Northern Rail Station Adoption Free Pass

[scotsman]

A bit slightly off topic - but the attitudes I get towards me, as a railtour steward, are varied and very interesting.

Because I have a name badge and a tie (a 90s ScotRail one) - I get stopped by passengers in stations looking for help (even in L'pool S. Parkway, where everyone and everything is pretty much yellow).

Yet, when I boarded an XC service without a valid ticket (left railtour at Dundee, was on wrong side of barriers & TVMs don't have my railcard) I was treated with near comtempt by the TM who wanted to know why I had got on without a ticket.

 

[yorkie]

Yet, when I boarded an XC service without a valid ticket (left railtour at Dundee, was on wrong side of barriers & TVMs don't have my railcard) I was treated with near comtempt by the TM who wanted to know why I had got on without a ticket.

Did you ask for a discounted ticket or something? If not, I see no reason for this attitude. He should have simply, politely, asked you if you want a single or return and sell a SDS / SDR, as appropriate. That said, even if you did ask for a discounted ticket, there is no excuse for someone in a customer-facing role to treat customers with contempt, they should politely but firmly explain that their company's policy is that the fares sold on board are the Anytime fares, unless suitable ticket issuing facilities were not available. Some XC guards are grumpy and not up to the role, but I do believe they are in a minority. XC do not do enough to weed out the few bad ones, to ensure consistency.

 

[scotsman]

Did you ask for a discounted ticket or something? If not, I see no reason for this attitude. He should have simply, politely, asked you if you want a single or return and sell a SDS / SDR, as appropriate. That said, even if you did ask for a discounted ticket, there is no excuse for someone in a customer-facing role to treat customers with contempt, they should politely but firmly explain that their company's policy is that the fares sold on board are the Anytime fares, unless suitable ticket issuing facilities were not available. Some XC guards are grumpy and not up to the role, but I do believe they are in a minority. XC do not do enough to weed out the few bad ones, to ensure consistency.

I asked for a single to Ladybank (I already had Kirkcaldy - Perth tickets from that morning) with a Scottish Youth Railcard discount. And ScotRail don't have an option for that on their TVMs.

 

[yorkie]

If the ticket office was closed, leaving only TVMs available, and the TVMs do not sell the type of discounted ticket you require, or accept payment type you wish to pay by, then they must sell discounted tickets on board.

 

[Solent&Wessex]

Yorkie hit the point a few posts ago. That is many people "expect" to get free travel, and this annoys me. I was not employed by BR before 1996 and therefore do not have protected staff travel facilities which allow free travel. I only have the TOCNE card which gives 75% off the full fare - which often works out more expensive than the cheaper fares on normal offer to the the public - so isn't always giving you a saving at all. The only free travel I get is via a local agreement with Northern for travelling to work and on other First Group TOCs.

When I travel around I ALWAYS ask if I can have a lift to somewhere. 90% of the time the answer is "Yes" and I will get a free ride. Many staff from other TOCs do that with me and get a free ride. I do however take great offence with Station Adopters, 21 year old dependents of widows of the retired, and assorted others who think they can just sit there and get a free ride automatically or not fill in their boxes. I don't make active staff fill in boxes or pay, but anyone else including dependents, retired, spouses etc are fair game.

Indeed only yesterday I was called a jobsworth by an arrogant little s##t who first of all tried to ignore me, and then brandished a completely empty and untouched old style card with free date boxes marked "dependent of widow". So I cancelled one out and filled the next one out. And then got the abuse to follow. If you get free travel due to the old BR arrangements that a family member once worked for sometime ago, then don't abuse it. It is a greater facility than lots of current staff actually get.

 

[tony_mac]

maybe railway staff should also follow the rules and pay for their fares when they are supposed to?

I don't really understand the contempt shown for those that try it on to get away with unauthorised free travel when you do it yourself. Their rudeness is unexcusable, however.

 

[Greenback]

Yorkie hit the point a few posts ago. That is many people "expect" to get free travel, and this annoys me. I was not employed by BR before 1996 and therefore do not have protected staff travel facilities which allow free travel. I only have the TOCNE card which gives 75% off the full fare - which often works out more expensive than the cheaper fares on normal offer to the the public - so isn't always giving you a saving at all. The only free travel I get is via a local agreement with Northern for travelling to work and on other First Group TOCs.

