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Conditions of Issue and Use

Conditions of Use

GENERAL

RAIL STAFF TRAVEL NATIONAL FACILITIES (CARDS AND PASSES): BY APPLYING FOR ANY TRAVEL FACILITIES, YOU AGREE TO ABIDE BY THESE CONDITIONS OF ISSUE AND USE

  1. It is the employee’s decision whether or not to apply for travel facilities for an entitled family member; and it is the employee’s responsibility to ensure that such family members also abide by the conditions of use.
  2. To check any entitlement, visit www.atoc.org/rst or contact RSTL. In most cases, proof of eligibility may be required.
  3. All employees and entitled family members receive an individual Photo Identity Card, which must be shown in conjunction with any other cards or passes used for leisure or residential travel.
  4. All staff travel facilities cards and passes are issued for the sole use of the bearer. They are not transferable under any circumstances.
  5. All travel using staff travel facilities is subject at all times to the National Conditions of Carriage.
  6. All travel using staff travel facilities is subject to the Facility Rules.
  7. All travel using staff travel facilities is additionally subject to any restrictions which are published online at www.atoc.org/rst .
  8. Once entitlement to staff travel facilities ceases, all cards and passes must be returned immediately to the issuing office.
  9. Loss or theft of, or damage to, any cards or passes must be reported immediately to the issuing office.
  10. Postal loss (ie non-receipt by an individual after a card or pass has been issued by RSTL) is only accepted as a reason for replacement free of charge within 3 months of issue. For example, for a Staff Travel Card valid from 1 April and issued by 31 March, postal loss attributable to RSTL must be identified by 30 June. Beyond that date, a replacement fee is due.
  11. Replacements can be ordered using form RSTL90040: a fee may be payable.
  12. Any unauthorised use of travel facilities will be classed as a Travel Irregularity, and may result in the withdrawal of facilities, the dismissal of the employee, and/or legal proceedings against the employee and/or a family member and the user, as appropriate.

SAFEGUARDED LEISURE TRAVEL IN THE UK

  1. Leisure travel facilities in the UK for safeguarded staff are delivered principally by the Staff Travel Card (one per entitled person, ie there are no family cards).
  2. Staff Travel Cards are pre-printed to indicate services and routes on which they may or may not be used.
  3. In addition some senior safeguarded staff are entitled to a Status Pass, which likewise is overprinted to indicate the extent of its use.
  4. Staff Travel Cards permit privilege rate and, in some cases, free leisure-only travel. They must not be used for residential, duty, business or trading purposes.
  5. However they may be used to purchase privilege-rate tickets for travel between a temporary place of residence and place of employment for a period not exceeding 14 days.
  6. To obtain free leisure travel, the boxes printed on the Staff Travel Card are used, as follows:
  7. Before commencing a free journey, the day and month of the journey must be entered in ink in the first (or next available) pair of boxes on the card (marked as “DAY” and “MTH”). Use Arabic numerals, with zero in front of single digits ie 07/08 for 7 August.
  8. Each dated pair of boxes allows free travel on that day, and up to midnight on the following day, and from 22h00 on the preceding day. In other words a card dated 7 August allows journeys from 22h00 on 6 August up to 24h00 on 8 August, 50 hours in total.
  9. During that 50-hour period, travel does not have to be continuous: any number of broken journeys may be undertaken.
  10. Alterations to the date entered are not permitted under any circumstances. If you make a mistake, that allocation of free travel is forfeited, the error must be blocked out, and the correct date entered in the next pair of boxes.
  11. If a card is being used without a box being dated, Revenue Protection Staff will cancel the next available pair of boxes and require the holder to date and use the following box.
  12. If a card is being used with the wrong date entered, Revenue Protection Staff will cancel the next available pair of boxes and require the holder to date and use the following box.
  13. If there are no empty boxes left, any attempt to travel free will be classed as a Travel Irregularity.
  14. Although the free travel year runs from 1 April to 31 March, Staff Travel Cards are valid for 15 months, ie 1 April to the following 30 June.
  15. New cards are issued each 1 April, so for 3 months of the year, holders will have two valid staff travel cards. Either card may be used to obtain privilege-rate leisure travel.
  16. Boxes unused by 31 March on the card about to expire may still be used up to 30 June for free leisure journeys. 
  17. Once the allocation of free travel has been used up, reduced rate privilege tickets may be purchased on presentation of the Staff Travel Card at ticket offices.
  18. To apply for leisure travel facilities, use form RSTL6592-6.

