Virgin Trains can't serve coffee without bags?

[thenorthern]

I am currently on a Virgin Train to Glasgow Central and there has been an announcement several times that the Virgin Shop in Coach C is unable to serve coffee, tea or hot food as they don't have any bags.

Is this a regulation and is it unique to Virgin Trains or across all companies?

In the end on my train a trolly service came up and down the train to serve people hot drinks to people who wanted them.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Been standard for a number of years, something to do with moving trains and spilling drinks. I remember being on a MML train back in the day and asking for a tea as the train approached my stop. "Don't worry about the bag" I said, to which the response was "I have to put it in a bag".

 

[Bletchleyite]

That goes back years, possibly even to BR days, and it applies to all TOCs with walk-up buffets. The reason is simply that if you drop it without a bag (which is likely because of the train lurching) it goes everywhere and possibly scalds someone, whereas the bags do a good job of containing it from flying everywhere. I know, I've dropped a bag of coffee on the train before

 

[BestWestern]

Same on GWR. Elf n safety.

 

[Hadders]

Although this is the sort of thing the Daily Mail lives it's actually really sensible.

 

[jzw95]

Oddly, Eurostar will happily give you a hot drink without a bag.

 

[mailbyrail]

And if you buy it on the platform to 'take away' it never comes with a bag and then you struggle onto a train with luggage, etc,etc and that's fine.
I often used to travel on MML and one of my fellow travellers used to carry a left over paperbag from an earlier purchase just so she could get a drink

 

[thenorthern]

Given the size of Virgin Trains do they charge 5p for the carrier bags as they must have more than 250 staff?

 

[district]

Given the size of Virgin Trains do they charge 5p for the carrier bags as they must have more than 250 staff?

Paper bags are exempt from that legislation.

 

[najaB]

Given the size of Virgin Trains do they charge 5p for the carrier bags as they must have more than 250 staff?

Aren't paper bags exempt?

 

[Deepgreen]

Although this is the sort of thing the Daily Mail lives it's actually really sensible.

Did you mean 'loves', not "lives" (and omit the comma)?

What utter rubbish (with literal connotations) - packaging overkill is a bane of modern life. People need to learn to take responsibility for their own actions. If you can't manage to carry a hot drink in a lidded cup along a train without spilling it dangerously, don't buy one. Once the product leaves the counter in a reasonable container, it should no longer be the seller's responsibility.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Sue culture mitigation. Train lurching isnt a problem on platforms so once SSP sells you that coffee, what you do with it is your perogative.

On board thd train however its damage limitation in case of spillage

 

[Bletchleyite]

You've never gone flying on a train when it lurched unexpectedly?

 

[najaB]

People need to learn to take responsibility for their own actions. If you can't manage to carry a hot drink in a lidded cup along a train without spilling it dangerously, don't buy one.

If it was just the person carrying the drink at risk of scalding I would agree completely. However the risk is mainly to the person they spill the drink onto.

 

[Deepgreen]

If it was just the person carrying the drink at risk of scalding I would agree completely. However the risk is mainly to the person they spill the drink onto.

This shows no sense of proportion whatsoever. Coffee is generally sold in these circumstances in lidded containers. Are the risks so huge as to precipitate such ludicrous 'rules'? This is on a par with returning toothpaste to the seller because it contained no instructions! What a state of affairs.

 

[Clip]

This shows no sense of proportion whatsoever. Coffee is generally sold in these circumstances in lidded containers. Are the risks so huge as to precipitate such ludicrous 'rules'? This is on a par with returning toothpaste to the seller because it contained no instructions! What a state of affairs.

Lids can and do come off even through normal use and if a train lurched then tehres a chance that the drink could be dropped and such a force would indeed cause trhe lid to come off and spill the drink onto someone - thus scalding them.

Seems perfectly sound reasoning to me.

 

[Bletchleyite]

This shows no sense of proportion whatsoever. Coffee is generally sold in these circumstances in lidded containers. Are the risks so huge as to precipitate such ludicrous 'rules'? This is on a par with returning toothpaste to the seller because it contained no instructions! What a state of affairs.

If you drop a paper cup with a plastic lid it will often burst open and spray coffee everywhere. I have done it. The bag prevents this spraying everywhere and damage to passengers' clothing, interior fittings and injuries.

You are much more likely to drop it on a train.

And the bags mean you can still grab a pole with that hand, you can't if you're holding a cup. And many people will buy two coffees or even three and attempt to carry them all back with no spare hand, at which point they go everywhere.

 

[najaB]

This shows no sense of proportion whatsoever. Coffee is generally sold in these circumstances in lidded containers.

I challenge you to sit in a chair and have someone drop a couple of lidded containers of scalding hot coffee on you - please film the results and post them on YouTube.

 

[David Andrews]

I've often returned the empty bag for reuse.

 

[DarloRich]

I am currently on a Virgin Train to Glasgow Central and there has been an announcement several times that the Virgin Shop in Coach C is unable to serve coffee, tea or hot food as they don't have any bags.

Is this a regulation and is it unique to Virgin Trains or across all companies?

In the end on my train a trolly service came up and down the train to serve people hot drinks to people who wanted them.

it has been like that for years on most intercity tocs - I assume to contain any spillage and subsequent scalding should you be thrown off balance while returning to your seat

Did you mean 'loves', not "lives" (and omit the comma)?

