Rail staff - what's your pet hate?

[sarahj]

Among the many good ones, a recent one was:

Punter buying a ticket. What time is the last train back?
Moi: 14 mins past midnight.
Punter, oh, what about around 9
Moi. Grrrrrrrrrr


Tho' I once had the enjoyment of giving this answer once:
Q: What time is the last train to Gatwick
A: There is not one, they run 24 hours.
Of course you then get the : Will there be one around three?

The punter who has sat and watched everyone get their tickets out to be checked, heard you say 'tickets please' to the whole coach. But when you get to them and say the words, only then starts the search for their ticket, often in a coat pocket on the overhead rack.

But the big grind:
You help a punter out, complex ticket info/ Help with bags/Ramp for a mobility scooter/Detailed info, and you don't even get a 'thanks'.

It gets to the point where a punter may get off the train and when passing they say 'thanks', and you are too shocked to even mumble something.

 

[Haydn1971]

Additionally, it might be worth TPE putting a few posters up telling passengers that they DON'T need to wait for the barrier to close before inserting/touching their ticket or pass!

I'm not sure a notice would help, but it's flippin annoying when people do that

 

[SJN]

When you have ramp down doing a wheelchair assist and other people ignore all the other doors and queue behind the wheelchair.

 

[Minilad]

When you have ramp down doing a wheelchair assist and other people ignore all the other doors and queue behind the wheelchair.

I would agree with this but expand it to include the people who queue up at one door even when there isn't a ramp.
I don't know why train manufacturers go to the expense of fitting all these doors on trains when everybody prefers to just pile in through the one door

 

[yorksrob]

I would agree with this but expand it to include the people who queue up at one door even when there isn't a ramp.
I don't know why train manufacturers go to the expense of fitting all these doors on trains when everybody prefers to just pile in through the one door

We never had that problem when there were ten doors to a (side of a) carriage.

 

[Minilad]

We never had that problem when there were ten doors to a (side of a) carriage.

Yeah. You just trod on everyones feet when getting on or off instead

 

[grumblingalong]

Question from a non-staff 16-25 railcard holder!

Who causes you more grief, YP or Senior railcard holders?

Most young people I see generally have the card out and ready resulting in a pretty quick inspection.

Seniors no doubt. If a 16-25 doesn't show it 30% of the time they don't have it or it's out of date. Seniors just don't show it. Then get rude when you ask for it, normally little things like tutting.

 

[tsr]

Seniors tend to be more organised with getting their railcard replaced when it expires. I usually confiscate 1 or 2 out of date YP cards a week which doesn't seem to happen with the seniors. Also because Senior cards are only in one part they can't do what some YP holders do and only show the photo card and hope we won't ask for the date part if its expired. One gentleman got away with that for nearly 3 years till he tried it on my train

Only today I was doing some spot checks and confiscated a Senior Railcard which was out of date by a not inconsiderable proportion of the year - my record is at least several years, possibly five. I find I confiscate roughly equal numbers of Senior and 16-25 Railcards, and only a tiny number of Network Railcard ones here and there. I usually find Senior card holders think they shouldn't be asked because they "look old anyway" (not that every older person has any form of Railcard, but that seems to somehow escape them; both my surviving grandparents haven't used a train in upwards of five years and have never held Railcards, yet I see plenty of people older than them using trains every day). And I'm sorry if this sounds blunt, but even accounting for anyone wearing earphones, they also don't hear you ask for Railcards as often.

By contrast, 16-25 users do usually seem to be very quick to get their cards out. I've only had had one serious bit of grumpiness over those, and that was from someone who refused to accept they needed one and then hid in the toilet, but she then got forcibly ejected from a train by some bored station staff...

 

[yorksrob]

Yeah. You just trod on everyones feet when getting on or off instead

There may be some element of truth in that

 

[Minilad]

There may be some element of truth in that

I know there is. I did it often enough!!

 

[yorksrob]

I know there is. I did it often enough!!

Haven't we all!!

 

[EM2]

Among the many good ones, a recent one was:

Punter buying a ticket. What time is the last train back?
Moi: 14 mins past midnight.
Punter, oh, what about around 9
Moi. Grrrrrrrrrr


Tho' I once had the enjoyment of giving this answer once:
Q: What time is the last train to Gatwick
A: There is not one, they run 24 hours.
Of course you then get the : Will there be one around three?

I don't mind these ones so much, because in the first instance, they're generally surprised that they do actually run that late, and in the second, they do run all night but are only 1tph (from St. P, anyway), so need to make sure they get the right one to get them there in time.

 

[lordbusiness]

People who think that owning a Hornby Trainset when they were 12 means they know more about running a railway than the people that actually work and run it.

Especially politicians.

And journalists.

 

[Minilad]

People who think that owning a Hornby Trainset when they were 12 means they know more about running a railway than the people that actually work and run it.

Especially politicians.

And journalists.

And commuters

And enthusiasts

 

[Llanigraham]

And commuters

And enthusiasts

Especially "enthusiasts"!!

 

[Bodiddly]

And managers.

 

[6Gman]

People who think that owning a Hornby Trainset when they were 12 means they know more about running a railway than the people that actually work and run it.

Especially politicians.

And journalists.

I remember carefully explaining at a meeting that the introduction of 125mph Pendolinos alongside 100mph trains actually reduced line capacity when a rather pompous councillor responded with "yes, I discovered that as a child with my model railway".

Huh? :roll:

 

[Merseysider]

Speaking as a passenger, what I find most annoying are dozy passengers. I don't necessarily mean newbies, but people who clearly lack common sense. Whether that's leaving three big suitcases in front of the door on an Airport train, or people who don't bother to do their research before travel and expect answers from the first person they see or those who ignore the big "STAND ON THE RIGHT" signs on the Underground.

