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How to travel cheap at peak times on the WCML

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me123

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Just FSR Aberdeen based workers just get me so angry! <(

"First" employees in Aberdeen are hit and miss for me. Some are really great and helpful (of course, I'm not a spotter or a photter). I can ask them how to get to a platform (I couldn't find 6N :oops:) and they just laughed and told me (it was all really friendly BTW, not nasty), or they'll say that you can use the "priority" barrier gate. But some can be quite nasty to be honest; telling me to get off the "bloody" train (nowhere did it say that I could not board, the platform had just been announced).

And that goes with the bus workers too. I went into the travel centree on Union St. to ask what bus I take to the medical school at the hospital. He looked at me as if I was stupid and rudely told me it was the 12 bus. When I got to the hospital, I was at the wrong side of the hospital :roll: I was later told I was meant to get the 5. <( Thankfully, I was there about 2 hours before the interview.

It's a shame. Aberdonians in my experience are really friendly people, but it seems that "firstgroup" are a bit hit-and-miss up there :| Perhaps because they're based there, they get a bit cocky?
 
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Jord

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21 Jun 2007
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"First" employees in Aberdeen are hit and miss for me. Some are really great and helpful (of course, I'm not a spotter or a photter). I can ask them how to get to a platform (I couldn't find 6N :oops:) and they just laughed and told me (it was all really friendly BTW, not nasty), or they'll say that you can use the "priority" barrier gate. But some can be quite nasty to be honest; telling me to get off the "bloody" train (nowhere did it say that I could not board, the platform had just been announced).

And that goes with the bus workers too. I went into the travel centree on Union St. to ask what bus I take to the medical school at the hospital. He looked at me as if I was stupid and rudely told me it was the 12 bus. When I got to the hospital, I was at the wrong side of the hospital :roll: I was later told I was meant to get the 5. <( Thankfully, I was there about 2 hours before the interview.

It's a shame. Aberdonians in my experience are really friendly people, but it seems that "firstgroup" are a bit hit-and-miss up there :| Perhaps because they're based there, they get a bit cocky?

Yeah they must be cocky, but why should you 'get off the bloody train' if the doors are open and ready for departure <(

I think we've had similar experiences, it just gets me angry, if I get my camera out they still give me funny looks (that's not the passengers :)) as if i'm doing something wrong by photographing a train.

But then sometimes, when I see one of the 2 males I really get on well with, we have a laugh and a joke, if it's the old boy he tells me stories when he used to drive 26s/27s/33s/37s/40s (next time it should be 47s next :)) around the area and on the old branchlines like Peterhead/Fraserburgh/Cruden Bay, he's also let me in a Staff only zone as well :shock: to get these pics of 37417 on snowplough duties [Plug] and he has even asked for my Fotopic/Youtube URLs :D

http://www.jordstrainpics.fotopic.net/p48706021.html

http://www.jordstrainpics.fotopic.net/p48706022.html
 

Chris B

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Bringing this thread back on topic!.....

So, to recap, you need a ticket dated the day *before* you want to travel south from Manchester.....

Could the grippers legally ask you to prove accomodation costs / location? As the only way you could legitimately be at Manchester that early in the morning would be to have travelled down the previous night & got as far as you could....that might trip some up.
 

Max

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Could the grippers legally ask you to prove accomodation costs / location? As the only way you could legitimately be at Manchester that early in the morning would be to have travelled down the previous night & got as far as you could....that might trip some up.

I would have thought they have absolutely no right to that information! If you say you stayed with a friend then they couldn't exactly argue.
 

Chris B

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But if they suspected you of fraud, I suspect they could legitimately ask you for the address. And if it didn't exist.....
 

nedchester

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Bringing this thread back on topic!.....

So, to recap, you need a ticket dated the day *before* you want to travel south from Manchester.....

Could the grippers legally ask you to prove accomodation costs / location? As the only way you could legitimately be at Manchester that early in the morning would be to have travelled down the previous night & got as far as you could....that might trip some up.

No you do not have to use a ticket from the day before. As I have said before Saver tickets do not have a restriction about starting short merely you are not allowed to break your journey on the outward portion - that is different!!!

What is the difference between using a Shotton to London ticket from Chester (something that Virgin accepted happened a lot - and probably still will do as the return restrictions are anytime from London as opposed to Chester where you are banned in the evening peak) and using a Gretna to London from Manchester (or any other station south of the border)
 

Max

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But if they suspected you of fraud, I suspect they could legitimately ask you for the address. And if it didn't exist.....

I very much doubt a guard would go to such silly lengths.
 
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