Smoking Train Driver

[ExRes]

Of course smoking in cabs is illegal however (and I don't mean this in response to the OP but others who have responded) what business is it of anyone else's if he is smoking or not?its not crime of the century, it won't affect the safe or punctual operation of the train or railway and it won't be affecting any passengers so why would anyone bother to report them? It just stinks of busybodies with nothing better to do with their time than find problems then report people for them in the hope action will be taken. Try relaxing and not involving yourself in things which don't concern you.

If he was doing something clearly unsafe then that's different and if the smoking affects someone else (like the next driver) then that is for them to take action against. I can see no reason why anyone would report something like this. Yes it's illegal but if it didn't concern you and isn't going to cause harm or upset to anyone then why involve yourselves?!

You've used the exact word, 'stinks', perhaps you'd like to tell us all why anyone should have to put up with that stink when it's caused by something which is prohibited

You also say 'I can see no reason why anyone would report something like this' when you've just said '.. if the smoking affects someone else (like the next driver) then that is for them to take action against', so what exactly is your definition of taking action ?, reporting them or do you have a magic alternative ?

 

[A-driver]

You've used the exact word, 'stinks', perhaps you'd like to tell us all why anyone should have to put up with that stink when it's caused by something which is prohibited



You also say 'I can see no reason why anyone would report something like this' when you've just said '.. if the smoking affects someone else (like the next driver) then that is for them to take action against', so what exactly is your definition of taking action ?, reporting them or do you have a magic alternative ?

Perhaps read my post properly before responding next time.

I stated that those on this forum suggesting the driver is reported have no business doing so as it is none of their business and won't affect them in the slightest. If another driver is offended by it then they may report them but I don't see it as anyone else's business.

Lots of drivers smoke in cabs but do so with windows open and fag hanging out so the smell stays out if the cab. Illegal but not dangerous, not going to affect the service and certainly no one else's business.

 

[Wolfie]

not allowed but i have sympathy for them to a point. If you have a habit that is very hard to break and it gets you through your daily shift/helps you concentrate...and then all of a sudden you can no longer do that, it must be hard to give up.

Its not 'unsafe'.

I wouldnt like anyone to be grassed on for this. The guy has a bad habit yes, but probably has a family to feed. Please don't report anyone for this. He is not directly affecting anyone. He could get sacked.

I sort of agree BUT as a non-smoker I would not be happy to take over that train from him - the cab would presumably have smoke residue in it and smell accordingly....

 

[cle]

It's the same as me sparking up at my desk, or a Beefeater doing so at the Tower.

A person's addiction to smoking is their choice and their problem.

Sorry, but it's unfair on colleagues, potentially unsafe for passengers (fire risk, distraction, self-injury) and potentially illegal (disposal of the butt) so in all, he should definitely be reported.

 

[Shwam3]

Lots of drivers smoke in cabs but do so with windows open and fag hanging out so the smell stays out if the cab. Illegal but not dangerous, not going to affect the service and certainly no one else's business.

Not quite a train, but it still applies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v48P45I1B_0

 

[talldave]

Something's either against the rules or its not - it's black and white. Just because the impact of breaking a rule is debatable, doesn't mean that it shouldn't be dealt with.

I expect that texting, reading papers and letting your spouse ride in the cab are also all against the rules. How many of these in combination does it take to make it worthwhile enforcing the rules?

 

[driver_m]

How many of you who've said 'he should he reported' would do that to your own colleagues? Be honest. I don't like it and it is annoying getting in a cab that stinks, but I won't dob a colleague in. They are the ones taking the risk smoking and if they get caught be a manager that's their problem. My job is not to police my colleagues bad habits. If I wanted to do that I'd become a boss.

 

[Tibbs]

How many of you who've said 'he should he reported' would do that to your own colleagues? Be honest. I don't like it and it is annoying getting in a cab that stinks, but I won't dob a colleague in. They are the ones taking the risk smoking and if they get caught be a manager that's their problem. My job is not to police my colleagues bad habits. If I wanted to do that I'd become a boss.

In my company, not reporting something illegal you know your colleagues are doing is grounds for a gross misconduct dismissal.

Though that may be swayed by the fact that my company have, in the past, been fined millions of pounds for various offences.

And you're not policing their habits, you're reporting illegal activity. Illegal is illegal.