On one occasion, I put my ticket through the automatic barrier, right in front of an STM staff member. When it rejected for whatever reason, the assistant seemed to think that if he put my ticket through the barrier for me it would open. It didn't.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

Especially "enthusiasts"!!

Come on mods where's the like button?

 

[infobleep]

Customer: "Hi, could I have a RTN to XXXX please?"

Me: "Hi there, no problem, that will be £XX.XX then please."

Customer: "Oh yeah and I've got a railcard..."

I can't really explain how irritating that becomes after 20+ different people have done this to you in a single shift...

Another pet hate of mine is when customers are paying for their tickets and they're half way to dropping their cash in the tray, so naturally I issue the tickets for cash. They then go "oh actually I think I'll pay on card" which means you have to re-enter their origin/ destination etc., issue new tickets for card and then non issue the originals.

I can see why that would be annoying. I'm assuming you've actually issued the physical tickets by this point rather than just selected cash on the screen and not been offered the option to change to another method.
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Railcards are my biggest pet hate.
Passengers who have read the terms and conditions of advance/print at home tickets and then become argumentative when they havent followed the t&c's
Bikes on trains not in the clearly marked cycle section

As a passenger I once had a cyclist ask me to move because it was a cycle space I was sitting in when it wasn't. A fellow passenger backed me up. Afterwards he said he was an off duty British Transport Police officer, on his way home from a night out in Brighton! A good person to have when you need back up!

As for motorists not stopping at level crossing lights, as a pedestrian they are at times my pet hate for many reasons, as our cyclists. Some cyclists with non folding bikes also seem to enjoy making use of trains when they are not suppose to.

Another pet hate is when short formations of trains are not announced at stations. So you stand in one place, one that's not normally an issue and then get a surprise when the train is packed. If you'd know it was short formed you could make an effort to go to another part of the platform where there might be less people on the platform or you think the train might be less busy based on its reduced number of carriages. That might then help the train get away more quickly and lead to less delays.
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Hats off to all of you that have to interact with JP (Joe Public) because as depot staff, we have very limited contact with the travelling customer. On the rare occasions I have been approached from JP, the majority of these conflicts have been some eedjit sounding off because they see an orange boiler suit.
I have had an old woman nearly flying for me for condemning a set that could not move. The language that she vented to me would have made a sailor blush.
A businessman who told me to f*** **f when he thought he was allowed more time to get dressed when the sleeper arrived. That was a funny one. I told him he could take all the time he wanted but he would be trapped on the set until I had safely berthed it in the depot in around two hours time. That got him moving!
A drunk try to attack me because he had missed his train and thought it was my fault. This happened right in front of our BTP officer who very quickly sprung into action and removed the intoxicated JP from the station.
On the flip side, you do speak to some interesting people now and again.
My biggest pet hate though, is how my shift pattern doesn't follow the train timetable in any way which means I can't get a train to work.

Surely the last point is not possible. Aren't trains only run for the benefit of the TOCs and their staff? lol
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Where's the like button when you want one?

You need Tapatalk app available for smartphones. That offers a like button. I even use it. However I don't know if anyone else cam actually see it beyond me. Lol!

 

[fIIsion]

Passengers who hold the doors open, letting a further dozen or so on to the train. Even worse when they just stand there in the doors because their friend/family member is still coming down the escalator.

People who feel the need to touch, kick, or slap the train before its berthed or when its departing the platform.

LITTER.............one of my biggest bugbears. Its really disgusting to find a half eaten burger on the floor, why would someone do that?? A female passenger once told me to go F*** myself because I asked her not to leave the shells of the prawns she was eating on the seats...!!!

Flash photography. You would think it would be common sense not to try and blind someone who is driving a train.

People who thinks it's funny to pretend to throw themselves or their friends in front of the train. I've had personal experience of a "one under" which will haunt me for the rest of my life.

People who stand on the platform, 'thumbing a lift'. I'm not sure when this started. It's never been or will ever be funny, it just makes the person look like a complete tool.

 

[quarella]

From a former life in NRES I would add the use of local names and I am guilty of giving times between North Road near Darlington and Aber near Caerphilly when I was almost certain they wanted to travel between Plymouth and Aberystwyth. Pontypool and Pontypridd were almost always asked for as Ponty and you got some rather abrupt replies when you asked for carification.

People who were perfectly capable but would get someone else to phone for them with the information being relayed taking twice as long as it needed to. Sunday afternoons would be the worst for this with soldiers returning to camp. It amused me that these people responsible for the defence of the nation had to get their mothers to phone for them. At least one a week left it too late and you would be informed that their llittle darling would be "on a charge" if they didn't get back tonight expecting a later service to magically appear.

 

[HarleyDavidson]

Passengers who hold the doors open, letting a further dozen or so on to the train. Even worse when they just stand there in the doors because their friend/family member is still coming down the escalator.

People who feel the need to touch, kick, or slap the train before its berthed or when its departing the platform.

LITTER.............one of my biggest bugbears. Its really disgusting to find a half eaten burger on the floor, why would someone do that?? A female passenger once told me to go F*** myself because I asked her not to leave the shells of the prawns she was eating on the seats...!!!

Flash photography. You would think it would be common sense not to try and blind someone who is driving a train.

People who thinks it's funny to pretend to throw themselves or their friends in front of the train. I've had personal experience of a "one under" which will haunt me for the rest of my life.

People who stand on the platform, 'thumbing a lift'. I'm not sure when this started. It's never been or will ever be funny, it just makes the person look like a complete tool.

I had a guy arrested for sticking his head out in front of me and it was so close you could hear it pass the window, left me shaken for a while, he and his mates didn't catch their train home, instead they had a free ride in a police van.