Summary: The complainant says Transport for London failed to send her a reminder that her resident discount for the congestion charge was about to expire. Transport for London says residents are responsible for ensuring they apply to renew their discount on time. We will not investigate this complaint. It is unlikely further investigation will lead to a different outcome.

The complaint

1. The complainant who I will call Ms X, says Transport for London (TfL) failed to remind her to renew her resident congestion charge discount.
2. She wants TfL to refund her the difference between the discounted rate and the full charge amount which she had to pay when her discount expired.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word ‘fault’ to refer to these. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint. I refer to this as ‘injustice’. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we believe it is unlikely further investigation will lead to a different outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A (6), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered:
• the information provided by Ms X
• TfL’s responses to her complaint
• information about congestion charge discounts on the TfL website

Ms X commented on the draft version of this decision.

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What I found

5. Ms X says she contacted TfL asking when her resident discount was due to expire. TfL told Ms X her congestion charge account is online and provided a reminder of her account number.
6. Ms X says she contacted TfL again and was told the discount had expired and it had not sent a reminder. She had to pay the full charge amount until she was able to renew the resident discount. Ms X complained to TfL.
7. TfL confirms it is not obliged to send any reminders to customers who have resident discounts. It is for residents to ensure their renewal applications are made on time. However, it confirms it did send Ms X an email reminder. But she did not take any action and therefore her discount expired.
8. Ms X disputes TfL’s assertion that it sent a reminder. She has demanded we obtain proof. However, TfL is not required to send a reminder, so it is irrelevant whether she received it or not. Those who hold a resident discount for the congestion charge are responsible for ensuring it is renewed in time.
9. I have read the public information provided by TfL on how to manage an online account for the congestion charge. Had Ms X accessed her online account when TfL reminded her of the account number in June, she would have been able to see the date her discount expires and could have made the relevant application in time.

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Final decision

10. I will not investigate this complaint. It is unlikely that further investigation will lead to a different outcome.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman