Virgin Employee Travel Perks

[hairyhandedfool]

Just for the record, given I am a member of TOC staff.

I have never asked for first class travel and only once accepted the invitation to do so (my TOC at the time, but my pass was standard only, the invitation was from the Head of Revenue Protection), and only on two occasions have I asked to travel free on another TOC (both on a journey my TOC would serve anyway). On all other occasions I have paid for a ticket or been valid with my staff pass.

 

[Mr Spock]

The way myself my dad/grandad have always looked at it is like this, what is the harm in helping your colleagues out just to gain a little bit of revenue, I have newer abused or expected, however, we take alot of the Virgin staff to work/home etc on our local services, Now if I did want to travel to say somewhere like London I would ask the guard (TM same as guard just a bigger train) (same rulebook) if I could travel if he said no yes i would be rather p'ed off but accept it but I would take his name for the simple reason let him/her explain to thier colleagues why they now have to pay and see the attitudes then change, since the railway has been fractured its always seem to be a them Vs. us mentality which needs to end for the benefit of ALL railway staff and dependents( and yes if I knew someone was taking the p I would make it very clear what would happen) we should be looking after each other not going against each other, its a sad state of affairs

Pettyness goes both ways

What a load of nonsense, just why should you be allowed to travel wherever you want for free? Presumably you knew the situation with priviledge travel when you joined so why don't you use them correctly and stop trying to coerce other staff into allowing you to abuse the system.

The only pettyness i have seen so far has come from you because like a spoilt child you can't get what you want.

 

[scotsman]

I think this goes back to the days of BR, when staff would be able to use passes over different parts of the network. Since all the rail staff worked for the one organisation, there was a lot of cameraderie and a lot of resentment from Guards and TTIs to charge colleagues or mates in BR. Any friend of Bill is a friend of mine an' aw that....

The problem is, some people are taking this for granted and expect that they should get 1st Class when they aren't entitled to it. It doesn't help that on busy services in the past, Staff on passes might have been upgraded so that paying passengers should sit down.

 

[dk1]

I have BR boxes & try to use them for longer & preferably 2-day trips. I usually buy priv tickets before boarding for everything else. In my experience the guards will then ask me "what did you go & buy that for", trouble is the day i dont is the day i get the guard whose not a happy bunny. If i try to buy on board (no ticket office) they wont take my money. I always appreciate this & make a point of thanking them as i leave.

 

[ANorthernGuard]

What a load of nonsense, just why should you be allowed to travel wherever you want for free? Presumably you knew the situation with priviledge travel when you joined so why don't you use them correctly and stop trying to coerce other staff into allowing you to abuse the system.

The only pettyness i have seen so far has come from you because like a spoilt child you can't get what you want.

If you read my post you will read that I have NEVER asked to go to somewhere like e.g. London what I said was I would ASK 1st I would not expect its common courtesy to look after your colleagues, when the s**t hits the fan I want ppl on my side not against, ppl like yourself obviously prefer the current system where there is no camarderie (yes i cant spell) and everyone just looks after themselves

 

[222007]

As an RPI i never charge another staff member unless they ask for a priv ticket (if im asked i'll wave em on). I dont ever travel on other toc's though without a ticket as i dont want to land myself in trouble. East Midlands Trains im my experience have been good to me with numerous TM's saying why did you buy that for however there also the toc i'm most warey of.

 

[Mr Spock]

If you read my post you will read that I have NEVER asked to go to somewhere like e.g. London what I said was I would ASK 1st I would not expect its common courtesy to look after your colleagues, when the s**t hits the fan I want ppl on my side not against, ppl like yourself obviously prefer the current system where there is no camarderie (yes i cant spell) and everyone just looks after themselves

My reply was based on the fact that you said that you would ask for a freebie not necessarily that you had.

As for camaraderie it should not rely on someone giving you something that you are not entitled to so if someone sticks to the "rules" and says no then that should be the end of it.

If you want to allow staff from other companies to travel free then that is up to you but to penalise them because somebody denied you makes you seem petty.

Many staff to some extent are better off nowadays as they seem to get unlimited free travel on their TOC's, as well as sister Toc's, whereas under BR everybody had the same or similar limits on free passes. I know that if you want to travel a great deal then it can be restrictive but unfortunately they are the rules that we play today.

 

[theblackwatch]

Judging by a few posts on here, it seems it's quite fine for staff to allow other staff to eff it. If you worked for a supermarket, would you allow other staff who worked there to take their shopping for free? Or would it only be ok if they asked first?

Incidentally, 'we' (whoever that may be?) are not ONE railway.

 

[Fred26]

Judging by a few posts on here, it seems it's quite fine for staff to allow other staff to eff it. If you worked for a supermarket, would you allow other staff who worked there to take their shopping for free? Or would it only be ok if they asked first?

