Poor website information SWT

[pethadine82]

I am very displeased with the way SWT convey major info. on disruptions.
If you click on the live travel updates and then your line it takes you to

https://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/plan-your-journey/network/

There should be immediate information available rather than trying to find the information buried. This is not user friendly at all.

Also there is no information on any handover information when their franchise comes to an end.

SWT are really bad with communication re waterloo blockade.
Can some one escalate this to make it easier for passengers?
Many thanks

 

[30907]

Puzzled - if I click on Live Travel Updates I get this
https://www.journeycheck.southwesttrains.co.uk which looks straightforward to me.

 

[Carntyne]

I am very displeased with the way SWT convey major info. on disruptions.
If you click on the live travel updates and then your line it takes you to

https://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/plan-your-journey/network/

There should be immediate information available rather than trying to find the information buried. This is not user friendly at all.

Also there is no information on any handover information when their franchise comes to an end.

SWT are really bad with communication re waterloo blockade.
Can some one escalate this to make it easier for passengers?
Many thanks

You could escalate it by speaking to SWT yourself? Does seem like user error to me though.

 

[AndrewE]

I am very displeased with the way SWT convey major info. on disruptions.

Also there is no information on any handover information when their franchise comes to an end.

I can't imagine that anyone would want a disruptions page would want it cluttered up with info - or even a link to info - about the franchise end. Even here most people are not really interested (given that nothing that the passenger sees changes immediately anyway) and I suspect that the wider public aren't interested at all.

 

[randompixel]

I agree on the first point: clicking the line names under "Live Travel Updates" I'd expect to go to live updates about that line, not the standard route page.

However your other points I disagree with, especially

SWT are really bad with communication re waterloo blockade.

what more do you want them to have done?? Have the MD come round to each passengers house to explain it!? The website is good (banner at the top, detailed information on each station), the at-station communication has been going on for the past 12 months, the media coverage has been widespread.

 

[Feathers44]

Not sure what relevance franchise handover has to the passenger anyway. Blockade aside, the trains will run to the advertised timetable on the 19th and the trains will then run to the advertised timetable on the 20th. Thats all pasengers need to know. That's sort of the point of the franchise system - pretty transparent to passengers.

The fact that some labels may change and a new company will be in charge will impact staff far more than the rest of us. I agree there are exceptions like the Gold Card privileges but that's an issue that doesn't need clarifying on day 1. I also agree that some of US would like to know all sorts of details up front but that's more akin to nosiness than necessity and relates to SWR operations rather than SWT handover in any case.

The lines linking to the map have always been slightly odd, but SWR will no doubt have a complete new site so that problem should go.

 

[adamello]

Puzzled - if I click on Live Travel Updates I get this
https://www.journeycheck.southwesttrains.co.uk which looks straightforward to me.

Actually I am in agreement with the OP. yes we all know how to dig around for the information, but to the average joe - on arrival to the website you see the big box with 'Live Travel Updates' - attached below.

In the box you see the lines, and you see the one you want has disruption, so you click on it - ie. Kingston/Shepperton - 99.9% of people would expect to be taken to details of the disruption - but instead you get taken to this page

https://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/plan-your-journey/network/

That is NOT user friendly, as I think most people agreed when they revamped the site in recent history, but not worth worrying about as its due to completely change in the next few weeks!

___

in regards to Waterloo blockade, it seems to have been running as planned, but been unfortunate to have been affected by signalling and points issues along the line

 

[Clip]

Actually I am in agreement with the OP. yes we all know how to dig around for the information, but to the average joe - on arrival to the website you see the big box with 'Live Travel Updates' - attached below.

In the box you see the lines, and you see the one you want has disruption, so you click on it - ie. Kingston/Shepperton - 99.9% of people would expect to be taken to details of the disruption - but instead you get taken to this page

https://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/plan-your-journey/network/

That is NOT user friendly, as I think most people agreed when they revamped the site in recent history, but not worth worrying about as its due to completely change in the next few weeks!

___

in regards to Waterloo blockade, it seems to have been running as planned, but been unfortunate to have been affected by signalling and points issues along the line

surely any sane person would click on the big yellow banner at the top of the page which says 'disruptions' which then takes you to the whole page.

Or are people just not looking at the front page correctly?

 

[LordCreed]

SWT are really bad with communication re waterloo blockade.

I only travel on SWT services a couple of times a year, but I can recall seeing the following:

- Publicity at Poole and Wareham station
- Window stickers on trains
- Emails about the block
- News articles (i.e. BBC)
- Information on their website

That's a pretty varied approach..

 

[Deepgreen]

Every TOC web site I have used has been badly set up - the so-called communications experts seem to have no idea how to organise information or what the right priorities should be. It wouldn't be quite so galling if every e-mail to a TOC about it didn't come back starting with; "we understand how important good information is for our customers...."

Feeble.

 

[fairysdad]

I have often ranted at the exact same things about the SWT website. It's perhaps one of the most user-unfriendly websites I've seen (and that's probably including my Geocities days...!). What also irks me about it is that when a line is closed, or has a reduced service, due to engineering, the journey status page still says 'no disruption'...

 

[Joe Paxton]

I only travel on SWT services a couple of times a year, but I can recall seeing the following:

- Publicity at Poole and Wareham station
- Window stickers on trains
- Emails about the block
- News articles (i.e. BBC)
- Information on their website

That's a pretty varied approach..

Yes, advance info about the Waterloo works from SWT has been very extensive. Other TOCs e.g. GTR and Southeastern are also relaying information.

 

[30907]

Apologies, I seem to be accessing (from a tablet) a different version of the site from the OP and some other posters, hence my confusion.

 

[swt_passenger]

It's only been this rubbish for a relatively short period, up til a couple of years ago it was completely different and IMHO much better...

I think the expression is 'dumbed down'...

 

[Chris999999]

I agree, SWT website used to be fine until they 'improved' it. I used to use it to buy tickets, but after improvement it continually forgot who I was and then when trying to buy tickets it forgot where I was travelling to and from whenever I input my railcard. I gave up using it and used Southern, which was fine until they recently started to have problems and often couldn't sell me tickets. I now use Virgin, at least until they mess up as well