ValleyLines142
Established Member
My fiancée had to make a journey from Gloucester to Cardiff this morning. He had an Advance ticket on the 08:58 departure, which is usually a Transport for Wales service but with the landslide at Lydney there are replacement buses in operation. It was odd that the app allowed him to buy a ticket for a service that clearly wasn't running (he was aware of the landslide, but assumed that it had been cleared and that the line had reopened as he was able to buy a ticket). He checked with GWR if he could travel via Filton Abbey Wood, as he didn't particularly want to get on a replacement bus with his suitcase and it would be more of a faff. He checked the train times via Filton and they all worked in his favour, and got confirmation from GWR that he could travel that way if he wanted to.
Upon arrival at Gloucester station this morning, a member of staff asked where he was travelling to, to which he said Cardiff. She directed him towards the replacement buses outside but politely declined, saying that he had had permission from GWR on Twitter to travel via Filton and had the screenshots on Twitter. She then refused him travel on the train, saying 'you're not allowed to go via Bristol' and once again insisted he got the bus, despite repeating several times that he had no desire to. He even showed her screenshots and she said 'I don't care'.
The replacement coach, for various reasons I'm unaware of, took over two hours to get from Gloucester to Newport. He then had to get a train from Newport to Cardiff, and then another from Cardiff to Heath High Level. The journey via Bristol should have taken 1 hour and 56 minutes; this morning it took almost 3 hours.
He has reached his destination now but the fact of the matter is the journey took considerably longer and since when have staff dictated how people travel? He politely declined the option of taking the bus, despite the journey planners saying this was the quickest (which it clearly wasn't), so why keep pressuring someone to do something when they've expressed a desire not to? I just find the whole situation pretty bizarre and having just gone through Gloucester station myself, nobody seemed to know what had happened when I asked who was involved, so clearly they must have changed staff for the afternoon.
I just find the whole situation just completely bizarre. Frankly, we live in a society where people's decisions/views should be respected, especially during current times (I certainly wouldn't want to go on a replacement bus in the height of a respiratory pandemic); why is this not happening?
Upon arrival at Gloucester station this morning, a member of staff asked where he was travelling to, to which he said Cardiff. She directed him towards the replacement buses outside but politely declined, saying that he had had permission from GWR on Twitter to travel via Filton and had the screenshots on Twitter. She then refused him travel on the train, saying 'you're not allowed to go via Bristol' and once again insisted he got the bus, despite repeating several times that he had no desire to. He even showed her screenshots and she said 'I don't care'.
The replacement coach, for various reasons I'm unaware of, took over two hours to get from Gloucester to Newport. He then had to get a train from Newport to Cardiff, and then another from Cardiff to Heath High Level. The journey via Bristol should have taken 1 hour and 56 minutes; this morning it took almost 3 hours.
He has reached his destination now but the fact of the matter is the journey took considerably longer and since when have staff dictated how people travel? He politely declined the option of taking the bus, despite the journey planners saying this was the quickest (which it clearly wasn't), so why keep pressuring someone to do something when they've expressed a desire not to? I just find the whole situation pretty bizarre and having just gone through Gloucester station myself, nobody seemed to know what had happened when I asked who was involved, so clearly they must have changed staff for the afternoon.
I just find the whole situation just completely bizarre. Frankly, we live in a society where people's decisions/views should be respected, especially during current times (I certainly wouldn't want to go on a replacement bus in the height of a respiratory pandemic); why is this not happening?
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