Avanti take needless announcements to a new level

[BuhSnarf]

That wasn't the question. People have left property behind for the entire history of transport. The question was have announcements actually achieved any reduction in this?

You'd have to know the number of items lost per thousand passengers prior to announcements versus them being in place to really know.

 

[dcbwhaley]

Do people like to be told to mind the gap at every stop? Why does SWR do it but not Southern or Thameslink? Different TOCs do different random announcements. E.g GWR do not attempt to board or alight the train when the doors are closing. That applies to every train in the country but I can't think of another TOC that says that.

Buses never feel the need to warn you about the gap between the bus and the pavement. Or that snow is slippery.
Nor do they need to remind you to check that you have all our luggage. Having said that the only time I have forgotten luggage was on a bus

 

[Parallel]

If only the first class hosts would do that (in the carriage, not on the PA), as opposed to having to ask for a sandwich / sausage roll / tuna melt etc.

The verbal ripple that went through carriage A on the train I was on the other day was hilarious. Drinks and light snacks dealt out as usual, until the bloke at the front of the carriage asked for a sandwich. Cue the rest of the passengers all placing orders!

It makes you wonder if it’s a company policy or not, but really they should be promoting their selection a bit better.

I travelled in XC in first class for the first time a couple of months ago with a SeatFrog upgrade. It was surprisingly OK but the train was 4 vice 8 so got declassified after a couple of stops.

Again, nothing offered except for hot drinks and light snacks, and I asked if they had any bacon rolls, which made everybody else in the carriage request one too. They originally claimed they only had 3 in stock which disappointed quite a few, but a few minutes later, the standard class customer host arrived with more in a paper bag.

I don’t really understand the point of not advertising it if you already have stock on board. Their wastage must be huge.

 

[voyagerdude220]

It makes you wonder if it’s a company policy or not, but really they should be promoting their selection a bit better.

I suspect it is indeed company policy, because I've experienced this on a huge number of Cross Country trains when I've been in First Class- not being offered the more substantial food options, such as sandwiches or hot food.

I don’t really understand the point of not advertising it if you already have stock on board. Their wastage must be huge.

I guess by not offering it to customers they could in theory get away with only having a much smaller level of stock on their trains, in the hope that some First Class passengers simply won't realise they could opt for something more substantial. This could explain why (in my experiences) they rarely have food menus on Cross Country Voyagers in First Class which list sandwiches/hot food options. (They do sometimes have menus which state drinks and light food options such as crisps/cake/biscuits etc.)

The First Class menu on the Cross Country website does indeed list the full range of options, but I've not come across it on trains before.

Edit: I've just realised the First Class menu on the Cross Country website seems to have been updated with a new one, although it is very similar to previous ones. It now features a Vegetable Curry option and a Lemon Peri Peri Chicken option.

 

[CharlieSpotted]

Whichever way you cut at it, having stock of bacon sandwiches to serve to customers, and not telling customers about them is a special kind of madness only the UK rail industry can boast!

 

[voyagerdude220]

Whichever way you cut at it, having stock of bacon sandwiches to serve to customers, and not telling customers about them is a special kind of madness only the UK rail industry can boast!

Agreed. It always made me laugh when I used to travel on a journey which involved Virgin Trains (221) and Cross Country (220/221). On the Virgin one you'd find a menu at every seat happily listing every food and drink option you could request.
On the Cross Country one you'd rarely find any menus and you'd usually have to "quiz" the Staff for them to inform you about the more substantial food options.

 

[Sprinter107]

The platform attendant at Basingstoke with his modern equivalent of a megaphone certainly likes the sound of his own voice i noticed when waiting for a train there recently.