 

[A-driver]

If I (or you) saw a builders van drive past with someone smoking in it would you report them? I certainly wouldn't as it's none of my business and not up to me to enforce those laws.

As for comments about smoke smell wandering into the passenger area, we are talking a loco hauled train in this thread so that's not possible at all but even in a MU, I can say from experience that with the window open and the fag at or out the window the smell certainly dosnt build up enough inside the cab to go through to the passengers. You can't compare it to smoking out a bedroom window as most people bedrooms don't move along at 100mph...

And these arguments still don't alter the fact that reporting this kind of thing is just sticking ones nose in to other people's business. It's not a crime that will have any affect on those reporting it and it's a very sad reflection on someone's personality that they would look to report people for these kinds of things.

 

[A-driver]

In my company, not reporting something illegal you know your colleagues are doing is grounds for a gross misconduct dismissal.



Though that may be swayed by the fact that my company have, in the past, been fined millions of pounds for various offences.



And you're not policing their habits, you're reporting illegal activity. Illegal is illegal.

But the people here don't work for the company! They are busy bodies with no business reporting such things!

And illegal is not illegal as you see it. You can't compare an employee taking millions of pounds from their company by fraud with an employee taking one of the companies pens out of the stationary cupboard for personal use can you.

 

[Lockwood]

I've phoned a taxi firm and shopped one of their drivers for texting at the wheel.
Does that make me a bad person?

 

[A-driver]

I've phoned a taxi firm and shopped one of their drivers for texting at the wheel.

Does that make me a bad person?

No, not at all as what he was doing was putting you and other road users in danger.

Smoking whilst driving a train dosnt put any one in danger.

 

[CC 72100]

I've phoned a taxi firm and shopped one of their drivers for texting at the wheel.
Does that make me a bad person?

Not at all - that's a serious risk to road safety last time I checked!

 

[A-driver]

Let's try a different angle here. Why would you bother going to the effort of reporting a train driver smoking? How would it benifit anyone at all, including you? If I saw someone's car being broken into I would report it as that benifits the owner aswell as catching someone who may otherwise have gone on to burgle other people's cars, including my own.

So what would anyone get out of reporting a driver having a cheeky fag which won't be harming anyone (well apart from himself...)?

 

[lincolnshire]

If I (or you) saw a builders van drive past with someone smoking in it would you report them? I certainly wouldn't as it's none of my business and not up to me to enforce those laws.

If it was a company vehicle ( think of all the very well known big ones) how many people have you seen just droping off the wife etc. enroute to work or out shopping in the supermarket car park I think you will also find that is against the company rules so they best be reported too. Its a perk a train driver can,t manage very well, them peski trains will only go where the rails take them.

Bing Bong announcment time, This train will be stopping in this loop till the train crew has had there 5 min fag break, just like all you office staff do, sorry for the delay.

 

[A-driver]

If it was a company vehicle ( think of all the very well known big ones) how many people have you seen just droping off the wife etc. enroute to work or out shopping in the supermarket car park I think you will also find that is against the company rules so they best be reported too. Its a perk a train driver can,t manage very well, them peski trains will only go where the rails take them.



Bing Bong announcment time, This train will be stopping in this loop till the train crew has had there 5 min fag break, just like all you office staff do, sorry for the delay.

It may be against their companies rules but it's none of my business. That is between them and their employer. It would be pretty pathetic of me to try grassing them up for dropping the wife at the shops and a complete waste of my time. If the employer is that strict about these things then it's down to them to gain evidence and discipline them. As a passer by it is none of my business whatsoever and there is no reason for me to get involved.

 

[meridian2]

In every walk of life, in every workplace, you will get someone having a 'cheeky fag'. It's inevitable.

6 pages? REALLY?

 

[muz379]

Ive been on a few MU in my time when the driver or guard have been smoking and the smell has wafted through its not like cab doors are airtight , and the wind blows the smoke and ask back in . In this situation the passenger completely has a right to complain if they feel so strongly about not being exposed to second hand cigarette smoke whilst on public transport after all the smoking ban applies to all parts of the train cabs included . If they dont smell it so they dont know about it and then they just so happen to clock the driver smoking out of the cab window in a station or something I think that is being a bit petty in terms of complaining .

