London TravelWatch

London TravelWatch is the official watchdog organisation representing the interests of transport users in and around the nation’s capital

London TravelWatch was set up by Parliament to be the official voice of London’s travelling public. Funded by the London Assembly and accountable to it via the Assembly’s Transport Committee, the watchdog represents users of the national rail network in London and the surrounding commuter belt and international rail passengers using Eurostar. It also represents all those who use buses, the Underground, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), dial-a-ride, trams, taxis, cable cars and river transport, as well as cyclists, motorcyclists, pedestrians and other users of London’s principal road network.

The watchdog aims to secure a better journey experience for everyone travelling in and around London: commuters, leisure travellers, visitors and tourists however they travel. Its multimodal remit reflects the way most people use transport in London – making active choices between modes and interchanging from one mode to another in the course of a typical journey.

London TravelWatch carries out a variety of activities, including:
• Commissioning and carrying out research, evaluating and interpreting the research carried out by others, to ensure that its work is based on the best possible evidence
• Investigating complaints that people have been unable to resolve with service providers
• Reviewing almost 8,000 enquiries from transport users in 2017/18, taking up over 2,400 cases with the operator because the original response the complainant had received was unsatisfactory
• Monitoring trends in service quality as part of an intelligence-led approach
• Regularly meeting with and seeking to influence the relevant parts of the transport industry on all issues which affect the travelling public
• Working with a wide range of public interest organisations, user groups and research bodies to ensure it keeps up to date with passenger experiences and concerns
• Speaking for the travelling public in discussions with opinion formers and decision makers at all levels, including the Mayor of London, the London Assembly, the Government, Parliament, and local councils.

London TravelWatch also has a statutory role to assess the impact and make recommendations if proposals are made for the closure of a railway line or a station (or station facilities) within the London railway area.

London TravelWatch keeps its work priorities under review by means of a simple set of criteria. These criteria are similar to those used by other consumer protection and enforcement bodies and allow London TravelWatch to plan and coordinate its activity with other consumer bodies and the London Assembly.

London TravelWatch Board and Committee meetings are open to the public, details are available on its website.