Free Travel DfT TOCs

[PlexiDriver]

I'm just curious! But if you work for one DfT run TOC do you get free travel on all of them or just that one?

 

[transportphoto]

This has inspired the thought that there may be some credit in creating a master thread for the various TOCs and reciprocal agreements. Not a project for tonight but maybe in the future.

 

[PlexiDriver]

This has inspired the thought that there may be some credit in creating a master thread for the various TOCs and reciprocal agreements. Not a project for tonight but maybe in the future.

That sounds like a great idea!

 

[Sly Old Fox]

No, just your own.

 

[357]

This has inspired the thought that there may be some credit in creating a master thread for the various TOCs and reciprocal agreements. Not a project for tonight but maybe in the future.

This could be very useful, I'd like to see this.

 

[InkyScrolls]

No, just your own.

Not necessarily. If you work for Northern you get free travel on Grand Central, MerseyRail and the T&W Metro (and vice versa).

 

[FR510]

I'm just curious! But if you work for one DfT run TOC do you get free travel on all of them or just that one?

SE and GTR staff get free travel on each others services. Something that is left over from when they were both Go Via companies.

 

[EZJ]

I believe negotiations are ongoing for this but as always seems to be the case both sides can't seem to agree how it should work. I'm sure they'll get there eventually but when that is who knows.

 

[skyhigh]

Not necessarily. If you work for Northern you get free travel on Grand Central, MerseyRail and the T&W Metro (and vice versa).

Don't think they count as DfT TOCs though.

 

[baz962]

EMR get free travel on EMR plus sister TOCs , LNWR and greater Anglia. Also free leisure travel on LNER and free travel for work on Thameslink.

 

[Haywain]

EMR get free travel on EMR plus sister TOCs , LNWR and greater Anglia. Also free leisure travel on LNER and free travel for work on Thameslink.

And LNER staff get free leisure and duty travel on EMR. LNER also get free residential travel on Thameslink and Great Northern.

 

[Chiltern006]

FirstGroup has unlimited free travel on the company you work for ie Avanti, then have 10 or 12 boxes per year for free travel across the other FirstGroup TOCs ie GWR, SWR, Hull Trains, Lumo etc

 

[REO Nate]

SE and GTR staff get free travel on each others services. Something that is left over from when they were both Go Via companies.

Apparently DFT tried to put a halt to this, but both companies kicked up a fuss so it remains for the time being.

We’ve heard that negotiations about OLR TOCs getting free passes on other companies in the same position will probably happen, but will be limited to a set number of journeys a year.

 

[PlexiDriver]

I know GWR had a residential agreement with Elizabeth line, so you can travel on them to work, but it'd renewed year to year I believe.

 

[OliverH68]

This has inspired the thought that there may be some credit in creating a master thread for the various TOCs and reciprocal agreements. Not a project for tonight but maybe in the future.

This sounds like a great idea for those genuinely interested and for pure curiosity

 

[LCC106]

EMR get free travel on EMR plus sister TOCs , LNWR and greater Anglia. Also free leisure travel on LNER and free travel for work on Thameslink.

Merseyrail too if you’re ever up that way.

 

[tiptoptaff]

FirstGroup has unlimited free travel on the company you work for ie Avanti, then have 10 or 12 boxes per year for free travel across the other FirstGroup TOCs ie GWR, SWR, Hull Trains, Lumo etc

Plus the £6 rover tickets for yourself, friends and family

 

[Haywain]

FirstGroup has unlimited free travel on the company you work for ie Avanti, then have 10 or 12 boxes per year for free travel across the other FirstGroup TOCs ie GWR, SWR, Hull Trains, Lumo etc

10 boxes.

 

[Towers]

A good example of disjointed nonsense, really. The odd staff bum on a seat has a real-world cost of absolutely nothing, and yet the paper shuffling and “costs” of any sort of staff travel facility are depressingly predictable. A proper, blanket free staff travel scheme would surely cost less overall than the admin involved with the current arrangements! I realise of course that it wasn’t ‘free’ under BR either, but the current situation is many times more complex. The DfT have missed a trick in my opinion, blanket free staff travel might have been a powerful paydeal incentive somewhere along the way and eased deadlocked negotiations.

