Public Misconceptions!

[Welshman]

5. Railway staff on platforms blow their whistle to tell passengers that its time to start collecting bags and stroll over to the train that has been standing on the platform for a few minutes.

11. The reason for Railway Privitisation was to shake off the shabby image of "the British Rail sandwich" and replace it with exciting new retail opportunities offering more expensive sandwiches.

Brilliant! Thank-you. Best laugh I've had for some time!

 

[CaptainHaddock]

If a conductor lets you buy a ticket on the train just once even when the booking office is open, that means you can buy a cheap ticket on the train every time you travel, irrespective of what the National Rail Conditions of Carriage say.

The number of times we used to get passengers saying "well I've done it before" as a justification for travelling without a ticket........

 

[pemma]

This has set me off thinking anyway - how many of the travelling public actually know of the laws that cover railway ticketing? It seems this young lady doesn't for sure, saying she only turned 16 7 months ago seems to be her line of 'defence'.

Why don't child tickets have something printed on them relating to the 16 years age limit? Child has different definitions in different circumstances - in some it's anyone under 19 in full time education studying up to A Level standard.

 

[rdwarr]

Why don't child tickets have something printed on them relating to the 16 years age limit? Child has different definitions in different circumstances - in some it's anyone under 19 in full time education studying up to A Level standard.

Good point. I have five children between 21 and 31. However we're not a "family" in railway terms

 

[pemma]

If a conductor lets you buy a ticket on the train just once even when the booking office is open, that means you can buy a cheap ticket on the train every time you travel, irrespective of what the National Rail Conditions of Carriage say.

The problem with some ticket offices is they are under staffed and then the trains aren't that frequent so rail staff allow people to buy tickets on board because they realise it's unfair to make someone wait for the next train an hour later when they turned up 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time.

Then there isn't a definition of what is 'too busy' in NRCoC, just what Passenger Focus recommends.

 

[Flamingo]

- If you show your police warrant card you get free travel on the railways anywhere in the country, regardless of force. If you don't want to be seen as taking the ****, you don't sit in first class.
- If you have any relatives or friends who have ever worked for any TOC you are automatically entitled to a free First Class upgrade for you and friends travelling with you on mention of this to the guard.
- If you have a family railcard discount, you do not need to have a child with you. If you say the child is sick that will be acceptable.
- If travelling to and from a football match or airport, any tiresome restrictions attached to your ticket do not apply.
- The only role of the Guard is to check tickets.
- If you can't lift your suitcase because it's too heavy the rail staff will do it for you.

 

[Deerfold]

I can travel on a Child ticket if I am 16/17/18

This is true in West Yorkshire*

* if you have the right pass (and for local fares only). I was legitimately paying Child fares until the 31st August after my 18th birthday.

 

[calc7]

This is true in West Yorkshire*

* if you have the right pass (and for local fares only). I was legitimately paying Child fares until the 31st August after my 18th birthday.

Me too. How I miss it. :cry:

 

[LexyBoy]

People I know have been completely convinced that:
-buying online is cheaper (even for Off Peak tickets)
-Tickets are only valid on the reserved train
-You will be fined for stopping short on a season ticket.

If you travel on the wrong train from London to Birmingham on an Advance ticket you have to pay a fine of £79.

That's not a misconception though, unless you're being nitpicky about people using 'fine' in an everyday rather than legal sense.

 

[Bellwater]

A PTE day ticket(ie Daytripper, Saveaway)is a cheapo version of an All Line Rover.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

Ticket restrictions are made up by the train guards just to make life difficult for passengers.

Seat reservation notes on the back of seats are purely advisory.

Bikes/prams/big bags take priority over passengers when it comes to seating and boarding the train first.

Late running is entirely the fault of the guard and it is their legal responsibility to ensure that all possible connections should be held at ongoing stations.

Everything is the fault of privatisation.

 

[Bellwater]

If there are no seats, you can sit and stand in First Class.

The words 'Advance' and 'Anytime' on a ticket mean the same thing.

 

[Flamingo]

- If there are no seats in the first carriage the passenger enters, there won't be in any other carriage either.

 

[Bellwater]

A 4 Carriage Train only has Two Doors available to the public.

 

[island]

If you travel on the wrong train from London to Birmingham on an Advance ticket you have to pay a fine of £79.

