VTWC Pendolino reservation display changes

[Bletchleyite]

I noted today that the Pendolino reservation displays have changed to show "AVAILABLE IF NOT OCCUPIED" instead of "RESERVED" after leaving a station.

This seems to be effectively a move to the DB policy of "claim it straight away or you lose it".

What do people think? I reckon it'd be better if it was maybe 5 minutes after departure in case someone on boarding uses the loo or goes to the shop before going to their seat as I have before?

 

[hexagon789]

I noted today that the Pendolino reservation displays have changed to show "AVAILABLE IF NOT OCCUPIED" instead of "RESERVED" after leaving a station.

This seems to be effectively a move to the DB policy of "claim it straight away or you lose it".

What do people think? I reckon it'd be better if it was maybe 5 minutes after departure in case someone on boarding uses the loo or goes to the shop before going to their seat as I have before?

On the whole it's a good principle, so many seats must stay empty every day in spite of being booked.

I would agree, immediately clearing the reservation could be problematic for the reasons you outline, but I would think those occasions would be the exception rather than the norm.

Is it really worthwhile to put a time-delay into the system to cover for those occasions, can it even be done, would it even be done?

 

[bramling]

I noted today that the Pendolino reservation displays have changed to show "AVAILABLE IF NOT OCCUPIED" instead of "RESERVED" after leaving a station.

This seems to be effectively a move to the DB policy of "claim it straight away or you lose it".

What do people think? I reckon it'd be better if it was maybe 5 minutes after departure in case someone on boarding uses the loo or goes to the shop before going to their seat as I have before?

Sounds like a good idea, although I can see some potential for squabbles if someone should turn up late for whatever reason.

 

[route101]

Hopefully better reliability of the screens . Nothing worse when there not showing and you have to take a chance on a seat .

 

[Bletchleyite]

Hopefully better reliability of the screens . Nothing worse when there not showing and you have to take a chance on a seat .

I rarely see an issue on Pendolinos - it's Voyagers where they barely ever work.

 

[Mag_seven]

I noted today that the Pendolino reservation displays have changed to show "AVAILABLE IF NOT OCCUPIED" instead of "RESERVED" after leaving a station.

Why not just state "AVAILABLE" after 5 mins rather than "AVAILABLE IF NOT OCCUPIED". Isn't the phrase "AVAILABLE IF NOT OCCUPIED" a tautology!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Why not just state "AVAILABLE" after 5 mins rather than "AVAILABLE IF NOT OCCUPIED". Isn't the phrase "AVAILABLE IF NOT OCCUPIED" a tautology!

Yes, I thought that a bit odd. It does say AVAILABLE for seats that are entirely unreserved. Perhaps it couldn't say the same thing for both, but it could perhaps do "AVAILABLE" and "AVAILABLE." or something.

 

[BucksBones]

I sat down in a seat marked “AVAILABLE IF NOT OCCUPIED” yesterday and almost immediately was asked to move by someone saying they’d booked it; I looked back up at the screen and it had changed to reserved! Is this a 10-minute reservation thing like XC or just a glitch? If the former, it should at least say “could be reserved” like they do on XC.

 

[MDB1images]

A good idea, certainly will help those less familiar.

 

[VT 390]

What would happen if you got up during the journey to use the shop or toilet and it was a busy service and someone then sits in your reserved seat?

 

[Bletchleyite]

What would happen if you got up during the journey to use the shop or toilet and it was a busy service and someone then sits in your reserved seat?

One assumes it is, per the DB policy, necessary to leave something there to indicate occupancy.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I sat down in a seat marked “AVAILABLE IF NOT OCCUPIED” yesterday and almost immediately was asked to move by someone saying they’d booked it; I looked back up at the screen and it had changed to reserved! Is this a 10-minute reservation thing like XC or just a glitch? If the former, it should at least say “could be reserved” like they do on XC.

They don't have a TMR type scheme and it doesn't appear that that is what it represents. Where was this? If it was on boarding, perhaps they had not loaded fully when you sat down?

 

[Skie]

The change seems to be rolling out with the free wifi update.

Went completely wonky the other day, reserved seats were showing as available whilst unreserved seats simply had nothing showing for them.

 

[185143]

Lost my seat going to Glasgow earlier this year. Reserved a table seat, went to the shop when it opened, came back and people were sat at my table! The screens said "Available if Unoccupied" so I didn't feel I had any right to make someone move. Was NOT impressed.