What utter rubbish (with literal connotations) - packaging overkill is a bane of modern life. People need to learn to take responsibility for their own actions. If you can't manage to carry a hot drink in a lidded cup along a train without spilling it dangerously, don't buy one. Once the product leaves the counter in a reasonable container, it should no longer be the seller's responsibility.

Sadly many of us are not as perfect as you - In any event the protection isnt really for the benefit of the person carrying the cup. It is for the person the cup lands on after it is dropped, lidded or otherwise.

 

[Jonfun]

I find they're very convenient, as once you've finished your drinks and associated snackables then you can simply put your rubbish back inside the bag and then it's all convenient for disposal if the traincrew have time to run through with a bag or failing that, pop in the bin on your way out.

 

[Gemz91]

I challenge you to sit in a chair and have someone drop a couple of lidded containers of scalding hot coffee on you - please film the results and post them on YouTube.

Happened to my wife a couple of summers ago, resulting in hot coffee (or maybe tea, not too sure on the details) running down her top and bra burning her boobs. Not a big burn, but non the less still not a pleasant experience for her.

 

[Deepgreen]

I find this absolutely ludicrous - where does it stop? Lidded containers must be then encased in bags, and, then, in case the bags tear, they must be in boxes, which must be sealed and padded to contain any possible spillage...and so on. Alternatively, don't sell these 'high risk' substances in 'high risk' environments. Then, for consistency, also stop providing hot drinks, etc., on aircraft (where hot drinks are served without even having lids), which have the propensity for really dangerous lurching, far outweighing trains...

Stunningly risk-averse attitudes which, as some have said, the tabloid press loves.

Almost never has the expression 'storm in a teacup' been more appropriate!

 

[DarloRich]

I find this absolutely ludicrous - where does it stop? Lidded containers must be then encased in bags, and, then, in case the bags tear, they must be in boxes, which must be sealed and padded to contain any possible spillage...and so on. Alternatively, don't sell these 'high risk' substances in 'high risk' environments. Then, for consistency, also stop providing hot drinks, etc., on aircraft (where hot drinks are served without even having lids), which have the propensity for really dangerous lurching, far outweighing trains...

Stunningly risk-averse attitudes which, as some have said, the tabloid press loves.

it has been like that since at least the 1980's - it isnt new.....................

 

[najaB]

Then, for consistency, also stop providing hot drinks, etc., on aircraft (where hot drinks are served without even having lids), which have the propensity for really dangerous lurching, far outweighing trains...

I don't recall being on an aircraft where you walked to the galley to get your hot drink and then walked back to your seat. Sounds interesting, which airline was this?

 

[Deepgreen]

Another thing here - if the risk of spillage from a lidded cup is so great (and, BTW, I almost never buy refreshments en route anyway, so have no axe to grind in terms of personal convenience here), surely that means that the risk of passengers being unseated/falling onto others and injuring them while standing is also unacceptably high? When may we expect seatbelts to be introduced? Consumption of hot drinks to be made illegal in the street in case drinkers trip and cause scalding catastrophes?

Cotton wool sales will surely escalate!

 

[najaB]

Another thing here...

Still waiting for that video proving that the risk is over-exaggerated.

 

[Deepgreen]

I don't recall being on an aircraft where you walked to the galley to get your hot drink and then walked back to your seat. Sounds interesting, which airline was this?

Irrelevant - the process of handing a hot drink across up to three occupied seats while in flight and at the mercy unpredictable clear air turbulence doesn't involve a large risk of spillage?? Good grief, how have we got to this preposterous position of nannying!!

 

[Deepgreen]

Still waiting for that video proving that the risk is over-exaggerated.

What a stupid comment - how can one video disprove a risk...?! Utter nonsense.

 

[tsr]

I remember reading recently (from what I believe was a well-informed source, even though the specifics escape me) that the highest risk of injury in the event of a train accident is now from hot drinks causing scalds/burns when they go flying. It's not the biggest source of injury on the railway - I believe that goes to the ever-present category of slips, trips and falls.

However, by extension, I would expect that appropriate mitigation would be put in place for dealing with any potential accidents involving hot drinks, perhaps due to rough rides or the general movement of trains at any speed. I must admit I can't recall ever personally having spilt a hot drink on anybody, and I do a huge annual rail mileage in the company of tea and coffee, but I've come very close to it, and I'm used to balancing on trains - and I have seen it done by other people a number of times, with the minimum level of inconvenience usually being ruined clothes. In addition, I do remember a number of occasions when I've got back to a cab or locker on a train and found that my securely-stowed cup of coffee has worked its way free, and gone and spilt all over the place. Sometimes this has included dedicated cup-holders failing to live up to their jobs.

A paper bag is usually recyclable, unless heavily contaminated, in which case it should biodegrade fairly readily, and is probably less harmful than the waste generated by the bin bag you put the coffee cup in. It's also a surprisingly good way of carrying coffee - although they don't have outlets on trains, some shops like Pret have really got the skill of packing them into paper bags down to a fine art.

As for airliners, now there's a place where I have spilt coffee everywhere, though in my case it was partly due to the bad design of an Air Canada tray table, which flipped upwards at the slightest opportunity, even if heavily laden. But just like the fact that, as a member of frontline rail staff, I'm reasonably good at balancing things around my person on trains, I'd also expect members of staff who serve refreshments on aircraft to have the best skills in distributing hot drinks.