I’m personally finding this a really good debate. I can see both sides.
Personally I don’t think there’s anything wrong with guards picking up an odd news paper, coffee cup, drinks bottle etc because it’s not really that taxing (providing there’s not other more pressing things going on, doors, revenue etc) also, if a passenger sees a guard picking up bits and pieces they’re more likely to place their own items in a bin. Also keeping obstructions clear of the door, plastic, news papers etc you’re more likely to run on time.
I do draw the line at fruit peels discarded everywhere, food and beer bottles/cans because you need gloves for that and the uniform of most guards does not reflect the work of a cleaner, it’s not been designed to clean things, it’s designed solely to look smart and assert authority and trust (the fact some guards are scruffy and lack personal hygiene needs to be addressed by management)
The post above about a new role from scratch makes good points, but I wouldn’t want to see 1 person having to do all of those roles, equipping them would be a nightmare and that would be a hell of a work load. There would also be difficulties designing a suitable uniform.
Back to the real world, I’d love more roaming cleaners, Southern have a lot of them around near me and they do a good job.
Finally, yesterday colleagues were mocking a guard for doing 3 revenue sweeps on a 12 car on a 2 hour trip as well as doing doors on some interesting platforms, many of them short, that kind of mentality doesn’t help.