 

[josh-j]

Buses never feel the need to warn you about the gap between the bus and the pavement. Or that snow is slippery.
Nor do they need to remind you to check that you have all our luggage. Having said that the only time I have forgotten luggage was on a bus

You say that, but I was on a bus recently which had an automatic announcement every time someone pressed the bell to stop. Something like "The bus is stopping. Please remain seated until the bus has come to a stop" (this advice ignored by most people). It was quite irritating because buses do stop quite frequently so the thing was going off again and again. Bus is stopping. Please remain seated. Bus is stopping. Please remain seated. Bus is stopping. Please remain seated...

I'd have thought just replacing the bell with a louder beeper would be enough to convey the Stopping message (I do think the bell isn't necessarily loud enough for people without good hearing)

 

[Peter0124]

You say that, but I was on a bus recently which had an automatic announcement every time someone pressed the bell to stop. Something like "The bus is stopping. Please remain seated until the bus has come to a stop" (this advice ignored by most people). It was quite irritating because buses do stop quite frequently so the thing was going off again and again. Bus is stopping. Please remain seated. Bus is stopping. Please remain seated. Bus is stopping. Please remain seated...

I'd have thought just replacing the bell with a louder beeper would be enough to convey the Stopping message (I do think the bell isn't necessarily loud enough for people without good hearing)

If I forgot my earphones, that would probably drive me potty

 

[JamesT]

You say that, but I was on a bus recently which had an automatic announcement every time someone pressed the bell to stop. Something like "The bus is stopping. Please remain seated until the bus has come to a stop" (this advice ignored by most people). It was quite irritating because buses do stop quite frequently so the thing was going off again and again. Bus is stopping. Please remain seated. Bus is stopping. Please remain seated. Bus is stopping. Please remain seated...

I'd have thought just replacing the bell with a louder beeper would be enough to convey the Stopping message (I do think the bell isn't necessarily loud enough for people without good hearing)

But telling people to stay seated until the bus stops helps absolve liability from the bus company when someone is injured who didn’t stay seated.

 

[43096]

But telling people to stay seated until the bus stops helps absolve liability from the bus company when someone is injured who didn’t stay seated.

What about the liability of missing your stop because you were sat at the back of the top deck?

 

[Peter0124]

But telling people to stay seated until the bus stops helps absolve liability from the bus company when someone is injured who didn’t stay seated.

Better to just have signs everywhere in that case

 

[Sprinter107]

You say that, but I was on a bus recently which had an automatic announcement every time someone pressed the bell to stop. Something like "The bus is stopping. Please remain seated until the bus has come to a stop" (this advice ignored by most people). It was quite irritating because buses do stop quite frequently so the thing was going off again and again. Bus is stopping. Please remain seated. Bus is stopping. Please remain seated. Bus is stopping. Please remain seated...

I'd have thought just replacing the bell with a louder beeper would be enough to convey the Stopping message (I do think the bell isn't necessarily loud enough for people without good hearing)

On city or suburban routes where the stops are never far apart, its very rare anyone goes just one stop. If they absolutely must make these announcements, why not 1 in 3 or 4 stops. It must be terrible for folks trying to have a conversation.

 

[Jimini]

I remember South London buses back in 2003 or so went through a phase of announcing “bus stopping at the next bus stop. Please stand well clear of doors” whenever someone pressed the stop bell.

Used to irk me no end!

 

[talldave]

You say that, but I was on a bus recently which had an automatic announcement every time someone pressed the bell to stop. Something like "The bus is stopping. Please remain seated until the bus has come to a stop" (this advice ignored by most people). It was quite irritating because buses do stop quite frequently so the thing was going off again and again. Bus is stopping. Please remain seated. Bus is stopping. Please remain seated. Bus is stopping. Please remain seated...

I'd have thought just replacing the bell with a louder beeper would be enough to convey the Stopping message (I do think the bell isn't necessarily loud enough for people without good hearing)

Surely that also needs a slippery surfaces warning and a reminder to take all your personal belongings with you

 

[Falcon1200]

The question was have announcements actually achieved any reduction in this?

I do actually find that the announcements remind me to check for anything left behind when I stand up to alight. More useful perhaps when you get beyond a certain, ie my, age....