 

[Haywain]

A good example of disjointed nonsense, really. The odd staff bum on a seat has a real-world cost of absolutely nothing, and yet the paper shuffling and “costs” of any sort of staff travel facility are depressingly predictable. A proper, blanket free staff travel scheme would surely cost less overall than the admin involved with the current arrangements! I realise of course that it wasn’t ‘free’ under BR either, but the current situation is many times more complex. The DfT have missed a trick in my opinion, blanket free staff travel might have been a powerful paydeal incentive somewhere along the way and eased deadlocked negotiations.

It's a completely separate issue to the theme pf the thread but you might be surprised to learn that not all staff are bothered about free leisure travel.

 

[Horizon22]

A lot of the arrangements are historical or based on the way previous franchises worked, the owning groups and the length of those franchises. Once they are embedded for so long people have built careers and lives around such arrangements so it gets very hard to suddenly remove (GTR and Southeastern being a classic recent example). Therefore what is allowed in one company is very actively not at another.

If GBR (or similar) eventually happens, the arbitary divisions will seem even more detatched for the current world situation, so will be interesting if a new policy or blanket approach happens then.

 

[Glover2013]

A good example of disjointed nonsense, really. The odd staff bum on a seat has a real-world cost of absolutely nothing, and yet the paper shuffling and “costs” of any sort of staff travel facility are depressingly predictable. A proper, blanket free staff travel scheme would surely cost less overall than the admin involved with the current arrangements! I realise of course that it wasn’t ‘free’ under BR either, but the current situation is many times more complex. The DfT have missed a trick in my opinion, blanket free staff travel might have been a powerful paydeal incentive somewhere along the way and eased deadlocked negotiations.

Couldn’t agree more. I know that rail staff travel isn’t a priority for all members of staff but it could be a valuable negotiation tool in a future deal!

 

[Business Bob]

Arriva TOCs are given free staff reciprocal travel between Grand Central, Cross Country, Chiltern and ARL (London Overground).

 

[Towers]

It's a completely separate issue to the theme pf the thread but you might be surprised to learn that not all staff are bothered about free leisure travel.

I’d suggest many more are than aren’t, however. There will be those not terribly bothered about any issue; various proposed changes to T&Cs for example, or even some who think they are already sufficiently well paid! But of course it’s always based upon a majority view, and rightly so.

 

[Neptune]

On the east side Northern have residential travel with TPE (between stated stations on a pass you get through HR) and the same with LNER between Leeds & York only (reciprocal with no pass required mainly for LNER staff working at East Coast House in York but handy for Northern staff to travel on the morning Aberdeen service). These both pre-date each of the companies coming under DfT control.

Not sure what the west get for residential travel.

 

[Ses16]

I would have thought first group would offer free travel for employees. At least for Avanti and GWR but that 10 box a year card I can’t get my head around.

 

[Haywain]

that 10 box a year card I can’t get my head around.

Why? In BR days free leisure travel was restricted to a limited number of boxes each year, so it's not unusual.

 

[357]

Greater Anglia and c2c have free travel on each others trains.

 

[1D53]

On the east side Northern have residential travel with TPE (between stated stations on a pass you get through HR) and the same with LNER between Leeds & York only (reciprocal with no pass required mainly for LNER staff working at East Coast House in York but handy for Northern staff to travel on the morning Aberdeen service). These both pre-date each of the companies coming under DfT control.

Not sure what the west get for residential travel.

Same TPE arrangements for Northern West staff.

Whether the LNER/NT Leeds to York arrangement still exists is dubious, it's not actually written down anywhere anymore...

 

[Ecmlleeds]

I think this is just one of those things - it depends who you ask. I'm an LNER guard and do, and appreciate travelling between my home to work in Leeds and back, with northern, without needing a ticket. Similarly, I've never said no to an XC or Nt member of staff (or TPE even) having a lift to say Donny or wakey, whether they ask first or not. Neither of these things are official agreements, but are generally reciprocated.