Free travel taken away by Rail Delivery Group. Be very careful with your Staff Travel Cards.

[Merle Haggard]

I agree that expecting such a greeting is unrealistic. However, those travelling on staff travel facilities are sometimes regarded as someone that can be relied upon to help in the event of trouble. So they're not just another passenger.

My memory is that, around 1990, this was introduced as a requirement - certainly for management staff, and I have been required to do so.

For instance a conductor guard came down the train I was on, making a cursory glance at tickets and stopped when he saw mine. 'I have a problem and the rules are you have to help me' were his words, not delivered in a friendly way. Without going into details he was attempting to excess two passengers on rather shaky grounds (directed to the wrong train at Euston) and the dispute had escalated to the extent that the two passengers (who were Scotsmen) were accusing the conductor guard (who was South Asian) of racism. Clearly, as a railway manager, I was a loss to the Diplomatic Corps.

Having said that, now I'm retired I am always treated courteously when travelling. I always go (went - will it ever come back?) through all the routines required to pay for and be served a breakfast on the ex Inter City lines. However, I see people I recognise as railwaymen (and their wives) abusing the system to save £5 and I am irritated - gives everyone a bad name.

 

[Darandio]

I don’t honestly get why some people commenting here seem to think they should be greeted like a long lost friend just because you’re using staff travel facilities. It doesn’t even show that you’re current staff. You are just another passenger with a slightly different ticket.

I don't think that is the case at all. As you say they are just another passenger so treat them with the courtesy and respect you should show all passengers.

There have been past threads here which have discussed the reduction of priveleges afforded to staff these days and there has been clear resentment on here towards those who hold certain passes. It's a bit sad to see this translate into an attitude displayed towards them when they dare use the facilities they have been provided.

 

[bramling]

I don't think that is the case at all. As you say they are just another passenger so treat them with the courtesy and respect you should show all passengers.

There have been past threads here which have discussed the reduction of priveleges afforded to staff these days and there has been clear resentment on here towards those who hold certain passes. It's a bit sad to see this translate into an attitude displayed towards them when they dare use the facilities they have been provided.

It’s a bit like drivers waving at each other when passing, or for that matter at any member of staff. It’s just the done thing.

Where I am it’s rather well known that one member of station staff at a certain location will never return a wave. Allegedly he has applied for driver many times and never made it.

It isn’t just a railway thing either - bus drivers certainly do it.

 

[father_jack]

It’s a bit like drivers waving at each other when passing, or for that matter at any member of staff. It’s just the done thing.

Where I am it’s rather well known that one member of station staff at a certain location will never return a wave. Allegedly he has applied for driver many times and never made it.

It isn’t just a railway thing either - bus drivers certainly do it.

I used to wave to return a wave when I worked on the platform, I NEVER waved first in case it was taken as emergency stop. That was something I got from when I was trained by an old hand. Same as never putting a whistle in your mouth until you had the road for despatch but they don't have whistles any more !

 

[Haywain]

My memory is that, around 1990, this was introduced as a requirement - certainly for management staff, and I have been required to do so.

I’m not aware of any such rule.

For instance a conductor guard came down the train I was on, making a cursory glance at tickets and stopped when he saw mine. 'I have a problem and the rules are you have to help me' were his words, not delivered in a friendly way.

Was this a train of a company you work for? If so, there could be an instruction within the company. Otherwise he was trying it on, whereas politely asking may be more effective. In any event, I would decline to assist if I was travelling for leisure and had consumed a beer or two.

 

[Efini92]

It's slightly curious to see how this attitude has persisted more than 30 years after some of the Metrolink lines were "handed over". I don't believe there is any official reciprocal arrangement either, unlike between Northern and the Tyne and Wear Metro for example.

I believe there were meetings between northern and metrolink over staff travel but nothing ever came of it.

 

[Merle Haggard]

I’m not aware of any such rule.

Was this a train of a company you work for? If so, there could be an instruction within the company. Otherwise he was trying it on, whereas politely asking may be more effective. In any event, I would decline to assist if I was travelling for leisure and had consumed a beer or two.

