Reserved seats not being used (not a fares question)

[wintonian]

I think it's a darned nuisence personally. If someone can't organise a seat reservation the day before, I don't see why they should have the right to turf me out en route.

Or even 2 hours in advance if boarding somewhere like Bournemouth/ Man Pic..

 

[yorksrob]

Or even 2 hours in advance if boarding somewhere like Bournemouth/ Man Pic..

Indeed. Even that would be preferable.

 

[Welshman]

Little old ladies are amongst the worst for hogging two seats to themselves, under any pretext...

Followed closely by burly businessmen, who sit facing eachother in the aisle seats of a set of four round a table, use the corner window seats to hang-up their jackets and stow briefcases, computer bags etc, fill the table with their laptops, papers, mobiles, and resolutely stare at their screens throughout the journey, refusing to make any eye contact with tired passengers trawling slowly past, trying to find somewhere to perch.

 

[Flamingo]

I had a guy this evening complaining about no seats (there were about 20-30 standing, with every seat in STD occupied), he did have a reservation, but it was "all the way down in B, I'm not walking that far".

So he stood for an hour and a half, and somebody else sat in his seat.
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Followed closely by burly businessmen, who sit facing eachother in the aisle seats of a set of four round a table, use the corner window seats to hang-up their jackets and stow briefcases, computer bags etc, fill the table with their laptops, papers, mobiles, and resolutely stare at their screens throughout the journey, refusing to make any eye contact with tired passengers trawling slowly past, trying to find somewhere to perch.

Well, if the tired passengers don't have the wit to say "Can you move your stuff, I need to sit there", I have little sympathy for them, I'm afraid.

 

[Welshman]

Agreed. And I did. And, if looks could kill, I wouldn't be posting this now.

I was simply making the point that it's not only little old ladies who can be intimidating.

 

[Roverman]

I recently went to Manchester on XC, in Standard Class (all the First Advs had gone) and reserved a seat, something like 26A I think it was. I walk down and find a young man sat in it, even though the window seat was empty (as were many other seats around the train) so I asked him if he minded moving to the window seat, the fuss he made, you would have thought I'd asked him to change one of the bogey wheels! When he moved I thanked him and made a comment to try and break the ice something like 'clear as mud where you have to sit isn't it' to which he replied 'no not really' and remained silent for the rest of the 1 hour trip.

I should have known he was trouble, he was reading one of those modified car magazines

Heres a point to consider.

Bearing in mind the way Advance tickets are covered in terms and conditions that make applying for a mortgage seem easy, where do you stand if you opt not to confront a yobbo and sit somewhere else even though your ticket states you must sit in Seat XX?

 

[Eagle]

I recently went to Manchester on XC, in Standard Class (all the First Advs had gone) and reserved a seat, something like 26A I think it was.

Coach A is first class on XC :P:P

 

[ainsworth74]

Bearing in mind the way Advance tickets are covered in terms and conditions that make applying for a mortgage seem easy, where do you stand if you opt not to confront a yobbo and sit somewhere else even though your ticket states you must sit in Seat XX?

Technically? Well your ticket is invalid as you have to sit in your reserved seat as you state. In the real world? It doesn't matter if you don't sit in the reserved seat. I hardly ever sit in the reserved seat and never had a problem and there are plenty of people on here who do the same and never have problems.

 

[Simon11]

Coach A is first class on XC :P:P

Nope there would be a 26A in all coaches. The ticket would say coach X and seat 00A

 

[Eagle]

Nope there would be a 26A in all coaches. The ticket would say coach X and seat 00A

It only adds an 'A' suffix for airline seats, not table seats.

 

[MCR247]

Don't most TOCs just put 'A' on every seat instead of having '25R 26R 25F 26F'? The latter seems quite pointless and outdated

 

[Crossover]

Don't most TOCs just put 'A' on every seat instead of having '25R 26R 25F 26F'? The latter seems quite pointless and outdated

A ScotRail 170 I went on a few months ago had the 1F and 1R etc. Very confusing IMO!

 

[455driver]

I think it's a darned nuisence personally. If someone can't organise a seat reservation the day before, I don't see why they should have the right to turf me out en route.

Yeah especially when I have an open return ticket because I dont know what time the meeting will finish!

 

[Goatboy]

Plus you don't get to pick your seat location using the text service so what if you want to sit beside a window or something? Just pot luck as to whether you get turfed out by a 10 minute reserver.

What a bonkers scheme indeed.

 

[DarloRich]

In my time travelling the HSTs around the FGW area it seems people are more than disappointed to look into a HST and see seats reserved on a crowded train, despite the reservation not being for that leg or having not been used at all.

Am I right in thinking TOCs should maybe tell people to check the reservation detail to see iof iot being used and can be sat in?

I'm on a Swindon - Bath service at the moment and have had many people walk right past reserved seats, one even commented how its wrong FGW don't let you have a seat just so some one can reserve it.

why dont they just sit in the seat. if it is reserved from Bath and you get on at, say, Reading it is a safe bet no one is sat there. Hardly rocket science is it........

