Adding to the fab444-
I know SWT has commercial and non commercial guards but what services run with guards and what type?
All services have guards, the basic rules are, the commuter routes have non commercial and the long distance ones have commercial.
Also, having guards on their services would I be right in thinking it boosts the income quite well
Revenue has dropped quite a bit because of the gates at stations (a good thing).
not to mention offering that sense of security to passengers?
If the non comms do their jobs properly then yes.
Finally, are guards really required for any 12 cars that they operate or is it a company/DfT directive that a guard is provided for such services?
It is in with the franchise bids that all services will have a quard on board, after the franchise who knows!
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Does that mean non-commercial guards operate Desiro services on the Hounslow services?
Yes as well as the Weybridges, Windsors and increasing numbers of Readings.
Also, commercial guards seem to appear quite regularly on lines which are normally non-commercial.
Some Commercial duties do include non-comm routes to get the hours up/ route knowledge, also non-comms get the odd commercial route for the same reasons.
There seems to be no logic or pattern as the same service will have non-commercial guards one day, then commercial the next, then non-commercial the day after.
A non-comm can be booked on a commercial duty from spare but will of course not do commercial duties, and a commercial guard the opposite.
Why don't all guards become commercial?
£
A commercial guard gets paid more than a non-comm so the company will try and get by with non-comms where-ever possible. There have just been a few guards made up to commercial but they are the first ones in a while.