Incidentally, 'we' (whoever that may be?) are not ONE railway.

Well, it's NXEA now.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Judging by a few posts on here, it seems it's quite fine for staff to allow other staff to eff it. If you worked for a supermarket, would you allow other staff who worked there to take their shopping for free? Or would it only be ok if they asked first?

At least keep it in the same field, TBW, supermsrkets and railways ARE NOT the same thing, at least compare it to buses or domestic air travel (which again is slightly different)

 

[theblackwatch]

At least keep it in the same field, TBW, supermsrkets and railways ARE NOT the same thing, at least compare it to buses or domestic air travel (which again is slightly different)

So railways and supermarkets aren't both businesses with employees and customers? I await an answer to my original question.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

So railways and supermarkets aren't both businesses with employees and customers? I await an answer to my original question.

Yes they are, but they are two completely different things!

 

[theblackwatch]

Yes they are, but they are two completely different things!

Perhaps as a more direct comparison, I should use an employee of Sainsbury's being given free shopping from Morrisons in the same way a Northern employee is allowed to travel for nothing by a Cross Country member of staff.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Answer awaited.

Right, so if you work in a hospital, you should get free treatment? In a shop, it is highly unlikely that the manager would agree for the staff to take anything for free, and the company may feel profits slip should this be common, at say £40 a time. Supermarket staff gets discounts much the same that rail employees do, but if they take something from their line of business for free, it has a larger effect on the supermarkets than railways. On railways, free staff travel makes sense on the TOC makes sense, and it is at the discretion of the Guards on other TOC's services as to whether the staff of one TOC gets free travel on theirs. If someone on the railways gets a £5 journey (with the 75% discount), no-one will notice, but in a supermarket it would be shoplifting: one is theft, one is not (I'm sure you are intelligent enough to put the two options into that last bit).
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Perhaps as a more direct comparison, I should use an employee of Sainsbury's being given free shopping from Morrisons in the same way a Northern employee is allowed to travel for nothing by a Cross Country member of staff.

But XC and Northern fall under the same umbrella (ATOC) and profits made by them are put towards DfT, NR etc, whereas Morrisons and Sainsbury's profits do to... themselves. Also, anything you could get from Sainsburys, most of the time you could get from Morrisons too, whereas I would like to see you get from Stoke to Taunton on Northern Rail.

 

[theblackwatch]

Both are defrauding the company/employer of revenue. Or do you disagree with that too?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Both are defrauding the company/employer of revenue. Or do you disagree with that too?

Most staff you will actually hold a valid ticket for the journeys they do, but as I said, it is at the discretion of the Guard as to what happens, staff aren't defrauding the TOCs, their own staff are.

 

[Anvil1984]

The supermarket comparison doesnt quite fit. If someone from a company takes a tin of beans for free thats a tin of beans that cannot be given to another customer, if a employee is on a train he has to give up his seat if a train is fully stancing and any customer can still use the train (I haven't worded that well but you catch my drift).

 

[90019]

Ok then, you work as a taxi driver, as a perk you get free travel in taxis from your own company.
Would you expect to be able to travel for free with a different taxi company?

 

[scotsman]

Ok then, you work as a taxi driver, as a perk you get free travel in taxis from your own company.
Would you expect to be able to travel for free with a different taxi company?

No, but there's never been a network of taxis. The Rail network, whether management see it that way or not, is one big family - despite the breakup of BR.

 

[notadriver]

When I used to be a guard, I was travelling (in plain clothes) on a train - the very TOC I worked for - on the last service and sat in 1st class. The train was one worked by our depot - the guard (who i knew ) was running late on an inbound service. There was another guy in plain sitting in 1st class who then challenged me for my ticket. Now as far as I know RPO/REOs aren't allowed to check passengers tickets without the permission of the guard. The train still hadn't moved because it had no crew. This was the last coastbound service at night.

 

[scotsman]

When I used to be a guard, I was travelling (in plain clothes) on a train - the very TOC I worked for - on the last service and sat in 1st class. The train was one worked by our depot - the guard (who i knew ) was running late on an inbound service. There was another guy in plain sitting in 1st class who then challenged me for my ticket. Now as far as I know RPO/REOs aren't allowed to check passengers tickets without the permission of the guard. The train still hadn't moved because it had no crew. This was the last coastbound service at night.

What did you do?

 

[tbtc]

There are a certain number of railway staff keen to abuse the system and a certain number of guards keen to turn a blind eye to any rail staff riding trains for free...

What century are people living in?

If the contract allows you to a certain number of "free" journeys a year then fair enough (the same contract which doesn't allow you to overtime rates on 27 December, but that's another story).

