There’s a comment on the petition website which states that staff refuse to serve customers who hunt the trolley down rather than waiting for it to reach their seats.
If so, that seems a bit off.
I have observed this, for different reasons.
Firstly I have observed the trolley operator decline to sell hot drinks to customers who hunted for the trolley on "health and safety grounds" due to the perceived risk of spillage and potential injury. Not often a problem as hot water is often unavailable in any case.
I have also observed the trolley hiding in first class and declining to serve cattle class customers who have intruded into first class to search for the trolley on the grounds that they should not have entered first class and are liable to a fine for so doing.
I have also observed the trolley attendant refusing to sell anything on various grounds including.
Just got on the train, will be along later.
About to get off.
Card machine not working.
Cashed up.
The whole trolley service has been a fiasco and seems to be getting worse. BTW one reason increasingly given for the static trolley is that it is "unsafe to push it up or down the steep internal ramps" I forecast exactly this problem years ago, this was dismissed as "wibble" by IET supporters.
Another regular reason given for the trolley being static is the obstruction of the gangway by luggage, due to the very limited luggage space. Also forecast and dismissed as more "wibble"
I support the campaign to bring back buffets and have signed the petition. A proper buffet that can serve real coffee, cooked snacks like bacon rolls, and chilled beer is part of running an inter city railway service. Even if not directly profitable. After all how much profit is made by the toilets and the luggage racks ? Yet these facilities continue to be provided.
The prohibition on buffets seems to be a GWR thing, other operators still provide buffets, even on IETs.
I doubt that GWR will re-instate buffets, they have gone to a lot off effort to persuade us that these are not wanted and any return of buffets would be regarded as a climbdown or as an admission of defeat.
It would however be an easy win for a new operator of the franchise.