If however someone that has to use that cab afterwards wishes to complain and make a point of it that once again is their right to do so and not being petty whatsoever, they have the right to expect to go to work in a smoke free workplace

Personally think the one thing that TOC's could do for drivers or guards that are addicted is allow them/promote the use of E cigarettes as they dont come with the same smoke or lingering smell .

As for the argument of smoking not being a danger to a train driver , Is focusing your attention on keeping your lit cig out of or near the window not going to distract you from the task at hand especially as the OP said in this thread coming into a station ?

 

[cle]

Cheeky fag... Crafty fag...

Let's try and make it charming and caddish.

But it's not, it's illegal, it's against company policy and yes - it could put passengers in danger. Naked flames, burnt fingers, not paying attention, smoke in eye... so many things could go wrong.

Sorry but you're just a driver. You don't own the train. And you work for a company with rules like anyone else. If a train pulled into my platform and the driver was puffing away, the phone camera would come out and eventually so would the P45. Good riddance.

 

[A-driver]

Ive been on a few MU in my time when the driver or guard have been smoking and the smell has wafted through its not like cab doors are airtight , and the wind blows the smoke and ask back in . In this situation the passenger completely has a right to complain if they feel so strongly about not being exposed to second hand cigarette smoke whilst on public transport after all the smoking ban applies to all parts of the train cabs included . If they dont smell it so they dont know about it and then they just so happen to clock the driver smoking out of the cab window in a station or something I think that is being a bit petty in terms of complaining .

If however someone that has to use that cab afterwards wishes to complain and make a point of it that once again is their right to do so and not being petty whatsoever, they have the right to expect to go to work in a smoke free workplace

Personally think the one thing that TOC's could do for drivers or guards that are addicted is allow them/promote the use of E cigarettes as they dont come with the same smoke or lingering smell .

As for the argument of smoking not being a danger to a train driver , Is focusing your attention on keeping your lit cig out of or near the window not going to distract you from the task at hand especially as the OP said in this thread coming into a station ?

That is different. If it's stinking the train out then passengers have every right to complain, although I'd argue that a slight waft of fag smoke under the cab door is no worse than driving a late night train with the stench of Burger King coming in to the cab from the passengers behind.

If it is stinking the carriage out then it involves the passengers and you have every right to either ask the driver to stop if you feel comfortable or reporting them.

But you are missing the point being discussed here-this driver was in a loco on his own. Absolutely no chance whatsoever of the smell wafting into the passenger areas of the train and so it concerns no one.

Cheeky fag... Crafty fag...

Let's try and make it charming and caddish.

But it's not, it's illegal, it's against company policy and yes - it could put passengers in danger. Naked flames, burnt fingers, not paying attention, smoke in eye... so many things could go wrong.

Sorry but you're just a driver. You don't own the train. And you work for a company with rules like anyone else. If a train pulled into my platform and the driver was puffing away, the phone camera would come out and eventually so would the P45. Good riddance.

Smoke in eye, not paying attention, naked flames, burnt fingers...give me just one, that's right, just one single example of any train drivers ever having an incident due to smoking in any way. It's safe, so safe I fact that BR built trains with ash trays in the cabs. 365s still have them in on some units. Until the smoking ban the railway ran completely safely with many, many drivers smoking constantly.

So there is absolutely no danger.

 

[A-driver]

That's completely different - if that builder was smoking in your house whilst painting your walls would you employ him again?

If a builder smoked in my house I'd ask them to leave. If a builder smoked in their own van then I'd ignore it as it's none of my business.

 

[Class377]

I won't as that post isn't trolling like your last ones were...

If a builder smoked in my house I'd ask them to leave. If a builder smoked in their own van then I'd ignore it as it's none of my business.

People seem to be having great difficulties on here today understanding the difference as to what concerns them and what dosnt. If a train driver sat next to you on a train and started smoking then that would be very, very different to sitting in a loco on their own with no chance of the fumes reaching you.

My argument here is that this is much more like a builder smoking in your house than them smoking in their own van.

You are paying the builder to be working in your house. Likewise, you're paying (indirectly through tickets) the driver to be working and get you where you need to be.

If, say, you were on a multiple unit where there isn't much to separate the driver from the first class part of the saloon (maybe a FCC 319 or something, I'm not an expert on unit layouts) and you had a first class unit. You're then close to the smoke and could end up having to smell it, much like if a builder was smoking inside your house.

