GWR rail replacement

[embers25]

GWR station staff at Slough are advising all passengers NOT to buy tickets as the bus to Hillingdon is free!! Is this something new?

 

[700007]

GWR station staff at Slough are advising all passengers NOT to buy tickets as the bus to Hillingdon is free!! Is this something new?

Probably not, I have never had to pay or display I had a valid ticket to travel on a rail replacement bus in or out of London.

 

[Mag_seven]

I think this is incorrect - you must have a valid ticket to travel on a RBB. I have had my ticket checked before boarding a RBB before now.

 

[700007]

What it may be is that this is agency staff mostly aiding in running the bus service to Hillingdon and are probably unclear about ticketing and the likes. I know one agency has a lot of staff who are employed for 3 days this holiday helping to run this bus service.

 

[pdeaves]

I think this is incorrect - you must have a valid ticket to travel on a RBB. I have had my ticket checked before boarding a RBB before now.

The thing there is, a valid ticket to where? The route in question does not parallel the train service it replaces.

 

[Mag_seven]

The thing there is, a valid ticket to where? The route in question does not parallel the train service it replaces.

I assume it would be things like Slough to Paddington tickets which will be accepted at Hillingdon for onwards travel on the Underground to central London.

 

[Starmill]

I assume it would be things like Slough to Paddington tickets which will be accepted at Hillingdon for onwards travel on the Underground to central London.

I guess they would. But if someone's journey is such that it doesn't make sense for them to go into Paddington ans back out again, for example, they may make their own travel arrangements such as booking a taxi to pick them up at Hillingdon. In that case, it hardly seems fair to charge someone for a ticket all the way to London. But no fare for the actual journey being made exists.

This problem has cone up before e.g with Watford Junction to Stanmore bus replacement.

 

[JonathanH]

In the other direction, the obvious problem is that people travel to Hillingdon on their Oyster card - the people in front of me did anyway - technically the obvious ticket would be one from West Drayton to Slough but there isn't an easy way of buying that.

The situation with 'free' replacement buses and loss of fare income in the Oyster area is dire, especially in the light of TfL's budgetary constraints. I simply don't get why it isn't possible to have a hand held or portable reader at the stops for replacement buses and people can touch on and off as they board the buses.

 

[jimm]

I guess they would. But if someone's journey is such that it doesn't make sense for them to go into Paddington ans back out again, for example, they may make their own travel arrangements such as booking a taxi to pick them up at Hillingdon. In that case, it hardly seems fair to charge someone for a ticket all the way to London. But no fare for the actual journey being made exists.

This problem has cone up before e.g with Watford Junction to Stanmore bus replacement.

No guesswork required - the following information has been on GWR's website for weeks now.

In addition, your train ticket will be valid for connections on the following Transport for London services:

Bakerloo Waterloo – Paddington
Central Ealing Broadway – Notting Hill Gate
District Notting Hill Gate – Paddington
Hammersmith & City/Circle Euston – Paddington – Hammersmith
Metropolitan Hillingdon – Baker Street

https://www.gwr.com/travel-updates/planned-engineering/christmas

Ticket inspections for people using replacement bus services have always been pretty random over many years. I can't see that changing any time soon.

 

[JonathanH]

On other rail replacement matters, this year's Guildford blockade means buses all the way from North Camp to Redhill / Gatwick. Presumably the reason they haven't operated a shuttle from Shalford to Gatwick is because there would be no way to source a spare unit if one east of the block failed. The rail replacement isn't exactly quick on this route.

No Turbos stabled at Redhill either - a very early empty stock move from Reading to Redhill to restore the service tomorrow morning.

 

[JonathanH]

Ticket inspections for people using replacement bus services have always been pretty random over many years. I can't see that changing any time soon.

A revenue team could make a fortune in penalty fares if that position were to change. It is pretty clear that you are meant to have a ticket.

However, the negative publicity might be counter productive.

 

[Mag_seven]

It is pretty clear that you are meant to have a ticket.

Agreed that why its disingenuous of station staff to openly state that the RBB is free which is what has been claimed in the OP:

GWR station staff at Slough are advising all passengers NOT to buy tickets as the bus to Hillingdon is free!!

 

[Starmill]

Ticket inspections to board replacement buses aren't unknown either. I had my ticket checked every time I boarded a rail replacement bus at Blackpool North.

 

[Mag_seven]

Ticket inspections to board replacement buses aren't unknown either. I had my ticket checked every time I boarded a rail replacement bus at Blackpool North.

Likewise for myself on RBBs between Swindon and Reading.

 

[700007]

In the other direction, the obvious problem is that people travel to Hillingdon on their Oyster card - the people in front of me did anyway - technically the obvious ticket would be one from West Drayton to Slough but there isn't an easy way of buying that.

The situation with 'free' replacement buses and loss of fare income in the Oyster area is dire, especially in the light of TfL's budgetary constraints. I simply don't get why it isn't possible to have a hand held or portable reader at the stops for replacement buses and people can touch on and off as they board the buses.