That's not a misconception though, unless you're being nitpicky about people using 'fine' in an everyday rather than legal sense.

Perhaps, but it also might not be £79 I suppose.

 

[pemma]

A 4 Carriage Train only has Two Doors available to the public.

On one Northern service I travelled on that was true. It was a 142+150 but the 150 was locked out of use and the middle door on the 142 was faulty and wouldn't open.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

If a seat has a reserved ticket on it, you can't sit there.

(It's amazing on cross country trains in particular, how many people don't bother to check where the reserved section is from and to).

 

[Brucey]

If a seat has a reserved ticket on it, you can't sit there.

(It's amazing on cross country trains in particular, how many people don't bother to check where the reserved section is from and to).

Many lack the knowledge of actually knowing where places are (even local towns).

For example, on a Cardiff - Portsmouth service, the seat next to mine was reserved from Salisbury to Southampton. Someone boarding at Warminster asked me if the train has already been to Southampton :roll:

 

[SS4]

The National Conditions of Carriage define only your rights, not your responsibilities.

 

[QJ]

Misconception -

Rail Replacement Services entitle passengers to travel free of charge between stops where the bus/coach calls.

Rail Replacement Services entitle passengers with OAP bus passes to travel free of charge between stops where the bus/coach calls.

Rail Replacement Services entitle passengers to alight at any point on the journey and not just at the designated stops for the stations being served.

Rail Replacement Services run at the time the passenger turns up requesting to travel and not when the timetable says.

Rail Replacement Services maintain the same timings between stations as the trains they replace; particularly between Reading and Swindon.

Rail Replacement Services convey cycles, pushchairs, prams, dogs (other than working dogs) because the train does.

Intending travellers believe it is my fault I am asking them to travel by bus/coach because they couldn't see the bus replacement listed on the internet / weren't told when booking their tickets. (in fairness NRE did say the bus was going to depart platform 8a at Birmingham New Street for Coleshill Parkway the last time this happened).

And there's more.

 

[Failed Unit]

Misconception -

Rail Replacement Services entitle passengers to travel free of charge between stops where the bus/coach calls.

Doesn't it, when the Lincoln signalling upgrade was taking place a few years ago no rail staff could be seen at Market Rasen. In fact I have never had a request for a ticket on rail replacement bus either because of cancellation or engineering work. Looking at various rail magazines comments' it seems to be a common situations. The coach companies drivers take you from A-B and the rail staff (if there are any at all) assist passengers between the trains and coaches rather than look at if you have a ticket.

 

[MarkyMarkD]

We travelled from a station where we knew it would be replacement coaches both ways. As stated above, nobody looked at any tickets - although of course, we did have them.

I can see the TOCs losing a fair few pounds of revenue this way.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I've used replacement bus services on both c2c and NXEA (albeit both were a couple of years ago) and didn't have my ticket checked on either.

 

[221129]

When i had Rail Replacement between Exeter and Topsham i had my ticket checked on the return only

 

[island]

If a conductor lets you buy a ticket on the train just once even when the booking office is open, that means you can buy a cheap ticket on the train every time you travel, irrespective of what the National Rail Conditions of Carriage say.

The number of times we used to get passengers saying "well I've done it before" as a justification for travelling without a ticket........

Well I did it today!

[Anytime ticket on a Virgin train, with permission from the manual gateline and a happy guard.]

 

[ainsworth74]

[Anytime ticket on a Virgin train, with permission from the manual dateline and a happy guard.]

Is this something new that VT are trailing at their stations?

 

[island]

Is this something new that VT are trailing at their stations?

Just an overenthusiastic Apple autocorrect

 

[pemma]

Is this something new that VT are trailing at their stations?

No Warrington Bank Quay is excluded due to the no kissing zone.

Anyway I thought Virgin would sell you an Anytime Ticket on board, just not the Off Peak tickets or railcard discounted tickets.

 

[BestWestern]

Misconception -

Rail Replacement Services convey cycles, pushchairs, prams, dogs (other than working dogs) because the train does.

I have to say that I sympathise with them on this one, and I always think it's a tad crap that the service being run in lieu of the train doesn't allow the carriage of the same items the train itself would usually allow. It would annoy me if I didn't know any different!

 

[Anon Mouse]

The Passenger Customer is always right