NON- SAFEGUARDED LEISURE TRAVEL IN THE UK (TOC STAFF ONLY)

  1. Leisure travel facilities in the UK for non-safeguarded TOC taff are delivered principally by the TOC Privilege Card (one per entitled person, ie there are no family cards).
  2. The TOC Privilege Card allows the holder to purchase reduced rate privilege tickets for leisure travel.
  3. Where ticket-issuing facilities are available and in working order, tickets must be purchased prior to travel.
  4. However if there are no ticket-issuing facilities prior to departure, tickets should be purchase on board (or at the destination).
  5. Privilege rate tickets purchased with a TOC Privilege Card must not be used for residential, duty, business or trading purposes.
  6. However such tickets may be used for travel between a temporary place of residence and place of employment for a period not exceeding 14 days.
  7. The TOC Privilege travel year run from 1 July to 30 June. New cards are issued in June.
  8. To apply for leisure travel facilities, use form RSTL6592-6.

SAFEGUARDED RESIDENTIAL TRAVEL IN THE UK

  1. Residential travel facilities in the UK for safeguarded staff are delivered principally by the Privilege Season Ticket.
  2. The Privilege Season Ticket allows the holder to travel on National Rail and London Underground services. Its use is therefore additionally subject to Transport for London regulations.
  3. The following special conditions also apply to its use, and in any instances of conflicting advice, these special conditions take precedence.
  4. The Privilege Season Ticket must be supported by a Photo Identity Card at all times, ie when being purchased and when being used.
  5. The Privilege Season Ticket may only be used by the person in whose name it is issued, and in the class of carriage specified.
  6. Privilege Season Tickets may be purchased for entitled dependants of employees but must not be used for commuting to work. They may, however, be used for travel to and from an educational establishment as specified at the time of application.
  7. National Rail and London Underground reserve the right to cancel, or refuse to issue or to renew, a Privilege Season Ticket.
  8. The minimum period of validity for a Privilege Season Ticket is one month, and the maximum is one year.
  9. If the holder of a Privilege Season Ticket ceases, during the period of validity, to require it for the purpose for which it was issued (eg as a result of change of residence or duties, or leaving service) or if the holder ceases to be eligibility for any reason for a Privilege Season Ticket, the ticket must be surrendered immediately to RSTL.
  10. If a Privilege Season Ticket is used in contravention of any of the foregoing, it will be classed as a Travel Irregularity and handled accordingly.
  11. Additionally, an on-the-spot charge of a Penalty Fare, or the full ordinary fare for the class of carriage used for the particular journey (according to circumstances) will be charged, as if no payment had been made for the ticket.
  12. To apply for a Residential Pass, use form RSTL6611.
  13. To apply for a Privilege Season Ticket, use form RSTL87150.

NON-SAFEGUARDED RESIDENTIAL TRAVEL IN THE UK (TOC STAFF ONLY)

  1. Residential travel facilities in the UK for non-safeguarded staff are delivered principally by the Reduced Rate Season Ticket.
  2. The Reduced Rate Season Ticket allows the holder to travel only on the services of the TOCs which participate in a reciprocal arrangement for this purpose.
  3. The Reduced Rate Season Ticket is not valid on services operated by First ScotRail or London Underground services. 
  4. Staff of First ScotRail and London Underground who are new entrants (ie joined service after 1 April 1996) are therefore not eligible to purchase a Reduced Rate Season Ticket.
  5. The Reduced Rate Season Ticket is issued subject to the conditions which apply to ordinary (public) season tickets.
  6. The following special conditions also apply to its use, and in any instances of conflicting advice, these special conditions take precedence.
  7. The Reduced Rate Season Ticket must be supported by a Photo Identity Card at all times, ie when being purchased and when being used.
  8. The Reduced Rate Season Ticket may only be used by the person in whose name it is issued, and in the class of carriage specified.
  9. Reduced Rate Season Tickets may be purchased for entitled dependants of employees but must not be used for commuting to work. They may, however, be used for travel to and from an educational establishment as specified at the time of application.
  10. RSTL reserves the right to cancel, or refuse to issue or to renew, a Reduced Rate Season Ticket.
  11. The minimum period of validity for a Reduced Rate Season Ticket is one month, and the maximum is one year.
  12. The Reduced Rate Season Ticket is an additional benefit to the TOC New Entrant Leisure Travel Arrangement, which is subject to annual rolling review by the participating TOCs. The current arrangement runs to 30 June 2012.
  13. If the holder of a Reduced Rate Season Ticket ceases, during the period of validity, to require it for the purpose for which it was issued (eg as a result of change of residence or duties, or leaving service) or if the holder ceases to be eligibility for any reason for a Reduced Rate Season Ticket, the ticket must be surrendered immediately to RSTL.
  14. If a Reduced Rate Season Ticket is used in contravention of any of the foregoing, it will be classed as a Travel Irregularity and handled accordingly. 
  15. Additionally, an on-the-spot charge of a Penalty Fare, or the full ordinary fare for the class of carriage used for the particular journey (according to circumstances) will be charged, as if no payment had been made for the ticket.
  16. To apply for a Reduced Rate Season Ticket, use form RSTL87151.

