Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
Hi all just wanted some insight if possible. I recently was unsuccessful as a Qualified Mainline Driver for ARL due to my address. I drive and I am qualified and wanted to move to ARL.
My time travelling via car is 34 minutes to their depot, but due to their policy of having to live within 1 hour of the depot via public transport they’ve rejected me. Has anyone got any insight on this.?
I am absolutely gutted to say the least as it would sort out my work life balance tremendously working there
What? Seriously? They expect you to be within an hour away via Public Transport? That's Absurd as what happens when the services aren't running??? I think they might have made a mistake as I can't understand especially for a Qualified why such a requisite exists.
Did you check how long it takes to travel both early morning(usually to arrive at depot for the first book in time which lets assume 04:00am) and then for a possible Afternoon book on (lets say 16:00pm) .
Yes I can’t believe it. I’d never travel via transport anyway I’ve been a driver nearly four years and commute to east London every day 30/40 miles via car and have done every shift since being a driver. I’m trying to chase it up but I’m so gutted. Gutted is an understatement to be fair. They were pretty harsh on the phone and said public transport 1 hour is their policy they’re not bothered by your car commute. Yes I’ve also checked the times for earlys and lates and they’re both miles under an hour.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
For a 4am start, it takes 32 minutes via car from my official address and 16 minutes via my partners address from where I commute to work from everyday anyway. I explained both points and the person on the phone was pretty robust with the public transport policy
Yes I can’t believe it. I’d never travel via transport anyway I’ve been a driver nearly four years and commute to east London every day 30/40 miles via car and have done every shift since being a driver. I’m trying to chase it up but I’m so gutted. Gutted is an understatement to be fair. They were pretty harsh on the phone and said public transport 1 hour is their policy they’re not bothered by your car commute. Yes I’ve also checked the times for earlys and lates and they’re both miles under an hour.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
For a 4am start, it takes 32 minutes via car from my official address and 16 minutes via my partners address from where I commute to work from everyday anyway. I explained both points and the person on the phone was pretty robust with the public transport policy
Wow never knew Overground were this strict on Public Transport travel times. I would have thought that not having to rely on public transport and hence not having the added risk of getting caught up in possible disruption was what Most TOCs would prefer.
If you were to drive to nearest public transport, is it still over 60 mins to depot?? Considering what you say about the driving time it seems strange if so? I think you need clarification from them on this, defo doesn’t add up that.
Safety of the line is clean thankfully touch wood. Absolutely clean. 3 years six months qualified. They even sent me a form to fill out then half way through emailed me back saying they cannot take me they made a mistake sending me the form as they’ve realised howrver short my car journey, it’s my public transport time that’s out of an hour and will contribute to fatigue
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
If you were to drive to nearest public transport, is it still over 60 mins to depot?? Considering what you say about the driving time it seems strange if so? I think you need clarification from them on this, defo doesn’t add up that.
Its not as good as some thats for sure but if it's a closer commute it will cost less in fuel and give you more time at home anyway.
Id argue the work will be better and more laid back then ARL too.
Sundays are outside so a good chance to boost the wage as well
Which depot. Though to be fair it's decent at both Willesden and New Cross. They didn't used to be that strict as I was a trainee and then qualified driver with them and I live Bedfordshire.
I wouldn't attempt NXG from Beaconsfield every day, sod that...
Not sure what measure they're using but Beaconsfield to WJ is <1hr in my opinion. Quite a few drivers live further out and all under an hour via public transport if you time it right. Chiltern, Met, Bakerloo & Overground don't run at night for early starts and late finishes anyway.
Yes I can’t believe it. I’d never travel via transport anyway I’ve been a driver nearly four years and commute to east London every day 30/40 miles via car and have done every shift since being a driver. I’m trying to chase it up but I’m so gutted. Gutted is an understatement to be fair. They were pretty harsh on the phone and said public transport 1 hour is their policy they’re not bothered by your car commute. Yes I’ve also checked the times for earlys and lates and they’re both miles under an hour.
