The case in summary – Hilde Bøkestad received a taxi bill of NOK 3,000 after her train was canceled due to snow chaos. – Vy has confirmed that they will cover the taxi bill, although this is not a normal procedure. – In normal cases, the company does not cover taxis as a result of stoppages in train traffic, not even in extreme weather.- The collective transport company Ruter has also chosen to refund yesterday’s taxi bills from the capital.- Vestfold collective traffic, VKT, will not provide any compensation as their travel guarantee does not apply when there are extraordinary weather conditions. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Yesterday, news was able to tell about Hilde Bøkestad from Larvik who was stuck at Drammen station for ten hours. The 13-hour journey ended with a taxi ride from Drammen to Larvik. Then the thousands fly quickly. – I shared with three others, and the trip came to just over NOK 3,000 in total, says Hilde Bøkestad to news the following day. The taxi bill for Hilde Bøkestad and three other fellow passengers became high after their train was cancelled. Photo: Hilde Bøkestad / private While she was standing at Drammen station, the train was set up again, then reported delayed, before it was cancelled. It happened several times, and was the reason why she didn’t try to take a taxi before. – It was very demotivating. Then we travelers get hopes that things will work out. But will she be able to cover the cost? Hilde Bøkestad finally got home after ten hours at the train station. Photo: Privat Hilde Bøkestad finally got home after ten hours at the train station. Photo: Private Recommended not to travel by train – Yes, says Vy to news. But this is not a normal procedure, according to communications manager Åge-Christoffer Lundeby. – Yesterday we made an exception to the rule, so that taxi bills are covered as a result of the weather and the situation. Communications manager Åge-Christoffer Lundeby in Vy. Photo: Vy In normal cases, the company does not cover taxis as a result of stoppages in train traffic. Not even in extreme weather. But yesterday’s situation was extraordinary, Lundeby believes. And the driving conditions made it difficult to set up alternative transport. Vy admittedly advised travelers not to take trains yesterday. – But not everyone can stop travelling. Some have work that requires you to be physically at the workplace, and we have a deep understanding of that. That is why we have to do it this way, and are generous. Several passengers finally had to get on their feet after delays on Oslo S on Wednesday afternoon and evening. Photo: Zhilwan Manbari / NRKF Several passengers finally had to get on their feet after delays on Oslo S on Wednesday afternoon and evening. Photo: Zhilwan Manbari / news You have the right to this if trains are canceled or delayed. If Vy has not given you information on how to proceed within a reasonable time, you can have documented, predictable, direct expenses for alternative transport covered depending on journey length and the duration of the delay. For delays of 20 minutes or more on journeys of less than 1 hour, you can have expenses covered up to NOK 550. For delays of 40 minutes or more on journeys between 1 and 3 hours, you can have expenses covered up to NOK 825. For delays of 60 minutes or more on all journeys up to a limit of 30 per cent of the basic amount in the national insurance (G). If you travel by Vys train to Oslo Airport or Torp in order to travel onward by plane, and your train is more than 30 minutes late, you will be covered for documented, predictable, direct expenses up to 30 percent of the basic amount in the national insurance (G). You must allow at least 30 minutes extra time upon arrival at the airport, in addition to the airline’s check-in time. You are not entitled to have your expenses covered under point A if a) the delay was notified before you bought the ticket. The delay is due to circumstances beyond Vy’s or Bane NOR’s control, such as strikes or extreme weather. Source: Vy Hilde Bøkestad has already applied for reimbursement for her share of the taxi journey. – I was also a bit angry, so then I also applied for reimbursement of expenses for food. And shouldn’t one get a little extra, when the whole day becomes completely useless? Many are demanding reimbursement from Ruter. The subway and buses also struggled to be punctual in the snowy weather. On Thursday morning, the public transport company Ruter received approximately 3,000 claims for travel reimbursement. They also exceptionally choose to refund yesterday’s taxi bills from the capital. If you have documented expenses of up to NOK 750 and are delayed by more than 20 minutes because Ruter is not on schedule, you will get the money back. Several buses were canceled due to the snowy weather on Wednesday. Photo: Hallgeir Braastad / NRKF Several buses were canceled due to the snowy weather on Wednesday. Photo: Hallgeir Braastad / news There is no refund here. Also in Vestfold, all bus traffic was suspended at one point. Still, travelers can look far for some compensation. Vestfold public transport, VKT, has a travel guarantee, but it does not apply when extraordinary weather conditions are to blame. – That scheme is intended to enable you to be reimbursed for expenses for alternative transport, if the bus does not come. But yesterday there was no alternative transport available either, says Trond Myhre. Trond Myhre in VKT. Photo: Hege Therese Holtung / news He is section leader for mobility in Vestfold County Municipality and says VKT has received very few inquiries from customers after yesterday. – I think the vast majority understood that it was an extraordinary situation yesterday.
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Did you take a taxi for the train? Then you get your money back – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
