• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

New LU Uniforms Unveiled - Thoughts?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Olaf

Member
Joined
29 Mar 2014
Messages
1,054
Location
UK
I work at a trial station, (though I am not included in it myself), and I do know of some staff who are now refusing to wear the new kit because of the comments...

There is no reason at all to insult staff, but this outfit just looks like some designer taking the mickey.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

BestWestern

Established Member
Joined
6 Feb 2011
Messages
6,736
I neither like it nor dislike it as such. However, as there was nothing wrong with the old ones, nor did they look dated, a wholesale replacement of uniforms doesn't seem like a good use of limited funding.

Neil

I agree. Poor timing, or just crass self indulgence, appear to be a TfL speciality. Announcing a completely needless new uniform right after the ticket office closure storm, excellent. This of course being the same organisation who sacked all their Overground guards on cost grounds and immediately announced their burning need to spend millions and millions of public money on designing their very own shockingly expensive and utterly pointless new bus.

Vanity for London; a deeply misguided organisation it would appear.
 
Last edited:

ssray

Member
Joined
3 Sep 2011
Messages
60
This is a trial, the shoes etc will be sent back after and assessed for ware etc
 

Clip

Established Member
Joined
28 Jun 2010
Messages
10,822
I agree. Poor timing, or just crass self indulgence, appear to be a TfL speciality. Announcing a completely needless new uniform right after the ticket office closure storm, excellent. This of course being the same organisation who sacked all their Overground guards on cost grounds and immediately announced their burning need to spend millions and millions of public money on designing their very own shockingly expensive and utterly pointless new bus.

Vanity for London; a deeply misguided organisation it would appear.

Come on now as well you know that the different branches of TfL will have different streams of what money they spend on what. Replacing a uniform is something that happens to businesses all over the world after a certain period of time and the money for doing so is a very insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
 

BestWestern

Established Member
Joined
6 Feb 2011
Messages
6,736
Come on now as well you know that the different branches of TfL will have different streams of what money they spend on what. Replacing a uniform is something that happens to businesses all over the world after a certain period of time and the money for doing so is a very insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Yes, but designing and developing a completely new uniform is nonetheless a significantly more costly exercise than simply continuing to issue the current, perfectly acceptable, version. And for an organisation which is clamouring to cut costs, it is a poor use of funds. If the belt needs tightening, the fluffy stuff is the first place to go looking. It is all the more needless considering that LU is not 'selling' a brand; the customers are not there because they have chosen LU over all the competitors. The staff could be decked out in jeans and and a bin bag and the punters would still come.
 

Clip

Established Member
Joined
28 Jun 2010
Messages
10,822
Yes, but designing and developing a completely new uniform is nonetheless a significantly more costly exercise than simply continuing to issue the current, perfectly acceptable, version. And for an organisation which is clamouring to cut costs, it is a poor use of funds. If the belt needs tightening, the fluffy stuff is the first place to go looking. It is all the more needless considering that LU is not 'selling' a brand; the customers are not there because they have chosen LU over all the competitors. The staff could be decked out in jeans and and a bin bag and the punters would still come.

They are some fair points but you have to concede that the current uniforms are drab and seem to make the staff blend in to everyone else - especially when not wearing a hi vis vest.

These however are very distinguishable from the others due to colour and make them more visible and therefore easier for people to spot amongst the crowds and go to for help.

The 'fluffy stuff' as you deem it, plays a very important role in customer service due to visibility and the old uniforms dont.
 

jon0844

Veteran Member
Joined
1 Feb 2009
Messages
28,041
Location
UK
They are some fair points but you have to concede that the current uniforms are drab and seem to make the staff blend in to everyone else - especially when not wearing a hi vis vest.

These however are very distinguishable from the others due to colour and make them more visible and therefore easier for people to spot amongst the crowds and go to for help.

Staff working near Camden or Shoreditch should wear very bland uniforms precisely so they DO stand out.
 

185

Established Member
Joined
29 Aug 2010
Messages
4,986
Hahaha looks like my National Express jacket, al-a 1996
 

BestWestern

Established Member
Joined
6 Feb 2011
Messages
6,736
They are some fair points but you have to concede that the current uniforms are drab and seem to make the staff blend in to everyone else - especially when not wearing a hi vis vest.

These however are very distinguishable from the others due to colour and make them more visible and therefore easier for people to spot amongst the crowds and go to for help.

The 'fluffy stuff' as you deem it, plays a very important role in customer service due to visibility and the old uniforms dont.

More visible still would be if those staff simply wore a hi viz as part of their standard uniform - exactly as many platform staff do on mainline stations. Far more distinctive than any blue based uniform, particularly in a crowded tube station. Indeed, LU could have designed a distinctive hi vi and made it as trendy as they liked for a fraction of the cost of an entirely new uniform.

The irony of course is that many staff will do just that, and having been issued with the eventual new clobber will simply obscure it with a vest, after which nobody will notice the difference. :roll:
 
Last edited:

BurtonM

Member
Joined
3 Feb 2014
Messages
823
Location
Manchester
I also don't like these new uniforms, and personally I'm quite fond of the current blue ones, especially the hats (are they still part of it?).
 

Daniel

Established Member
Joined
5 Oct 2005
Messages
2,532
Location
London
especially the hats (are they still part of it?).

Of the current uniform? Yes, but they're optional. They have been re-designed with the new uniform, and I believe are no longer a peaked cap; they're still optional.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top