Olympic Travelcards

Initial problem

After watching the Olympic sprint canoe today we walked back to Windsor Eton Riverside to avoid crowded buses and trains.

The man at Windsor Eton Riverside refused to accept our Olympic travel cards, saying that they were only valid in London. He made us buy 3 tickets to Feltham at a cost of £9.30.

When we got off at Vauxhall we told the ticket collector we wanted to retain our tickets and why. He agreed that we should not have had to pay twice and took us to the ticket office where we showed our travel cards and Olympic tickets. The man was helpful but needed to phone his manager to authorise a refund. However the manager confirmed that South West Trains do NOT accept Olympic Travel Cards Zone 1-9 on their trains outside London, including travel from an Olympic venue.

This seems at odds with the policy of encouraging people to use public transport during the Games. It also seems at odds with the guidance on the Olympic Website which says:

Travelling to venues outside London

If you have a ticket for an event at Brands Hatch, Eton Dorney, Hadleigh Farm or the Lee Valley White Water Centre, you’ll also receive a Games Travelcard.

As well as being valid on public transport in London zones 1–9, you can use your Games Travelcard to travel by National Rail between London and Sevenoaks (for Brands Hatch); Slough and Windsor & Eton Riverside (for Eton Dorney); Leigh-on-Sea (for Hadleigh Farm); and Cheshunt (for Lee Valley White Water Centre).

I was given a South West Trains number to call but was cut off first time and it was engaged second time.

I dont really know what to do next as I fear that if I send the tickets and receipt off I will not hear anything again. It is sad that despite the goodwill elsewhere SW Trains seem to want to use the Games to increase their profits. I would like to be refunded the £9.30 for the extra tickets to Feltham.

Posted

• By Sarah O'Connell on 10 Aug 2012
• Sent to South West Trains on 10 Aug 2012