The heat is on ...late-running trains & buses

Though the hot weather has been wonderful, the sweaty, overcrowded, late or cancelled trains and buses have pushed many of you to the limit.

The Government has just announced that a new ombudsman service for trains is coming later this year. And I’m working with Transport Focus to give all you frustrated commuters more rights.

Make sure you know what you’re entitled to...

Bus timetable changes:

You should be given proper notice of any bus service change – at the bus stop or on the buses. So if you arrive at your local bus stop and it’s suddenly been taken out of service and this causes you a delay or extra cost

because they’ve not warned you, you can make a complaint. You should be informed of any revised timetable at least two weeks before. Overcrowding: If the bus or train is too full for you to get on, resulting in you being late, you can make a complaint if there hasn’t been a warning about overcrowding. What ticket should I buy? I was in the North West last week and went to buy a train ticket. Two different colour machines offered me no less that 10 different options for a five-minute journey.

When I got to the other end, my ticket was with the wrong company and I was sent to a remote desk to pay an extra 30p. I was not amused. Ticketing on all transport is too complicated. If you’ve got examples, use Resolver.co.uk. If enough people do it, we can force them to change.

Season tickets: Yes, you can ask for a proportional refund. Explain the impact on your daily commute and why the firm is responsible.

You should be informed of any revised timetable with 2 weeks’ notice