 

[800002]

I do actually find that the announcements remind me to check for anything left behind when I stand up to alight. More useful perhaps when you get beyond a certain, ie my, age....

Not useful when on the underground and every time I hear the 'pickpockets operate in the area' speach I automatically pat the pocket in which my wallet resides!
It's just an opportunity for someone to stabd there watching for where people keep their wallets.
Some of us are quite suggestable / susceptible to doing things like that.

 

[trainophile]

Better to just have signs everywhere in that case

In how many languages?

 

[Peter0124]

In how many languages?

You might aswell say the bus announcements should speak every language, and make it even more annoying

 

[trainophile]

You might aswell say the bus announcements should speak every language, and make it even more annoying

Digressing a bit, but I often wonder why the train managers on TfW don't have to make their announcements in Welsh as well as English, seeing as they seem to think it's essential to transmit the recorded messages in Welsh as well. Be quite funny if someone missed vital information because they only understand Welsh, but I very much doubt that has ever or would ever happen.

 

[Krokodil]

Digressing a bit, but I often wonder why the train managers on TfW don't have to make their announcements in Welsh as well as English, seeing as they seem to think it's essential to transmit the recorded messages in Welsh as well. Be quite funny if someone missed vital information because they only understand Welsh, but I very much doubt that has ever or would ever happen.

They can't even get the ex-Merseyrail guards who make up a quite a proportion of Chester depot to pronounce "Llanfairfechan" correctly. Teaching them a whole new language might be a step too far.

 

[DelW]

Digressing a bit, but I often wonder why the train managers on TfW don't have to make their announcements in Welsh as well as English, seeing as they seem to think it's essential to transmit the recorded messages in Welsh as well. Be quite funny if someone missed vital information because they only understand Welsh, but I very much doubt that has ever or would ever happen.

The "and Borders" part of TfW's patch tends to get overlooked or deliberately ignored, but quite a lot of TfW's route mileage is in England. AIUI two of its larger crew bases are at Chester (as noted by Krokodil above) and Shrewsbury, and Welsh speakers are likely to be thin on the ground in both, indeed even in Wales fluent Welsh speakers are still a minority in many areas. So why would TfW want to exclude a majority of their potential workforce? Recorded messages presumably cover the legal language requirement.

 

[Falcon1200]

I automatically pat the pocket in which my wallet resides

You just have to pat every pocket! I often do anyway.....

 

[800002]

You just have to pat every pocket! I often do anyway.....

Didn't think of that!

 

[route101]

Some of the Scottish crew are great at announcing the connections from Glasgow Central/Queen St when nearing Glasgow Central. Some will offer to sell connecting tickets.

 

[speedy1]

Catering host: I'll shortly be making my way through the train today. We ask for your assistance in keeping the train clean and tidy today so please use the bins provided. If there is anything we can do to make your journey more comfortable please do let us know

Guard: please sit back relax and enjoy the journey today (I can't sit back, it's an ironing board)

Are they recruiting ex cabin crew or something

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Catering host: If there is anything we can do to make your journey more comfortable please do let us know

Yes, you can shut up!

 

[talldave]

Catering host: I'll shortly be making my way through the train today. We ask for your assistance in keeping the train clean and tidy today so please use the bins provided. If there is anything we can do to make your journey more comfortable please do let us know

Guard: please sit back relax and enjoy the journey today (I can't sit back, it's an ironing board)

Are they recruiting ex cabin crew or something

I believe so, especially when they finish with "we'd like to thank you for choosing Irritating Trains today..". I didn't you’re the only company putting trains on this bit of track!!

 

[CHESHIRECAT]

So long as we all use brown paper bags and mind the doors with our hot drinks and lock the loo door !

 

[styles]

So long as we all use brown paper bags and mind the doors with our hot drinks and lock the loo door !

Nah the real life hack is not to lock the toilet doors. Then you can be revealed like the star prize on an episode of Bullseye.