The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has invited comments from passenger groups on its proposals for fairer redress when passenger assistance is not provided after it has been booked.

There is an increasing demand for pre-bookedpassenger assistance, and requests are now at their highest since records began in 2012. The proposals have been developed in collaboration with passenger and industry representatives, including train operators, and detail the factors train operators should consider when deciding the type of redress that is appropriate.

Among the factors to be considered include the nature and extent of the failure, how the passenger’s journey has been affected, the personal and emotional impacts caused by the lack of assistance, and whether the failure is indicative of repeated issues.

The type of redress to be considered may include financial remedies such as compensation or reimbursement of additional costs, or non-financial solutions. In October 2025, the ORR strengthened the rules for Accessible Travel Policy redress so that, when booked assistance has failed, it is mandatory for all rail operators to assess redress claims on a case-by-case basis.

The consultation runs from today, Tuesday, 30th June until 5 pm on Friday, 11th September.

Details of the consultation procedures are online at https://www.orr.gov.uk/search-consultations/consultation-framework-determining-redress-booked-assistance-not-provided.

How to determine what redress is appropriate is at
https://www.orr.gov.uk/determining-redress-booked-assistance-not-provided-draft-framework-consultation

”The impact on passengers when booked assistance fails can be significant and can vary greatly depending on the circumstances, and that is why we have already made it mandatory for operators to assess redress claims case by case. This proposed framework helping them to do that is the next step. We want to hear from passengers, representative groups, operators and other stakeholders on whether the framework captures the right considerations and how it can best support improved outcomes.”

Stephanie Tobyn, ORR’s Director of Strategy, Policy and Reform