A cautionary tale - do not rely on a connection to the last train of the day

[whole diary]

[grahame]

I got to Paddington a couple of minutes after 17:30 ... I had been intending to catch the 17:30 to Chippenham, and change onto the 19:01 to Melksham.  So, fair enough - I had missed my intended train, but there was still the 17:45, change at Swindon - something I had wanted to avoid for various reasons, including the tight connection and the hike around Swindon station with a very heavy bag indeed.  Small problem - the 17:45 was cancelled

I asked at the enquiry desk, and they told me to get the 17:48 rather than the 17:45 - "but the 17:45 makes the last connection of the day.  Will it be held" ask I.  "Probably not, but they'll get you a taxi at Swindon" they say.  And so I leave on the train three minues after the official connecting one.

Get to Swindon, dash to the bay, but of course the TransWilts has left. So I make my way to the enquiry desk to see about that taxi.  But ... "get on the train that's coming in here to Chippenham and they'll get you a taxi there" after I had told them I had come off the 17:48, and reminded them that the 17:45 had been cancelled.  And I was lead to believe they had phoned though to Chippenham.

Now this train I was on is the one that's scheduled to get to Chippenaham a couple of minutes before the bus to Melksham at 19:16, and my immediate thought was to make that connection.  Alas, the connection is 3 minutes and the train was 3 minutes late and I got to the bus stop at 19:17 ... hung around for 10 minutes (as the bus is often late), but it became apparent after a few minutes that probably wasn't the case today.

Went back into the station and asked about my onward journey to Melksham.  A shrug of the shoulders, and "well - I'm not sure - I thinks there's a gap in the buses (there is, until 22:20) but you could get a taxi - you've missed the train".  "But I've missed the train because you cancelled the 17:45 of Paddington that was supposed to connect with it'.  Another shrug of the shoulders ... yes, I know it's dangerous to rely on the last connection of the day, but it seems so unfortunate not to hold the connection for the train 3 minutes later off Paddington, when I know that the 18:44 TransWilts has a 13 minute layover in Westbury.

I ended up getting myself a taxi.   I really didn't fancy a 3 hour wait for the next bus, and that way I saved the mile walk from Melksham Station and got to have a good natter with the cabbie.

[Oxman]

The staff at Chippenham were wrong to deny you a taxi. You should have been provided with one. (The staff at Swindon did the right thing in sending you to Chippenham, by the way, but should not have needed to call Chippenham.)

Write to customer services with a copy of your taxi receipt and ask for reimbursement. Also ask what steps they intend to take to re-educate the staff at Chippenham.

[Southern Stag]

And if customer services refuse to reimburse you for your taxi contact Passenger Focus, they're usually very good at this sort of thing.

[grahame]

Thanks for your confirmations that an alternative (probably taxi) should have been offered.   I damaged my case (wasn't sure if I had actually forgone any rights) by trying to make the bus connection; that would have been a greener and more efficient solution had it worked, and I've had recent reports of both the 234 at this time and the 231 off a later train failing to connect ("as I sat in the car park, the bus left as the train pulled in") and I wanted to learn further about that and see how consistent a problem that is.   The staff member at Chippenham was fully aware I had tried for the bus.  And I probably made any reclaim impractical by getting the taxi to take me home rather than to the station in Melksham;  it's about a mile further but as I was in a taxi I was paying myself and I had heavy baggage and was Friday-tired, I opted to save myself the walk.   

I'm typically very lucky and don't have the problems that some of our other members do, so I'm not au fait with the rights in particular circumstances; on my own, I tend to do the best I can to get where I need, and learn so that I can help our customers and others if they have problems.   So, in light of doubts such as the above, this is "learn" not "reclaim".  But I do appreciate the feedback on the background rights.

[Southern Stag]

And I probably made any reclaim impractical by getting the taxi to take me home rather than to the station in Melksham;  it's about a mile further but as I was in a taxi I was paying myself and I had heavy baggage and was Friday-tired, I opted to save myself the walk.   

If you were the only passenger who needed a taxi it might have been provided to your home address. I live a good 6 miles from the station but had a taxi provided there when I missed the last train of the day.

[grahame]

And I probably made any reclaim impractical by getting the taxi to take me home rather than to the station in Melksham;  it's about a mile further but as I was in a taxi I was paying myself and I had heavy baggage and was Friday-tired, I opted to save myself the walk.   

If you were the only passenger who needed a taxi it might have been provided to your home address. I live a good 6 miles from the station but had a taxi provided there when I missed the last train of the day.

Oh I agree - but that would have been "grace and favour" rather than by right.   I don't believe that there were other passengers looking to connect from the 17:45 from Paddington into the 18:44 from Swindon to Melksham. However, there was quite a crowd at Chippenham station at 19:15, and it's just possible that there were others / send direct by taxi while I ran for the bus, then waited a few minutes to see if it would turn up anyway as there are none of those nice "next bus" signs at Chippenham.  And in that circumstance, it wouldn't be right for me to demand a second taxi, having missed the first one.