I have always thought of, in the TfL area, charging a flat rate of £1 for everyone that uses that bus service (discounted because it isn't a train, but still provides an income of some sort). Most RRs these days in the TfL area are from TfL bus garages that have iBus, Oyster readers and the lot installed in them so would be possible. On the few that don't, have a hand held reader given to them to touch in.

Ticket inspections to board replacement buses aren't unknown either. I had my ticket checked every time I boarded a rail replacement bus at Blackpool North.

Never happened to me.

 

[JonathanH]

The replacement bus stop sign at West Drayton simply says 'Please buy your train ticket at the earliest opportunity' which is rather ambiguous - it kind of implies that you buy a ticket at the point you change from bus to train.

 

[Starmill]

It is pretty clear that you are meant to have a ticket.

In general I would certainly agree.

Northern have sometimes had posters about engieiring works that say 'Please buy your tickets from the ticket office, ticket machine or on the Northern app before boarding replacement buses'.

However if staff locally are advising in clear terms that there is no charge for these bus replacements then it could easily be a local agreement or a one-off. Honestly if I were travelling and the station staff said it was free today, I would take them at their word.

 

[Master29]

A revenue team could make a fortune in penalty fares if that position were to change. It is pretty clear that you are meant to have a ticket.

However, the negative publicity might be counter productive.

Considering an awful lot of people get hacked off with RRB`s I`m not sure that would be a good move, especially for the punters that have to endure it. More negative publicity about the railways would no doubt ensue. Most of the times I have been on RRB`s I have had tickets checked however.

 

[weastebusdepot]

There is a small but important point that the people who believe RRBs are free seem to forget. If they have bought a ticket and the service doesn't turn up, the TOC in question is obliged to arrange alternative transport for them. If there were facilities to buy a ticket but they chose not to, then they have a long walk ahead of them.

 

[Parallel]

I had my ticket checked just yesterday before boarding a RRB from Bath, and also several times before at other locations. More often than not they just let everyone on though.

 

[matt_world2004]

There was 33 left behinds on the 30th december 2139 rail replacement bus at Ealing Broadway this is ridiculously poor service from gwr/Tfl Rail especially as the bus was running with a frequency of one every 30 minutes.

 

[cactustwirly]

I do think that it's a piss take that you're expected to pay the full fare on a RRB!
Especially when the RRB is substandard, and takes twice as long as the train!

 

[700007]

There was 33 left behinds on the 30th december 2139 rail replacement bus at Ealing Broadway this is ridiculously poor service from gwr/Tfl Rail especially as the bus was running with a frequency of one every 30 minutes.

This bus service was every 15 minutes as far as Hayes & Harlington however there was also ticket acceptance all day on routes 105, 140, 207, 427 and 607 via any reasonable route.

 

[matt_world2004]

This bus service was every 15 minutes as far as Hayes & Harlington however there was also ticket acceptance all day on routes 105, 140, 207, 427 and 607 via any reasonable route.

At 2139 it was every 30 minutes. The buses listed above do not go to Slough. In anycase rrbs running on a 30 minute frequency shouldn't be leaving people behind due to crowding. Rrbs should be at a frequency that matches or exceeds demand for the service.

 

[weastebusdepot]

At 2139 it was every 30 minutes. The buses listed above do not go to Slough. In anycase rrbs running on a 30 minute frequency shouldn't be leaving people behind due to crowding. Rrbs should be at a frequency that matches or exceeds demand for the service.

Definitely a situation where people boarding should have been asked to show tickets then. In which case those who had paid would have been on their way on time and those left behind would have no one to blame but themselves.

 

[Robertj21a]

There was 33 left behinds on the 30th december 2139 rail replacement bus at Ealing Broadway this is ridiculously poor service from gwr/Tfl Rail especially as the bus was running with a frequency of one every 30 minutes.

Who organised the RRP ?

 

[matt_world2004]

Definitely a situation where people boarding should have been asked to show tickets then. In which case those who had paid would have been on their way on time and those left behind would have no one to blame but themselves.

What about someone travelling between Paddington and west Drayton on oyster the fare between Paddington and Ealing Broadway was £3.10 and the fare between Paddington and Ealing Broadway is £3.10 loads of passengers did have their tickets to hand. And some had tickets with Heathrow as a destination.

 

[matt_world2004]

Who organised the RRP ?

The signage was gwr but people's contractual relationship when they purchased a ticket to these destinations rests with both GWR and TfL

 

[Robertj21a]

The signage was gwr but people's contractual relationship when they purchased a ticket to these destinations rests with both GWR and TfL

I was just wondering who was responsible for contracting the number of buses available. There are some good organisers - and the others.......

 

[matt_world2004]

I was just wondering who was responsible for contracting the number of buses available. There are some organisers - and the others.......

The controller for the buses was stagecoach but they had been sourced from. All over the place looking at them