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

  1. Reciprocal arrangements for free and reduced rate travel for staff of the principal national railways of Europe, and for certain minor and/or private railways, are co-ordinated by a body called FIP.
  2. In addition, some non-FIP Administrations also allow concessionary travel.
  3. All these Administrations are listed on www.atoc.org/rst . 
  4. FIP Administrations generally give concessions both to the legally married spouses of staff and to partners.
  5. Non-FIP Administrations generally give concessions only to the legally married spouses of staff, and not to partners.
  6. However it remains the responsibility of the employee to confirm any eligibility for dependants before travel (by contacting the normal travel facilities administrator).
  7. International travel facilities are delivered principally by the International Reduced Rate Card (for privilege rate travel) and by International Coupon Tickets (for free travel).
  8. For free travel, normally one coupon per participating Administration per year is allowed, although some more generous arrangements also exist.
  9. However, there is not a separate FIP quota of free travel per country for employees and dependants separately: the quote is calculated on a family basis. Therefore if an employee travels once without dependants, he or she may not have another free journey with dependants; and nor may any dependants take a free journey without the employee, in that same year.
  10. The FIP year runs from 1 January to 31 December.
  11. If an employee has unused coupon quota towards the end of the calendar year, this can be used at any time in the first 3 months of the following year (ie between 1 January and 31 March) PROVIDED that the application is received by RSTL by 20 December. 
  12. If unused quota is available, RSTL will automatically apply this benefit. If no quota is left for the year just ending, travel from 1 January will be taken from that following year’s quota.
  13. If an application is received after 21 December, it will be treated as if it had been received after 1 January, even if there was unused quota in the year just ending.
  14. Each coupon is valid for travel in the country in question (subject to any restrictions, as usual) as follows: 4 occasions of travel, each of up to 48 hours, comprising the day on which the coupon is first stamped and up to midnight on the following day.
  15. If a coupon has been used on a railway adjoining or bordering the railway of issue, it may not be used again for any further journeys on this railway after the return journey has been made to the issuing railway (ie in this case, the UK). For the avoidance of doubt, adjoining railways are those which are linked to ATOC/GBPR by another FIP member, including ferries and Eurostar. Therefore the adjoining railways are SNCF, SNCB, NS, NIR, CIE (France, Belgium, Holland, N. Ireland, Republic of Ireland) but not Denmark or Norway. Part-used coupons for non-adjoining countries may therefore still be used up.
  16. In planning a journey, it is the responsibility of the employee to establish which countries and administrations are involved and hence what entitlement to free or reduced rate travel can be expected.
  17. The correct coupons to cover the journey must be obtained from RSTL before departure. 
  18. Coupons are valid for 3 months from the date of issue.
  19. FIP regulations stipulate the issue of coupons no earlier than 2 weeks prior to travel.
  20. Coupons are issued therefore as close as possible to that time, in order to give employees the maximum benefit of the 3 month period.
  21. The issuing of International Coupons is a time-consuming process, and to allow for the administration involved, possible queries, booking peaks at busy times of the year, possible delays at the employer’s end, and possible postal delays, International Coupon applications must be submitted 4 weeks prior to travel. 
  22. Later applications will be processed as quickly as possible, and RSTL will always endeavour to help, but cannot guarantee that an application can be dealt with in a shorter time.
  23. Duty Coupons are provided separately and are not subject to quota.
  24. International reduced rate tickets are bookable through our UK agent, DB-UK.
  25. They can issue international reduced rate tickets, and full fare tickets for other members of the party, from frontier to frontier, from frontier to major interchange station, for cross-channel travel, for Eurostar, plus reservations on most train services.
  26. Where a group is travelling, one employee should fill in the form on behalf of the party.
  27. DB-UK will provide a quote for the itinerary in advance of a firm booking, if you wish.
  28. DB-UK will also deal with enquiries by email (railstaff@bahn.co.uk ) or by telephone – see IPTIS form for full contact details.
  29. Payment for travel booked through DB-UK must be made to them directly. 
  30. The forms you will need are as follows:
    a. New International Reduced Rate Card: RSTL7108-5
    b. International Coupon Ticket: RSTL4569-3
    c. Non-FIP Facilities: RSTL7108-6
    d. Other reduced rate (IPTIS) travel: RSTL6544