I shifted up to a certain MK-Based member's favourite seat, and settled into my burger and a few cans.

Still, not as unhelpful as XC displaying "May Be Reserved" for literally every seat on a Reading-Birmingham service... the twitter team agreed, and confirmed that the seat I had reserved from Banbury was indeed free throughout. Which was good of them, but I shouldn't have to tweet to see if my seat is reserved or not!

 

[Starmill]

Still, not as unhelpful as XC displaying "May Be Reserved" for literally every seat on a Reading-Birmingham service...

My avatar's ears are burning

 

[VT 390]

Still, not as unhelpful as XC displaying "May Be Reserved" for literally every seat on a Reading-Birmingham service... the twitter team agreed, and confirmed that the seat I had reserved from Banbury was indeed free throughout. Which was good of them, but I shouldn't have to tweet to see if my seat is reserved or not!

I thought that this was only in coach A (first class) and coach C (standard class).

 

[185143]

I thought that this was only in coach A (first class) and coach C (standard class).

Nope. Was literally every pair of seats on the train.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Nope. Was literally every pair of seats on the train.

That is a system failure (note that it isn't showing the numbers), not a normal condition, I believe.

 

[221129]

That is a system failure (note that it isn't showing the numbers), not a normal condition, I believe.

Correct.

 

[Starmill]

That is a system failure (note that it isn't showing the numbers), not a normal condition, I believe.

Indeed. This was also the case on the train where my avatar picture was taken (for anyone who hasn't seen it before, it says exactly the same thing 'may be reserved' but in German).

 

[Bletchleyite]

Indeed. This was also the case on the train where my avatar picture was taken (for anyone who hasn't seen it before, it says exactly the same thing 'may be reserved' but in German).

"Ggf. reserviert" is also used for their "Ten Minute Reservation" type setup.

 

[3141]

One assumes it is, per the DB policy, necessary to leave something there to indicate occupancy.

Most people are not going to know anything whatever about DB policy. Many people would prefer not to leave any of their belongings on a seat while they go to the loo or the shop. If there is a policy, it would be helpful for Virgin to announce what it is, and advise people that if they leave their seat for any reason someone else may have taken it when they get back.

 

[causton]

That is a system failure (note that it isn't showing the numbers), not a normal condition, I believe.

It looks like a member of traincrew has manually typed that in?

 

[221129]

It looks like a member of traincrew has manually typed that in?

Unlikely

 

[causton]

Unlikely

You mean that is a preset message and not something just typed in quickly? How sloppy. Doesn't surprise me actually!

 

[Puffing Devil]

I started a thread in Railway General without seeing this.

The system also shows "Reserved From STATION".

This is great when boarding at Liverpool and disembarking at Crewe, as you can get the benefit of a seat reserved from Crewe.

The Available if Unoccupied is also great for me boarding a London train at Crewe. Do I take an empty reserved seat and hope I don't get ousted at Stafford, or keep searching?

So long as it works, it's a good innovation.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It always did the former (reserved from) from new.

 

[supervc-10]

I often buy split tickets from Manchester to London and back, because they're often a fair bit cheaper (student life!). They used to tend to give me the same seat on both portions of the reservation, but last weekend I had 2 seats in both directions. But on both journeys, the first seat was then 'available' from where the ticket changeover happened. Weird. Still, I was a bit naughty on the way back and sat in the 'available' aisle seat next to my reserved 'window' seat (IE, plastic pillar seat), and got the double pair entirely to myself for the whole trip!

 

[TravellingPhil]

I think the reservation system is getting a bit over complicated. A simple 'Reserved from station x to station y' is fine, just as it always was on the paper reservations and carried onwards onto scrolling electronic ones. If I get on at Crewe, see a seat is reserved between Preston and Birmingham but no-one is in it, then I know it's probably ok to sit there. Although thinking abou itt, these new displays aren't in practise much different. It's the Cross Country system that like some others, I object to.

Having said that, talking about paper tickets, when I was on the Highland Chieftain last October between Inverness and Haymarket. The paper reservation had my reservation printed on it and a second one for a passenger from Edinburgh to London. It kept falling out and getting kicked under the table and I was keen to make sure it was in place before I left the train so the next passenger wouldn't lose out! I bet passengers have lost their seats that way before!