It was in B.R. days. I worked in freight, but we were all one big family.

And yes, absolutely, there was such a rule introduced for duty, residential and leisure travel (in the days of one of the Bob Reids). A few other rules were laid out at the same time, E.g. When boarding, always let every other passenger board first and let them choose a seat. At subsequent stops, check that no passenger is standing anywhere on the train, but, if so, locate them and offer them your seat (could get some funny looks...). Refraining from talking about work on trains was also suggested (not a rule, but unwise). Doesn't seem to apply now, from observation.

If the conductor guard noticed the orange of the (original) PTS certificate poking out of your wallet when you got your ticket out, a mental note was made. Occasionally called upon to help

But there was more of a team spirit in B.R. days; over time I had jobs involving visiting areas, accounting centres and TMDs, always made welcome (and the best place for lunch suggested).

We were poor but we were happy...

 

[WesternLancer]

The reason I have some sympathy for the OP is that
a) the punishment seems disproportionate for the offence, and it seems to me to have been aggravated by the actions of a member of staff, who should have left the ticket alone or followed the correct procedure. I also know from relatives that it is easy to muddle dates when you are not working as life becomes less 'date specific' in some ways.

b) the wider questions of elements of resentment from staff who have less beneficial schemes. Well, come on guys - it's not the fault of staff from BR days or retired staff that the railways were split up and privatised and poorer schemes got offered after that. It's the employers fault, or the unions for letting them get away with it, or maybe even the union members for letting it happen etc etc, but def not the former staff, or longstanding staff.

The travel privs were not given as some 'free gift' by an over generous employer, they would have been offered as a 'non-cost' employee perk no doubt in pay round negotiations lost in the mists of time when govt of the day would not release the cash for a salary increase but the employer came up with something else. They were thus earned by the people who achieved them, at the time, who, possibly unwittingly, sacrificed something else instead.

Saddens me that people resent the benefits other people have got for themselves, instead of resenting it, try to think of ways you can get such benefits yourself.

The railways decent pension scheme will probably be next on the hit list, but don't blame the existing pensioners for that, even if the narrative will be spun that 'todays generous pensions mean that we can no longer afford to give you current employers a decent pension scheme any more....'

 

[Haywain]

Saddens me that people resent the benefits other people have got for themselves, instead of resenting it, try to think of ways you can get such benefits yourself.

What, like get a time machine and join the railways several years earlier?

In my experience any bad feeling from ‘New entrants’ toward safeguarded staff and benefit holders is caused by them taking the pee rather than using their benefits in the correct manner.

 

[WesternLancer]

What, like get a time machine and join the railways several years earlier?

In my experience any bad feeling from ‘New entrants’ toward safeguarded staff and benefit holders is caused by them taking the pee rather than using their benefits in the correct manner.

Yes. I mean if you can't think of other ways in which people achieve employment benefits then I guess opt for your suggestion

 

[221129]

The reason I have some sympathy for the OP

If the OP and his wife reacted to the member of staff the way they've acted on here then its not surprising that facilities have been revoked.

Maybe try not taking the mick and acting all entitled when called up on it.

 

[Haywain]

Yes. I mean if you can't think of other ways in which people achieve employment benefits then I guess opt for your suggestion

It’s the only way anyone would get better travel benefits from the railway.

 

[WesternLancer]

If the OP and his wife reacted to the member of staff the way they've acted on here then its not surprising that facilities have been revoked.

Maybe try not taking the mick and acting all entitled when called up on it.

But I think that happened after the event (ie after the facils were withdrawn). And the OP does not seem to have taken the mick, they stated their wife made a genuine error in using a pen without dark enough ink and a second error over a date. The punishment for such an error seems disproportionate.

As I have said before - far more likely that RDG wish to reduce costs of the scheme to member TOCs than anything about withdrawing the ticket due to the OPs reaction to current service staff, rightly or wrongly ref that attitude.