ELIGIBILITY OF FAMILY MEMBERS

Spouses & Partners

  1. Legally married spouses of either gender are entitled to facilities from the same day as the staff member’s entitlement begins.
  2. Partners who are living together (either gender) must have been living together in the relationship for a minimum of two years, and must make an Initial Statutory Declaration to this effect
  3. A declaration of continued eligibility must be made annually thereafter : RSTL will issue the appropriate form automatically.
  4. If the form is not returned by the due date, RSTL will assume that facilities are no longer required.
  5. If any kind of relationship ceases (ie the link to, or dependency on, the employee ceases) entitlement to travel facilities also ceases, and all cards and passes must be returned to the issuing office immediately.
  6. Any subsequent non-married partner must also wait through a further two-year qualifying period, which commences either when all cards and passes held by the former partner are returned, or expire, whichever is the later.
  7. The forms you will need are as follows:
    a. New Partner Initial Declaration:RSTL90010
    b. All Dependants Annual Declaration: RSTL4466

Housekeepers

  1. Facilities for housekeepers are always subject to the final approval of RSTL.
  2. The employee must first be qualified to claim for a housekeeper, by being one of the following: a. Married, but spouse is permanently incapacited and unable to travel b. Divorced, or separated pending divorce c. Widowed d. Single
  3. The employee may then claim the status of housekeeper for a relative who is one of the following:
    a. Mother or father
    b. Daughter or son
    c. Sister or brother
    d. Step equivalents of the above, but no other relatives by marriage
  4. The housekeeper must reside permanently with the employee, and must not keep house for any other person or household.
  5. The housekeeper must not own the house in which (s)he and the employee reside.
  6. The housekeeper must be financially dependent on the employee, but may be in receipt of a small income subject to a weekly limit which is reviewed each 1 April. Full disclosure of income must be made at time of the initial declaration.
  7. The income limit effective 1 April 2010 is £133.90 per week.
  8. Any income the housekeeper receives in respect of his/her children need not be declared.
  9. For the avoidance of doubt, an employee can not claim travel facilities for a Spouse/Partner/Civil Partner AND a housekeeper.
  10. The forms you will need are as follows:
    a. Housekeeper Initial Declaration: RSTL87160
    b. All Dependants Annual Declaration: RSTL4466

Dependant Children aged 16 or over

  1. When a dependant child (young person) reaches the age of 16, a Declaration confirming his/her status and eligibility must be made.
  2. A declaration of continued eligibility must be made annually thereafter : RSTL will issue the appropriate form automatically.
  3. If the form is not returned by the due date, RSTL will assume that facilities are no longer required.
  4. The young person must be dependant on the employee and must also be: a. Unmarried; and
    b. Permanently living with the employee or other parent; but
    c. Not living with a partner in the parent’s home; or
    d. Temporarily living away from home in connection with education/training
  5. In addition to the above, young people between the ages of 16 and 24 may be in receipt of small income subject to a weekly limit which is reviewed each 1 April.
  6. The income limit effective 1 April 2010 is £119.85 per week.
  7. In this context, income:
    a. Includes state benefits, and any paid employment except when earned during vacation periods of not more than 3 months during continuous full-time further education (travel facilities must not be used for residential purposes in connection with such employment).
    b. Includes the value of free board and lodging or meals when provided in connection with employment
    c. Excludes scholarship or maintenance grants (including any sum paid for travel) or allowance for educational fees, purchase of books etc, paid by an educational authority in connection with further education.
    d. Excludes any family allowance paid to the parent in respect of the child.
  8. In addition to the above, young people aged 25 or over, in order to be eligible, must have been continuously unemployed since leaving full-time education and be in receipt of no income or benefits whatsoever.
  9. For the avoidance of doubt, once a young person has lost his/her travel facilities by taking up full-time employment, facilities cannot be regained simply by taking part-time employment instead in order to keep earnings below the income limit.
  10. For the avoidance of doubt, once a young person has lost his/her travel facilities upon leaving the parental home, facilities cannot be regained simply by returning to live with the parents.
  11. The forms you will need are as follows:
    a. Children Reaching 16 Initial Declaration:RSTL90003
    b. All Dependants Annual Declaration: RSTL4466