(mind you i hardly ever sit in my resrerved seat - often becuase a table is free allowing me to work, or a seat with a window becomes free rather than an airline seat allowing me to sit and look at white plastic land!)

 

[D2022]

For pity's sake. It's an empty seat. Sit in it, but be prepared to move with good grace if/when the person shows up! Honestly, I am close to despair!

If that was aimed at me then just to clarify I DO dit in reserved seats if the occupant isn't there. They don't show then the seat is fair game in my eyes.

 

[Flamingo]

If that was aimed at me then just to clarify I DO dit in reserved seats if the occupant isn't there. They don't show then the seat is fair game in my eyes.

Quite right

 

[ex-railwayman]

I'm a trifle confused, how can anyone reserve a seat on a train that has already started its journey, the system you text doesn't know which seats are already occupied, does it? If the service starts in Plymouth and goes to Edinburgh, and I board it at Plymouth, how can someone get on at Bristol and say that your seat has now been reserved for them, why should I then have to move?

Cheerz. ex-railwayman.

 

[sprinterguy]

I'm a trifle confused, how can anyone reserve a seat on a train that has already started its journey, the system you text doesn't know which seats are already occupied, does it? If the service starts in Plymouth and goes to Edinburgh, and I board it at Plymouth, how can someone get on at Bristol and say that your seat has now been reserved for them, why should I then have to move?

In which case, you should have reserved the seat yourself before you boarded the train at Plymouth. The system doesn't need to take into account which seats are already occupied, only those that are reserved between each pair of stations. If someone else reserves that seat later in the journey because you failed to do so beforehand, then they can turf you out.

I'm not saying that I agree with this system, mind. It has the potential to cause excessive inconvenience to other passengers if you ask me.

 

[ainsworth74]

I'm not saying that I agree with this system, mind. It has the potential to cause excessive inconvenience to other passengers if you ask me.

Indeed I think there was nothing wrong with the old system of either making a reservation before the train leaves it's origin station and from then on any seats are first come first served. I'm troubled by the possibility that you could be turfed out of a seat that you'd sat in that became reserved halfway through the journey.

 

[sprinterguy]

Indeed I think there was nothing wrong with the old system of either making a reservation before the train leaves it's origin station and from then on any seats are first come first served. I'm troubled by the possibility that you could be turfed out of a seat that you'd sat in that became reserved halfway through the journey.

Exactly so: I couldn't have said it better myself!

 

[Parham Wood]

Not being au fait with this text reservation system can you reserve a group of seats together for a family by this method?

 

[Flamingo]

Indeed I think there was nothing wrong with the old system of either making a reservation before the train leaves it's origin station and from then on any seats are first come first served. I'm troubled by the possibility that you could be turfed out of a seat that you'd sat in that became reserved halfway through the journey.

As the poor sod who would have to implement such a system, it sounds like a total nightmare (and totally unworkable) to me.

 

[ainsworth74]

As the poor sod who would have to implement such a system, it sounds like a total nightmare (and totally unworkable) to me.

Well it seems like we have plenty of passengers and some staff opposed to it. So it should be implemented nationwide within the week

 

[wintonian]

I have an idea, instead of getting on a train and then reserving a seat why not reserve a seat get on the train and then text it with the station where you want it to go?

We could call it 'passenger only operation' or POO for short!

 

[ex-railwayman]

In which case, you should have reserved the seat yourself before you boarded the train at Plymouth. The system doesn't need to take into account which seats are already occupied, only those that are reserved between each pair of stations. If someone else reserves that seat later in the journey because you failed to do so beforehand, then they can turf you out.

I'm not saying that I agree with this system, mind. It has the potential to cause excessive inconvenience to other passengers if you ask me.

Absolutely agree, but, thanks for clarifying that for me.

+1 to wintonian for his excellent idea.

Cheerz. ex-railwayman.

 

[Roverman]

I'm currently on the 11:32 from Stafford to Piccadilly and someone has sat in a seat in first class because someone is sat in his seat in standard. Trouble is the seat in first is also reserved and the rightful occupant is not amused. Train manager is just stood there pointing out the rules instead of turfing the bloke off!

 

[Flamingo]

I'm currently on the 11:32 from Stafford to Piccadilly and someone has sat in a seat in first class because someone is sat in his seat in standard. Trouble is the seat in first is also reserved and the rightful occupant is not amused. Train manager is just stood there pointing out the rules instead of turfing the bloke off!

Well, we're not allowed to physically grab the passenger, and neither our managers or BTP would be amused with the delays caused by calling BTP to move somebody out of a reserved seat. I know it's a bylaw offence, before anybody says, but so are lots of other things we don't / can't enforce.

 

[Greenback]

If that was aimed at me then just to clarify I DO dit in reserved seats if the occupant isn't there. They don't show then the seat is fair game in my eyes.

No, certainly not aimed at you, sorry if I gave that impression. I was referring to the people who seem to continually wander up and down the train vainly looking for an empty seat that doesn't have a label on it!

 

[Roverman]

they've left at Macclesfield I'm not convinced they even had a seat in Standard or even of they had tickets!