Complaints and appeals

If you have a complaint about your transport provider, you need to raise your complaint with them first before coming to us. Find out how to make an initial complaint and where to send it.

If you are unhappy with the response you receive to your complaint, you can appeal to London TravelWatch and we will review your case to see if we can help. Find out which types of transport services we cover and how to make an appeal to London TravelWatch.

Although we do not have the power to compel transport operators to provide a favourable outcome, we often get a better result for members of the public than if they hadn’t appealed to us. But we can’t always help everyone with their appeals.

Your basic rights

When you buy a ticket, validate an Oyster card or touch a contactless payment card to travel on a train or TfL service, you enter into an agreement with them. The agreement gives you the right to make the journey (or journeys) between the stations or within the zones shown on the ticket. National Rail Conditions of Travel and TfL Conditions of Carriage (which cover Oyster, buses, Underground, DLR, Tramlink and Dial-a-Ride) apply to any domestic journeys and set out your rights and any restrictions. They also set out the minimum level of service you should expect. 

However, all individual train companies and some TfL services have separate Passenger Charters with commitments which go beyond the Conditions of Travel. You should always check before you make a claim. 

The best advice is to always check fares and route before travelling to avoid difficulties and ensure you know exactly the compensation to which you are entitled.