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
For a 4am start, it takes 32 minutes via car from my official address and 16 minutes via my partners address from where I commute to work from everyday anyway. I explained both points and the person on the phone was pretty robust with the public transport policy
To drive 30/40 miles in 32 mins door to door you must either live on top of a motorway, or be hooning it, to be fair. I’d imagine they’d discount your partner’s address entirely.
How long would it take you at busy times of the day to drive to the depot, and by public transport, from your official address? They may simply have quite a few applicants who will live within a short drive/bus/night-bussable distance of the depot, at all times of the day and night.
They are probably looking at commutes more closely from a fatigue point of view, as many operators seem to be at the moment, including my own (and that of another poster on this thread).
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Maybe the “experience” of employing you is what caused them to tighten the requirements?
Joking aside, I’m sure you’ve also noticed the crackdown where we are on factoring commutes into the fatigue index which, if they’re actually doing it rather than just saying it, is sensible. That approach is perhaps being adopted more widely?
It is bizarre though, I follow an LU driver on YouTube, he lives in Peterborough and drives to Cockfosters to collect his train, its about 80 miles each way and can take him two and half hours depending on traffic Its close to two hours on a good day. It can be even longer if his train doesn't get back to the depot so he has to get a taxi or public transport back to where his car is parked.
It is bizarre though, I follow an LU driver on YouTube, he lives in Peterborough and drives to Cockfosters to collect his train, its about 80 miles each way and can take him two and half hours depending on traffic Its close to two hours on a good day. It can be even longer if his train doesn't get back to the depot so he has to get a taxi or public transport back to where his car is parked.
The furthest out I’ve seen LU people on our patch is Leicester. We have people coming in from as far afield as Lincolnshire (which seems crazy to me, but doable by driving to Peterborough and then Thameslink/LNER).
AIUI it’s slightly easier for LU in that they have more control over their shifts due to “mafia” arrangements, meaning they can more easily work permanent earlies/middles/lates to suit.
It is bizarre though, I follow an LU driver on YouTube, he lives in Peterborough and drives to Cockfosters to collect his train, its about 80 miles each way and can take him two and half hours depending on traffic Its close to two hours on a good day. It can be even longer if his train doesn't get back to the depot so he has to get a taxi or public transport back to where his car is parked.
There's a lot of staff "grandfathered" in where they have worked for the company before fatigue travel requirements were strict and it's a very murky area when people do originally live within the threshold and then move further out once they have the role - I don't know how much diligence the company puts on this after the move but would be interested if there are any train crew here who have any experience with this.
I don't know how much diligence the company puts on this after the move but would be interested if there are any train crew here who have any experience with this.
There’s nothing they can really do if people move after they've been employed.
However, as I alluded to above, where I am (not ARL) they have been asking for commute details, ostensibly to factoring these into the fatigue index. That could mean people living a long distance from work are less able to work rest days etc. but equally it could make it harder to roster people to dead earlies/lates etc. which clearly wouldn’t be fair on those who live closer.
I wonder whether there any ARL crew in the forum who could comment on their current arrangements?
Beaconsfield - Willesden Junction 42min - source: Citymapper (quickest I could find)
It will cost an ARL driver: £0.00
Else drive off peak in ~1/2hr as you will anyway for many shifts.
I think they've made a mistake, e.g. used thetrainline.com to calculate the journey which is inefficient in this case.
I had an absolutely horrendous experience with ARL HR and whilst I wish you the very best of luck trying to get this sorted out, my experience tells me they will refuse to engage and will already have all the excuses under the sun lined up as to why they won’t change their decision.
We have had a number of issues with members trying to set up duplicate accounts in this forum.
Please note that we only allow one account per person, but if you find yourself in a situation in which you'd like a separate identity for this section then please contact us directly and explain your reasoning or concerns rather than setting up a separate new account.
RailUK was launched on 6th June 2005 - so we've hit 20 years being the UK's most popular railway community! Read more and celebrate this milestone with us in this thread!