However, the "nudge nudge, wink wink, we don't have to play by the rules, we're better than the passengers" stuff... it really irritates.

 

[CarterUSM]

There are a certain number of railway staff keen to abuse the system and a certain number of guards keen to turn a blind eye to any rail staff riding trains for free...

What century are people living in?

If the contract allows you to a certain number of "free" journeys a year then fair enough (the same contract which doesn't allow you to overtime rates on 27 December, but that's another story).

However, the "nudge nudge, wink wink, we don't have to play by the rules, we're better than the passengers" stuff... it really irritates.

You've certainly got a point, but rightly, or more likely wrongly, it is due to a sense of comrade-ship and understanding between staff. I can understand the irritation however.

 

[ANorthernGuard]

You've certainly got a point, but rightly, or more likely wrongly, it is due to a sense of comrade-ship and understanding between staff. I can understand the irritation however.

The Comrade'ship & understanding is what makes the railways one of the few jobs left you can usually rely on your colleagues, however reading how this thread is going, I am certainly not sure if people who don't like "certain" things that I have said (which are what I believe in and certainly don't expect everyone to agree with) that are actually railway or people who are rather bitter, I have done many jobs in my lifetime from good old manual labout to running my own businesses, but the railway is the one occupation that I have when I trust my colleagues to do the right thing (and by that I don't mean the free travel discussion)

I,ve said it before and I'll say it again (maybe its an old fashioned way of thinking but hey thats life) im 4th Gen railway My father/Grandfather/GreatGrandfather would be turning in thier graves the way the railway is so fragmented and people look at other colleagues with the i'm better than you ethos just because one guard does express work & the other does stoppers, we all have to know the same Rulebook, have to deal with the same passengers, and we work on the same tracks, what colour your uniform is should not make a difference full stop. (sadly to too many people it does)

and for the record I do not see myself any better than passengers, just because I believe in helping out my colleagues, accusing me of that is insulting to myself and the numerous passengers that I now know on a 1st name basis due to the years I have been doing this job and whom I treat with the utmost respect & courtesy!

 

[tbtc]

You've certainly got a point, but rightly, or more likely wrongly, it is due to a sense of comrade-ship and understanding between staff. I can understand the irritation however.

What I find so frustrating about this (and I'm not singling individuals out) is the way that Guards etc want public support over issues like train safety (when TOCs threaten to make the drivers responsible for safety), or threaten to strike over not getting enough commission (ECML ticket barriers mean fewer penalty fares meaning less £££ for the Guards selling them), and that kind of thing...

...at the same time that a blind eye is turned to all of this.

I used to be a football steward (Scottish Third Division). At away games, I'd sometimes chat to the "home" stewards, there was sometimes a little camaraderie etc, but I'd think it bonkers if you suggested that I should let them into "my" ground for free and they should let me into "their" ground for free. Best example I can think of off the top of my head right now...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

you can usually rely on your colleagues

It must be nice, but it's little consolation for the millions of people who pay expensive fares, to see the "nudge nudge" culture work like this

 

[Legzr1]

Sounds like sour grapes - "I'm having to pay so you should".

I could be wrong...

 

[Clip]

Right, so if you work in a hospital, you should get free treatment? .

Im sorry but your attempt at a half decent argument ended there. You get free treatment full stop. Thats why its called the NHS.

People shouldn't just assume that they can travel for free anymore. All this about camaraderie is useless now. There are more and more people coming into the railway to work who have no sense of it and will and do work to the rules that they have been told by..

By all means ask the guard first but dont get the bloody hump if he says no.

 

[Aictos]

As a non safeguarded staff member, I appreciate the travel benefits available to me, regardless of any travel agreement between my TOC and others I will seek out the guard before boarding as I have no trouble if need be in giving assistance should the manure hit the fan provided I'm not drunk which shouldn't be a problem as I don't booze regularly.

I know there are various agreements between neighbouring TOCs but the last thing anyone needs is to find someone with passes whose's just put family members into First Class just because they happened to be management and without asking the guard first which has happened before, management should lead by example and instead of criticising frontline staff, the criticism should be levelled at a higher level.

I've travelled on services before which have encountered disruption when off duty and although I could take the easy route of not getting involved, I try to help in any way possible as despite the damages done to the railway family, we are still one family and need to look after each other as you never know when you might need help.

 

[tbtc]

Sounds like sour grapes - "I'm having to pay so you should".

I could be wrong...

Are you telling me that you'd be happy shelling out money for something that other people get for nothing (despite not being entitled to it)?

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Im sorry but your attempt at a half decent argument ended there.

I was talikng about treatment that has to be paid for, not available on the NHS