NEW YORK: Ben Kaube, 26, is studying in his final year for a PhD in quantum mechanics at Imperial College London. He’s also the co-creator of a new app which allows frustrated commuters to claim fare refunds for lengthy train delays. His inspiration? “Hundreds and hundreds of hours of my life wasted on delayed trains. I just thought: there’s got to be a better way.”
After Kaube first got the idea about a year ago, the new TrainTrick app launched last month, and Kaube says they’ve already processed claims from thousands of people. It’s a simple concept: users upload a photo of their ticket if a train has been delayed, and Kaube and his colleague do the rest, taking a 10% cut of any refund (though it is free until October).
Kaube says the true purpose of the app is to apply pressure on train franchise operators to invest and improve their service for customers. Users are given the option to donate their refund to a JustGiving cause.