Transpennine Express Onboard Survey

[benbristow]

Odd occurrence that happened on the 0906 from Glasgow Central to Manchester Airport today.

Train guard gave notice of a survey taking place on board.

Bunch of men with light blue high vis vests came through the carriage asking whether we were travelling for work/leisure and whether we had a mobile or paper ticket. I observed his badge which had the Transport for Wales logo on it.

Never had this happen before. I do know onboard WiFi usually asks the work/leisure question but never had an onboard survey.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Nov 2023 ==

... Funnily enough a minute after I post this I get an email from Northern asking me to do a survey

 

[800001]

Odd occurrence that happened on the 0906 from Glasgow Central to Manchester Airport today.

Train guard gave notice of a survey taking place on board.

Bunch of men with light blue high vis vests came through the carriage asking whether we were travelling for work/leisure and whether we had a mobile or paper ticket. I observed his badge which had the Transport for Wales logo on it.

Never had this happen before. I do know onboard WiFi usually asks the work/leisure question but never had an onboard survey.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Nov 2023 ==

... Funnily enough a minute after I post this I get an email from Northern asking me to do a survey

Transport focus often do surveys on trains and stations through out the years, possibly these?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

I've had someone ask me (fairly recently) to complete an onboard survey, this was on a TfW train passing through Shrewsbury towards South Wales. They only wanted it to be completed online.

 

[infobleep]

I've had someone ask me (fairly recently) to complete an onboard survey, this was on a TfW train passing through Shrewsbury towards South Wales. They only wanted it to be completed online.

If my parents were asked to do a survey and then told its only available online they would say no on the principle not everyone uses a computer.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

If my parents were asked to do a survey and then told its only available online they would say no on the principle not everyone uses a computer.

Which means that the survey automatically excludes that subset of the travelling population without any computer/internet access. Well designed survey, that!

 

[nr758123]

I keep getting e-mails from TPE asking "how was your journey". They generally arrive just after I have finished my daily delay repay claim.

 

[benbristow]

If my parents were asked to do a survey and then told its only available online they would say no on the principle not everyone uses a computer.

Before I got to Manchester the hostess brought us all TPE Manchester postcards (first class) with a QR code for another survey about the catering.

 

[mikeb42]

Odd occurrence that happened on the 0906 from Glasgow Central to Manchester Airport today.

Train guard gave notice of a survey taking place on board.

Bunch of men with light blue high vis vests came through the carriage asking whether we were travelling for work/leisure and whether we had a mobile or paper ticket. I observed his badge which had the Transport for Wales logo on it. (...)

Had exactly the same last week except on a WMT Birmingham-Crewe, with a team in some sort of uniform complete with WMT badges looking at (but not scanning) tickets and asking the same questions.

There was however no prior announcement which seemed a bit suspicious at first - though it's not immediately obvious what anyone with malign intent would gain from faking it.

I was struck by the unspoken implication that answering questions beyond those around presenting a valid ticket wasn't voluntary. As a result I was tempted to say "Running a county lines drug operation" (with a grin and a wink) when quizzed on the purpose of my journey. Probably just as well I didn't as the person opposite who they turned to next waved a West Midlands Police warrant card in lieu of a ticket . I was further surprised that he was then still asked the purpose of his journey and replied with an unspoken "obviously!" after "work". Presumably coppers can't just randomly traverse the country on a whim using their warrant cards when not on duty?!

My actual point, such as it is, is that they ought to be a bit clearer that this isn't a revenue inspection and that it is (surely?) voluntary to declare the purpose of your journey. It might save them some time to get an explanation made over the PA too as quite a few of the nearby explanations went straight into "Well, my auntie Doris's therapist's neighbour's Chihuahua had a kidney transplant in Upton Dupton last week and..."

 

[Bletchleyite]

I had them on WMT on Monday and felt they almost came across as aggressive. I wondered if the purpose was actually irrelevant and it was a survey of the level of ticketless travel, particularly as they insisted on seeing my Railcard, which guards and RPIs hardly ever seem to!

 

[infobleep]

Which means that the survey automatically excludes that subset of the travelling population without any computer/internet access. Well designed survey, that!

Quite, which is why my parents object, even though one of them does use a computer.