not covered.

stut

Ah, right, I think the thing I was missing was the 'standard journey time' - I never really knew any benchmark to judge the journey against - it took "about half an hour" in my head.

I also avoided travelling at peak-peak times, generally leaving before 8 or after 9.30 (and back before 5 or after 7). This may have helped my avoiding the worst delays. I couldn't cope with the crowding (setting off a panic attack in Elephant & Castle is never a good idea).

I also found that (perhaps due to people's predictability, perhaps due to some people's more regimented working hours than mine) the busiest Tubes were those that got people to work in the City at 8.30, 9.00, 9.30, with mini-peaks at the 15-minute intervals. Get the trains inbetween, and it was that bit quieter.

I think the stop-starts at the peak-peak are mostly due to the volume of passengers getting on and off at the main stations, particularly on the Northern Line. It just needs a critical mass of people waiting on the platform, then people are delayed getting off, it takes longer to get on, there is inevitable crushing the last few people in, taking multiple attempts to open the doors... And with trains running every 2 minutes, this backs it all up. This isn't going to go away without some serious engineering.

So, now I cycle, can I claim back delay compensation from the met office if I have strong headwinds?