Mock Daily Mail Headline
Silver Plated Public Sector Whitehall Warrior Abuses Position to Blackmail TOC's
Is it now DfT policy to employing a Krays protection racket or what when awarding franchises.
Why is it a railway problem as to how private company renumerates its employee travel claims.
Hum interesting and even a little funny though completely inaccurate!
I do not (thankfully!) and never have worked for DfT! What DfT can do (in England!) is make it very clear what is an acceptable level of service provision (eg ticket offices, including openning hours, and TVMs, including payment methods) and can explain what will happen if such a level of service is not provided. One of the things that could be included in future franchise tenders is complaince with past service commitments - no blackmail at all but common sense - if a company has a proven track record of service failure why should its assurances as to future behaviour be given any credence?
This is a far broader problem than how a company settles it's expenses claims (my employer - unfortunately - buys all train tickets through the Trainline
) though it doubtless suits the TOC apologists to focus on that case. Why should a TOC, due to its inadequate equipment, expect me to arrive at a destination penniless, having cleaned me out of all my ready money (which, given I live in pretty Central London, I never carry that much of - in line with police advice!)? Believe me the first pensioner who gets mugged because they are worried that they may not be able to pay a train fare by card and a train guard will insist on payment with cash and are therefore carrying maybe £150-200 will get the TOCs headlines, followed very rapidly by political attention, that they could live without.....
I repeat the railways are a service industry, it's about time its employees, up and to including TOC MDs, either realised that or found alternative employment. The alternative is, of course, that the TOCs can do what they want and ignore public demands as expressed by our elected representatives (sad but true!) but without the bounteous public subsidies they presently enjoy - he who pays the piper.....