Tyne Tunnel: Row over watchdog's review of driver complaints

A transport watchdog's review of complaints about the Tyne Tunnel will not finish until nearly a year after controversial changes were introduced.

Thousands of drivers said they had been wrongly fined because of problems with operator TT2's new cashless system and criticised the appeal process.

Campaigners said TT2 implied watchdog Transport Focus was closer to giving feedback than it actually was.

But TT2 said preliminary work had led to some changes being made.

TT2 entered into a contract with the watchdog so it could be provided with feedback and advice on best practice. It was written before the move to open road tolling last November but the final version was only signed in March.

Mark Hurrell, from the Tyne Tunnel Campaign, said he believed TT2 was using "deliberate stalling tactics".

TT2 said, while the scope of work was still being agreed, the watchdog had recommended changes to TT2's website that had been carried out.

"There has been no delay," a spokesperson for TT2 said.

Transport Focus director David Sidebottom said it had taken "some months to get the contract drafted and approved" as the work with TT2 was new and outside the watchdog's statutory remit.

Since open road tolling was introduced in November, drivers have had to pay online, by phone or with a pre-payment account.

Thousands have been sent unpaid toll charge notices for non-payment but many said they either had paid or blamed failures with TT2's payment system for being unable to do so.

Others complained signs showing the payment deadline were inadequate and easy to miss.

Campaigner Mr Hurrell said TT2 was "not good at listening to the facts of their customer experience".

He said: "It is disappointing that Transport Focus, as a very respected publicly established body, has not been involved from an earlier time.

"We think this delay with working with TF is deliberate stalling tactics to avoid hearing some uncomfortable truths."

On its website, and in earlier statements, TT2 said Transport Focus "reviews" and "makes recommendations" and "meets TT2 to advise on best practice", which campaigners say implied a far greater involvement than has yet happened.

In response to a Freedom of Information request by the BBC, Transport Focus confirmed its initial review of TT2's policies and complaints-handling processes would not be completed until September.

A review of a sample of complaints was ongoing and it currently had "no findings to share", it said.

A survey of "the customer experience" had not yet started, it said.

Mr Sidebottom accepted there was "some outdated wording in the contract" but said there was "fundamentally no change in the service we are contracted to deliver".

He said: "This first phase of the work is about reviewing a sample of complaints handled, selected randomly by us, ahead of moving to an ongoing role in advising on complaints referred to us."

TT2 said it fully intended to "take on board all recommendations and action them as quickly as possible".

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