Question from A Blind Passenger about Conductor asking for my destination

[BlndBnt]

Thankyou.
Please don't think I was being confrontational - I was genuinely interested in the reasons for the question from a staff point of view.

 

[Abpj17]

long term answer is to contact the train company and explain your perspective. Or ask a relevant charity to do so.

short term - lie about your destination. Just say the stop after. (Tho that may then cause later confusion!)

 

[gimmea50anyday]

How about common courtesy and decency? Out of courtesy I ask where people who I believe to be vulnerable in any way where they are going so I can ensure they are on the right train, know where they are going and establish wether assistance is needed or not. its not qbout singling anybody out, its about doing the right thing. some people with difficulties or disabilities dont want to ask for or accept any help as they dont want to be a nuisance when really they do need the help whereas some people dont want the help. So unless we ask the question, how do we find out? If we didnt bother asking and someone gets lost or worse injured because they werent given any help then not only has the company failed in its duty of care but the individual would be negligent.

So where do we draw the line? At what point do we stop giving a damn because we dont want to cause distress or offence? Everyones perception is different in that respect. So next time the question is asked, its simply out of courtesy and doing exactly what we are employed to do, get you safely to where you do want to go....

 

[Llanigraham]

Well said!

 

[455driver]

I appreciate the OP is a very confident and regular traveller but how would the guard(who probably deals with thousands of people a week know that?

What if the OP decides to have a jolly and travel to a far flung place she had never visited, would she be so confident then?

As for writing to the train company so they can put a memo out to staff so they don't ask the OP, can you explain how that is going to work in practice?

 

[Ambient Sheep]

How exactly would you be more vulnerable because the guard asked where you would be leaving the train?

Any low life who had picked you as a target would just watch and follow you regardless of the guard asking!

Once again its a case of the railway staff not being able to do right even when going above and beyond normal service, sometimes I wonder why we bother!

Perhaps if you'd read further down the thread, to her post where she said...

It has happened before that a man who was on the phone said to his caller after the conductor had asked where I am going "there's a blind girl getting off at XxXxX " and lo and behold, I have been hassled by him and a group of males (who by the sound of it knew each other) and I don't want it to happen again.

...you'd know the answer to the question in your first paragraph.

Then perhaps you wouldn't have had to write the other two.

 

[Smudger105e]

If you don't feel comfortable verbally stating your destination, would it be possible to write down your destination? I'm not sure of your methods for typing on this forum, or your degree of blindness, but maybe if you had an index card or a memo on your phone to show the conductor, they would get the assurance they need.

This seems a sensible and simple solution to this issue. Have a card made with each of your likely destinations on, and just show it with your pass.

 

[noddingdonkey]

First have a scheme on their buses where pax can obtain a set of cards which can be discretely presented to the driver with their pass to make them aware of their particular circumstances and requirements in a discrete way. They have a series of common requests ("Please wait for me to sit down before moving off") and some blanks intended for more specialised situations.

Something like that might work for the OP.

 

[Flying_Turtle]

With the all due respect: no blind is autonomous near a railway track. Your worries are legitimate but please understand that while your worries about your security are more than legitimate they are just a very unlikely possibility when compared to you safety in the railway surroundings where one minor distraction may cause severe bodily harm to the sharpest eyed human!
The railwayman are trained to take special care with the most unpredictable persons on a railway:
- lone children
- drunk adults
- blind
- some elderly
As they might not possesse a regular situational awareness skills in what regards their position.
I ve had a regular blind person going straight down to the track because my train was shorter than usual... it was like... up the stairs, across the platform, down to the track...
Don t be mad at us, we respect your independence but we just can't risk that you make a mistake as you well end up in unfamiliar grounds without time and means to collect the relevant situational information to get out of there!

