Saw it, said it, sorted?

[Bletchleyite]

Off topic, but why invent new formats when there is a long-established standard (ITU-T E.123) for phone numbers?

Because normal people don't care about telecommunications industry standards.

 

[sjoh]

Yes, the trouble is, try doing that with airline PNR codes and other situations and it won't work.

Why not just be accurate?

People do know that the number zero exists.

Context is everything.

 

[kkong]

Because normal people don't care about telecommunications industry standards.

OK. I take it you are not in favour of international standards in general then?

Perhaps I should start referencing locomotive numbers in unusual formats on the forum and see how many "normal people" I can trigger.

"I saw HST 4 3 1 05 today"

 

[AM9]

I'd say you've plucked "99.9999%" out of thin air! It's certainly less common don't get me wrong but I think more than 1 in a million use "zero" on the phone. Call centres tend to use zero I've found.

Not according to @Bletchleyite , there only 67 people in the UK that say 'zero', and he's never wrong!
Wow! I am one of a very rare group. I've used zero instead of the letter 'O' since I first had a mobile - and I think I personally know many of the other 66.

 

[Adrian1980uk]

Most travellers would disagree with the mantra anyway.

I saw the ticket was expensive
I said it was too expensive
Did anyone sort it....

On a more serious note, I will be glad not to hear it. On a similar theme though, Greater Anglias BUM!.. seats are for bums message I think is brilliant

 

[Purple Train]

On a similar theme though, Greater Anglias BUM!.. seats are for bums message I think is brilliant

Bother. I like sitting on my head.

Back on topic, I'm fine with the Three S's, as long as they are properly quoted in conjunction with the BTP number. Otherwise, it's useless.

 

[Adrian1980uk]

Bother. I like sitting on my head.

Back on topic, I'm fine with the Three S's, as long as they are properly quoted in conjunction with the BTP number. Otherwise, it's useless.

I know it shouldn't even need to said, keep feet off seats, it has the hare with a shoe print on its back

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Had a very pleasant 4-day sojourn in France last week without any superfluous safety announcements.
But there was a noticeable drop in H&S practice, with narrow, crowded platforms that would not be allowed in the UK, plus 50% of access to platforms in Bordeaux and Toulouse roped off for "improvements", lifts out of use etc.
Paris Austerlitz was even worse with passengers herded into narrow corridors to avoid the reconstruction going on.
PIS announcements on trains were long-winded but entirely in French, which is unusual in Europe these days where there is often an English version.
This week France is in trouble with public transport curtailed in case of riots and arson attacks.
We don't suffer from those kinds of risks (normally).

 

[bramling]

There is a special place in hell for whoever devised this phrase. That place is in an isolated room, hands tied down, and it playing loudly and on repeat for all of eternity.

It’s the hallmark of governments / civil service who regard the population as mere plebs that need to be talked down to like primary school children.

Full credit to any railway staff who turn this stuff off.

Of course, while everyone’s getting worked up about this sort of thing, it conveniently distracts us all from everything else the politicians are making a mess of. That list is plenty long enough at the moment.

 

[Purple Train]

I know it shouldn't even need to said, keep feet off seats, it has the hare with a shoe print on its back

And that's the problem I have with the Stadler PISes. There's this stream of adverts with the Duracell bunny in Meccano which is all well and good until you want to know when the train is arriving at Colchester!

 

[800301]

Are we finally hearing the last of everyone’s favourite mantra? I’m sure I haven’t heard it for ages (or have I finally managed to blot it from my consciousness?) GWR - if you really have sorted for good - thank you!

I’m pretty sure it was announcing it on my turbo last night along with the E scooter ban message

 

[Parallel]

It is still played every 30 minutes at GWR stations, and on IETs after departing every stop. It plays less often on their DMUs but still does, usually when ready to leave the first stop after the list of calling points or after leaving a large station such as Cardiff.

 

[AndrewE]

If you travel on TfW trains you get it repeatedly - twice!

I swear the (Welsh female) voice doing the Englist language announcements is the same one who did the satnav in the ISIHAC game Mornington Crescent (from Swansea?) when the local Welsh-accented satnav and the American-voiced one started bickering! It's the only thing which makes the repetition bearable...

 

[Mojo]

They seem to be clamping down what they want it used for. Over the past few months whenever I've reported beggars they tell me that I should advise station or on-train staff, until I make it clear that I *am* staff. I didn't have this problem a year ago.

 

[AJDesiro]

They seem to be clamping down what they want it used for. Over the past few months whenever I've reported beggars they tell me that I should advise station or on-train staff, until I make it clear that I *am* staff. I didn't have this problem a year ago.

To be honest the one time I needed them, they were utterly useless. They couldn't even send an officer!

 

[ComUtoR]

I hope it gets replaced by a new earworm

 

[Intercity110]

There is a special place in hell for whoever devised this phrase. That place is in an isolated room, hands tied down, and it playing loudly and on repeat for all of eternity.

I actually like it

 

[ian1944]

The final word on mobile number formats? Matching my long familiarity with such as 0161 234 5678, I always quote mobiles as 0772 345 6789, for example (cf area code, exchange, number). A study somewhere claimed that 11 digits are best remembered as 4-3-4, a compromise between length and number of components with the dip in the middle giving a memorable rhythm change.

 

[baz962]

The final word on mobile number formats? Matching my long familiarity with such as 0161 234 5678, I always quote mobiles as 0772 345 6789, for example (cf area code, exchange, number). A study somewhere claimed that 11 digits are best remembered as 4-3-4, a compromise between length and number of components with the dip in the middle giving a memorable rhythm change.

Personally I remember long unbroken numbers better than breaking them up. Each to their own I guess.

 

[island]

I have never understood why all the announcements say:

"Six-one-oh-one-six"

Where it's clear the intention was:

"Six... one-oh-one... Six"

Because 101 is the police non-emergency number. It's obvious that's why the shortcode was chosen in the first place! So why not say it like that?!

I thought 61016 was older than 101, but I looked it up and it seems 101 was launched in 2011 (nationwide having been operational in some regions sooner) and 61016 came in 2013.

Because normal people don't care about telecommunications industry standards.

Indeed. If we were adhering strictly to telecommunications industry standards, we would not be including 0 at all, as it's technically the "trunk access prefix" rather than part of the number

 

[bramling]

To be honest the one time I needed them, they were utterly useless. They couldn't even send an officer!

This is why BTP do have the unfortunate nicknames of “Be there perhaps”, “Be there possibly” or even “Be there probably”.

To be fair, most of the time they do make an effort, and are generally far less lackadaisical than the normal police, but I’ve certainly known occasions when they’ve been absolutely not interested.

 

[al78]

It’s the hallmark of governments / civil service who regard the population as mere plebs that need to be talked down to like primary school children.

They are not far wrong at times.

 

[dpsilverba]

Was advised on my return trip between FRM and GTW with Southern this week several times to do this

 

[londiscape]

"If something doesn't look right, contact staff or text the British Transport Police.... etc etc SSS"

Wonder how literally we can take this, couple of weeks ago I saw a very fat bloke in a tight vest and very short shorts on a train. That definitely didn't look right....

 

[Cowley]

Okay…

You can obviously still hear this in various places which somewhat renders this thread a bit pointless.

Click.