When I travel around I ALWAYS ask if I can have a lift to somewhere. 90% of the time the answer is "Yes" and I will get a free ride. Many staff from other TOCs do that with me and get a free ride. I do however take great offence with Station Adopters, 21 year old dependents of widows of the retired, and assorted others who think they can just sit there and get a free ride automatically or not fill in their boxes. I don't make active staff fill in boxes or pay, but anyone else including dependents, retired, spouses etc are fair game.

Indeed only yesterday I was called a jobsworth by an arrogant little s##t who first of all tried to ignore me, and then brandished a completely empty and untouched old style card with free date boxes marked "dependent of widow". So I cancelled one out and filled the next one out. And then got the abuse to follow. If you get free travel due to the old BR arrangements that a family member once worked for sometime ago, then don't abuse it. It is a greater facility than lots of current staff actually get.

Spot on, mate. It's probably those types that kick up the most fuss. IF they had ever worked for the railways themselves, then they would probably have more respect.

maybe railway staff should also follow the rules and pay for their fares when they are supposed to?

I don't really understand the contempt shown for those that try it on to get away with unauthorised free travel when you do it yourself. Their rudeness is unexcusable, however.

When I worked in the industry, I was post BR like kwvr45. I never asked for a free ride once, I wouldn't even have thought of it! I used FGW with my staff card, and on all other TOC's I bought a PRIV ticklet at the ticket office.

The only time I was given a free trip was when I got on at an unstaffed station in East Anglia and tried to buy a PRIV ticket only for the very nice guard to wave me away and say that's OK mate.

I think the vast majority or rail staff are like kwvr45. It's the station adopters, dependents and other 'hangers on' who seem to think they have a right to ride up and down the tracks every day without paying a penny, and they are the ones most likely to kick off when they get rumbled.

 

[scotsman]

I think the vast majority or rail staff are like kwvr45. It's the station adopters, dependents and other 'hangers on' who seem to think they have a right to ride up and down the tracks every day without paying a penny, and they are the ones most likely to kick off when they get rumbled.

Or steam train passengers. I've found that a few seem to think that it's because they're on a steam train then the rules don't apply. I've found people in 1st on 3rd Class tickets "because no one told us where to sit" and in one rather irritating case - one extraordinarily arrogant woman arrived a full 40 mins before the train departed, I assited loading her and her son's bikes onboard. I came round just after we had departed to find she didn't have a ticket, despite the ample opportunity to purchase one. I got the excess book and even added a section for bike tickets on the form. She paid by £10 note, I had to get change from the buffet (a float would be nice in future!) and she came past me and said, "Once you've done that, you'll have to come down and help me get the bikes off".

[/rant]

 

[43167]

Or steam train passengers. I've found that a few seem to think that it's because they're on a steam train then the rules don't apply. I've found people in 1st on 3rd Class tickets "because no one told us where to sit" and in one rather irritating case - one extraordinarily arrogant woman arrived a full 40 mins before the train departed, I assited loading her and her son's bikes onboard. I came round just after we had departed to find she didn't have a ticket, despite the ample opportunity to purchase one. I got the excess book and even added a section for bike tickets on the form. She paid by £10 note, I had to get change from the buffet (a float would be nice in future!) and she came past me and said, "Once you've done that, you'll have to come down and help me get the bikes off".

[/rant]

I once caught a Harrogate line train from Leeds, a young chap (student) going to Headingley (student city) told the conductor he had been allowed through the barrier without a ticket because he was going to miss his train. The conductor had his doubts, but gave him the benifit. Though i suspect he was lying, as he was on the train before me.

 

[jon0844]

So how do I become a station adopter for Northern then?

Can you operate a wheelchair ramp?

 

[Oracle]

I just wish SWT operated an adoption scheme!

 

[geoffk]

I'm a Northern station adopter.

City Line is part of Northern's franchise so adopters' passes are valid. They are not valid on Merseyrail Electrics, even though the franchise owners are the same. That's probably why the confusion has arisen.

It's an excellent scheme and valued by Northern management. By the way, I'm neither smug nor try to use my pass when it's not valid.

 

[185]

Can I remind Merseyrail RPIs travelling to the footy at Middlesborough your Merseyrail ticket only goes to Hunts Cross and not the bl**** boro' !!!!