PostedJuly 17, 2022, 10:07 PM
Lausanne-Geneva airport“Given the delay of the train, without a taxi we had to say goodbye to the holidays”
A family wants to be reimbursed 220 fr. taxi costs caused by a train delay when leaving on vacation. The CFF recall that the law does not impose reimbursement.
- par
- Abdoulaye Penda Ndiaye
Due to a train delay, a family of three had to resort to a taxi to avoid missing their flight at Geneva airport. But she is not entitled to a refund.
Juan*, his wife and their teenage daughter saw the fear of missing their flight Geneva – Alicante (Spain) increase over the minutes on Monday July 4. The 3:51 train that was to take them from Lausanne to Geneva airport did not show up. “Several times in a row, five minutes of delay have been announced for InterRegio. We had bought three tickets on the CFF website a month in advance. After a quarter of an hour late, we had to take a taxi or say goodbye to the holidays, because our plane was due to take off at 6:35 a.m., notes Juan.
Negotiated rate to reduce costs
Several travelers who were going to the airport left the station to take a taxi. Among them, the three Lausanne residents who were lucky enough to come across an understanding taxi driver. “I told him that we could not exceed 220 fr. for a race to Cointrin and he accepted. Our family only relies on my salary. I was able to pay for this vacation after a lot of deprivation, ”continues the fifty-year-old. Once through airport security, Juan and his family had to jostle and skip the line to avoid being too late for boarding. Before that, he had contacted CFF customer service by telephone and then by email to claim compensation for his ancillary costs.
SBB: “No obligation to indemnify”
“The breakdown of an insulator on the installations at Lausanne station delayed the start-up of this train by approximately 40 minutes. There is no indemnification obligation provided for in this case in the passenger transport law“, reacted the communication service of the SBB. Juan has not taken out cancellation insurance, the SBB does not rule out making a commercial gesture. “The case will be analyzed,” said the carrier.
No compensation, even for a missed flight
As stated by the CFF, the law on passenger transport does not provide for compensation in the event of a disruption that has caused collateral damage: air correspondence, missed theatrical performance or concert, delay in an exam, absence from work. Nevertheless, the cases giving right to refunds are many and varied. A delay, for example, may entitle you to compensation. If a passenger can no longer reach their destination on the same day due to a train cancellation or delay, they can claim reimbursement of their hotel costs (including breakfast) for a maximum of 200 fr. For delays of at least one hour, the refund corresponds to 25% of the ticket price. It can only take place for tickets whose value is greater than 5 fr. For passengers with a season ticket, a delay of at least one hour entitles them to reimbursement corresponding to the daily value of the season ticket.