 

[Smudger105e]

With the all due respect: no blind is autonomous near a railway track. Your worries are legitimate but please understand that while your worries about your security are more than legitimate they are just a very unlikely possibility when compared to you safety in the railway surroundings where one minor distraction may cause severe bodily harm to the sharpest eyed human!
The railwayman are trained to take special care with the most unpredictable persons on a railway:
- lone children
- drunk adults
- blind
- some elderly
As they might not possesse a regular situational awareness skills in what regards their position.
I ve had a regular blind person going straight down to the track because my train was shorter than usual... it was like... up the stairs, across the platform, down to the track...
Don t be mad at us, we respect your independence but we just can't risk that you make a mistake as you well end up in unfamiliar grounds without time and means to collect the relevant situational information to get out of there!

I didn't read her as being mad with the Railway staff, far from it. She was simply asking for claification of why it was necessary for on board staff to ask for this information, because she had experienced the down side to having her destination broadcast to the other passengers.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

 

[SpacePhoenix]

Could different colour tickets be used, so that the guard can quickly see that the passenger might need assistance at their destination? Don't know what could be done if the passenger is buying their ticket at a TVM

 

[Flamingo]

Could different colour tickets be used, so that the guard can quickly see that the passenger might need assistance at their destination? Don't know what could be done if the passenger is buying their ticket at a TVM

Not every person using a DSB railcard needs help, and not every person who needs assistance is on a Disabled railcard...

 

[BlndBnt]

I appreciate the OP is a very confident and regular traveller but how would the guard(who probably deals with thousands of people a week know that?

What if the OP decides to have a jolly and travel to a far flung place she had never visited, would she be so confident then?

As for writing to the train company so they can put a memo out to staff so they don't ask the OP, can you explain how that is going to work in practice?

I often have to make new journeys due to my job - Reading, Leicester, Birmingham, Wales, Scotland, Southport are just some of the places I have travelled to alone.

Yes, I was completely confident and not daunted in the slightest - I find those journeys the most enjoyable.

 

[Flying_Turtle]

I didn't read her as being mad with the Railway staff, far from it. She was simply asking for claification of why it was necessary for on board staff to ask for this information, because she had experienced the down side to having her destination broadcast to the other passengers.

Sent from my SM-G800F using Tapatalk

For God s sake... I wish all passengers were like her! I simy don t beat around the bush and like to explain the things as they are even if it mught seem a bit harsh!
For example, that blind that talked about... he thinks he is a completely independent person and refuses unpolitely any sort of help... and you see the result of his arrogance! Naturally this isn t the case!

 

[BlndBnt]

No I am definitely not mad, or angry, or a stubborn independent -to-the-point - of -
rude type of passenger, I always treat the train workers with respect and am always cheerful with them - although I have found quite a few of the posts in this thread have sounded quite confrontational towards me even though I have said that I am NOT trying to change policy or "have a go" at railway personnel, I was simply curious as to the reasons why it was done.

 

[hounddog]

For God s sake... I wish all passengers were like her! I simy don t beat around the bush and like to explain the things as they are even if it mught seem a bit harsh!
For example, that blind that talked about... he thinks he is a completely independent person and refuses unpolitely any sort of help... and you see the result of his arrogance! Naturally this isn t the case!

I'm not always up to date in these matters but I'm pretty sure that 'blind' has never been an acceptable noun in the context in which you've now used it twice.

 

[reb0118]

I am a guard.

When presented with a blind concessionary pass in lieu of a ticket I ask:-

"Do you require assistance to alight" or words to that effect.

Only then do I ascertain which station the passenger requires.

 

[Flying_Turtle]

I'm not always up to date in these matters but I'm pretty sure that 'blind' has never been an acceptable noun in the context in which you've now used it twice.

I do not work in TOC PR department and do not claim to speak perfect english (especially when posting from a smartphone). Thus my posts might not be grammatically and politically correct..
But they certainly are honest!

 

[Gemz91]

Anybody who is travelling on a pass which does not have their destination on I used to ask where they were going just to ensure they were on the right train, particularly if it was late at night and they may struggle to get to their intended destination if they were on the wrong train, doesn't matter if they were blind, had one leg, drunk, male, female, old or young, I'd still ask. And I'd probably repeat it back just out of force of habit, to make sure I'd heard it right.

If your worried about others hearing you, just say your getting off at a station further down the line, then they wont be expecting you to get off when you do.