AirPods while driving?

[Questiontime]

Recently saw a train driver with AirPods on while operating, are there any rules against this?

Thanks

 

[Juliet Barvo]

Recently saw a train driver with AirPods on while operating, are there any rules against this?

Thanks

Sackable offence some places.

...the driving cab should be free from distractions...

And how's he goina hear the AWS, the Vigilance and Broadcasts, with them in his ears?

Nothing about it in the rule book however.

 

[Bigfoot]

Recently saw a train driver with AirPods on while operating, are there any rules against this?

Thanks

My guess is this was on the tube and not the mainline, the tube seem to almost allow it.

 

[Aivilo]

It's not allowed on the tube if your caught big trouble

 

[Dynamonic]

My TOC has a zero-tolerance policy for any form of personal electronic devices in the driving cab. As mentioned above, it’s a sackable offence.

 

[Gooner18]

I’ve seen a driver walking about in the cab while coming into the station ( underground ). Won’t say what line buts it is one of the fully automated ones

 

[hexagon789]

I’ve seen a driver walking about in the cab while coming into the station ( underground ). Won’t say what line buts it is one of the fully automated ones

Surely they should be seated and alert at all times in case they need to intervene with an emergency brake application if something occurs which the automatic systems can't deal with.

 

[theking]

Don't the underground have some kind of ear plugs now because of the track noise.

 

[RBSN]

Mainline Railway it’s a sackable offence and would more than likely end with exactly that.

 

[choochoochoo]

Sackable offence some places.

...the driving cab should be free from distractions...

And how's he goina hear the AWS, the Vigilance and Broadcasts, with them in his ears?

Nothing about it in the rule book however.

Also nothing in the rule book saying it had to be a male

 

[ainsworth74]

I did once see a Thameslink driver wearing ear bud style headphones which I was fairly sure was probably a no no. Then again the reason I saw them was he left the cab to chuck someone off the train who had held the doors at a station so I assume he was something of a, er, interesting character as a driver

 

[Juliet Barvo]

Also nothing in the rule book saying it had to be a male

How much do I hate the Politically Correct crowd??

On the other hand, as only 6% of Drivers are female, it more likely than not was a He.

 

[Cyclist]

My TOC has a zero-tolerance policy for any form of personal electronic devices in the driving cab. As mentioned above, it’s a sackable offence.

Out of interest, does this policy apply to smart watches?

 

[mmh]

Recently saw a train driver with AirPods on while operating, are there any rules against this?

Thanks

If you can see what a driver has on his head, let alone the brand, without being in the cab with them...

 

[Red1980]

Out of interest, does this policy apply to smart watches?

Certainly did on my pass out where I had to silence it.

I'd assume anything that could give you alerts such as emails etc would be a no go.

 

[Dynamonic]

Out of interest, does this policy apply to smart watches?

My TOC issues you with radio controlled watches to wear at work, which is part of your uniform.
You can’t wear watches capable of receiving calls and messages, and the wearing of other watch types like fitness watches has to be authorised by your Driver Manager.

 

[tiptoptaff]

My TOC's electronic policy has recently been updated to ban smart watches being used in the cab. The argument of "but if my phone is off my watch isn't smart" from the smart watch wearer's didn't wash

 

[jon0844]

My TOC's electronic policy has recently been updated to ban smart watches being used in the cab. The argument of "but if my phone is off my watch isn't smart" from the smart watch wearer's didn't wash

Especially with some watches having their own SIM.

 

[CC 72100]

My TOC's electronic policy has recently been updated to ban smart watches being used in the cab. The argument of "but if my phone is off my watch isn't smart" from the smart watch wearer's didn't wash

The one thing that surprises me is people who wear smart watches to work- the railway is a grimy environment so quite why you would want to put your 400 quid watch in that environment I'm not sure?!

 

[tiptoptaff]

The one thing that surprises me is people who wear smart watches to work- the railway is a grimy environment so quite why you would want to put your 400 quid watch in that environment I'm not sure?!

Mine is worth that but it's not a smart one!! :Lol'

 

[CC 72100]

Mine is worth that but it's not a smart one!! :Lol'

I just use the work-supplied watch, partly because I'm lazy, partly because I'd rather that get all manky than one of my own. Besides, I hear TOCwatches are right on trend

 

[Dynamonic]

I just use the work-supplied watch, partly because I'm lazy, partly because I'd rather that get all manky than one of my own. Besides, I hear TOCwatches are right on trend

I know right? I could swear everyone is wearing one!

 

[axlecounter]

Surely they should be seated and alert at all times in case they need to intervene with an emergency brake application if something occurs which the automatic systems can't deal with.

Shouldn’t different methods of keeping focus be used on automated systems? While I see how airpods can be a distraction on mainline/traditional systems (ie look at the signals) I don’t see how they could worsen the situation in an automatically run train.

 

[Juliet Barvo]

................ I hear TOCwatches are right on trend

TOCwatches are complete ****e....

 

[Stigy]

TOCwatches are complete ****e....

The voice of somebody who’s experienced the hardship of altering the time by an hour on one when there’s seldom changes itself?

 

[krus_aragon]

I just use the work-supplied watch, partly because I'm lazy, partly because I'd rather that get all manky than one of my own. Besides, I hear TOCwatches are right on trend

I prefer the ones that TIC as well as TOC

 

[43066]

Recently saw a train driver with AirPods on while operating, are there any rules against this?

Thanks

An absolute no-no and a sackable offence, as others have said.

I can think of more than one driver sacked for using electronic devices in the cab - the last one was observed by a manager checking his phone at a busy London terminal while waiting to be dispatched.

The policy is cut and dried and it’s a crazy risk to take. I have my own views on whether listening to music while driving might actually aid concentration, but the policy is what it is.

The one thing that surprises me is people who wear smart watches to work- the railway is a grimy environment so quite why you would want to put your 400 quid watch in that environment I'm not sure?!

The railway environment has never done my non-smart, but reassuringly expensive, Swiss timepiece any harm.

 

[Juliet Barvo]

The voice of somebody who’s experienced the hardship of altering the time by an hour on one when there’s seldom changes itself?

A Radio timeset watch that does not set itself by the radio sync, so you have to set it manually, and which loses time, and which has buttons on the side that are pressed and set something unhelpful every time you take your top on or off. It's complete $h!te.

 

[Juliet Barvo]

Shouldn’t different methods of keeping focus be used on automated systems? While I see how airpods can be a distraction on mainline/traditional systems (ie look at the signals) I don’t see how they could worsen the situation in an automatically run train.

Are there any Automatically run trains with Drivers?

 

[43066]

Are there any Automatically run trains with Drivers?

Absolutely.

The ATO LU lines (Jubilee, Victoria, Central, Northern and shortly the entire subsurface network) all have drivers.

The Thameslink core is planned to switch over to ATO operation shortly.