Quite simply, for me, it's a case of the driver giving off a bad image. It's completely unfounded, but members of the public will see this and may think the driver doesn't care (this is not my personal view, I hasten to add). Surely when newspapers are criticising drivers at every opportunity, people should be doing their best to at least look professional and not give anyone an excuse to moan?

And quite simply, if you're moaning about other users concerning themselves over something as trivial as a cigarette, why are you concerning yourself over what they think?

 

[muz379]

But you are missing the point being discussed here-this driver was in a loco on his own. Absolutely no chance whatsoever of the smell wafting into the passenger areas of the train and so it concerns no one.

Im not missing the point , someone earlier mentioned the fact that its not possible for passengers to smell a smoking driver even on a MU but actually it is ive been on many a MU where the smell does waft under the cab door .

As I mentioned if the passengers dont know about it like would be the case of a loco hauled and they just happen to catch the driver doing it they are being a bit petty as it has no impact on them .If a colleague later comes to take over that cab in the loco though and they wish to complain that is their business .

The difference between the burger kind and the smoke is that smoking in the cab is banned , as far as I am aware taking food onto trains is still allowed .Not to mention the second hand smoke drifting into passenger compartments actually has an effect on a passengers health whereas burger king "fumes" are not harmful to your health
Sure one would be defending a driver if they didn't smoke and refused to take a train because passengers smoke had wafted under the cab door .

 

[A-driver]

My argument here is that this is much more like a builder smoking in your house than them smoking in their own van.



You are paying the builder to be working in your house. Likewise, you're paying (indirectly through tickets) the driver to be working and get you where you need to be.



If, say, you were on a multiple unit where there isn't much to separate the driver from the first class part of the saloon (maybe a FCC 319 or something, I'm not an expert on unit layouts) and you had a first class unit. You're then close to the smoke and could end up having to smell it, much like if a builder was smoking inside your house.



Quite simply, for me, it's a case of the driver giving off a bad image. It's completely unfounded, but members of the public will see this and may think the driver doesn't care (this is not my personal view, I hasten to add). Surely when newspapers are criticising drivers at every opportunity, people should be doing their best to at least look professional and not give anyone an excuse to moan?

What a load of rubbish!

You are NOT paying a driver to do any work for you. Not at all. You do not pay my wages.

And it has already been stated to death that if it wafts through into passenger areas then that is am entirely different matter.

 

[A-driver]

Im not missing the point , someone earlier mentioned the fact that its not possible for passengers to smell a smoking driver even on a MU but actually it is ive been on many a MU where the smell does waft under the cab door .



As I mentioned if the passengers dont know about it like would be the case of a loco hauled and they just happen to catch the driver doing it they are being a bit petty as it has no impact on them .If a colleague later comes to take over that cab in the loco though and they wish to complain that is their business .



The difference between the burger kind and the smoke is that smoking in the cab is banned , as far as I am aware taking food onto trains is still allowed .Not to mention the second hand smoke drifting into passenger compartments actually has an effect on a passengers health whereas burger king "fumes" are not harmful to your health

Sure one would be defending a driver if they didn't smoke and refused to take a train because passengers smoke had wafted under the cab door .

If a driver sits in a MU cab with windows closed then it will stink the coach out and passengers have every right to complain. It's definately possible to smoke with windows open and not get the cab to stink at all. I experienced it many times in my road learning days and I didn't smell a thing.

 

[muz379]

just because something doesn't stink in the eyes of someone that does smoke doesn't mean that someone that doesn't smoke cant still smell it .

 

[A-driver]

just because something doesn't stink in the eyes of someone that does smoke doesn't mean that someone that doesn't smoke cant still smell it .

What? No one can smell it from a loco cab!

 

[notadriver]

A-Driver I really wouldn't bother wasting your time on this thread.

 

[Legzr1]

A-Driver I really wouldn't bother wasting your time on this thread.

+1

What worries me is the builders driving trains to burgle houses and all those amateur sleuths missing out on the action because they've got their smart phones aimed at smokers.

:cry:

 

[455driver]

just because something doesn't stink in the eyes of someone that does smoke doesn't mean that someone that doesn't smoke cant still smell it .

Waell I dont smoke and its very unusual to smell it when taking the train over even when I know 100% that the last driver has been smoking in the cab.

But hey what do I know I am just a driver who has to drive them! :roll: