Ticket To Ride - How Bristol Pays The Price

[whole diary]

[Lee]

Train passengers travelling from Bristol to London can pay twice as much as those living in cities a similar distance away, an Evening Post investigation has found (link below.)
http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145365&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145191&contentPK=19648473&folderPk=83726&pNodeId=144922

[Ollie]

As usual MTLS^▸ (More Train Less Strain) use any excuse to find fault with FGW^▸ (First Great Western).

--MTLS Said--
"Tony Ambrose from campaign group More Trains Less Strain, said it was "completely unacceptable" that rail passengers from Bristol travelling with FGW should pay twice as much to book advanced tickets to travel to London as rail passengers from Birmingham travelling with Virgin Trains."

--FGW Said--
"Mr Cole said: "I admit that the system is very complex.

"Our cheapest fares (^10.50 from Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington) are available online and are subject to availability.

--The Report Said--
while the same ticket on the same day, at the same time from Birmingham is ^10.50

Basically it is unfair for MTLS to criticise FGW just because the cheaper tickets had all been sold. Personally ^21 is still a reasonable fare to go from Bristol to Paddington
"They are like air fares - once the cheapest have gone, they are gone.""

[devon_metro]

Wonder what fare 'scandal' will be picked up in tomorrow 

^10.50 Bristol - London is stupidly cheap!

[vacman]

MTLS^▸ (More Train Less Strain) are just a load of millitants that obviously have no life! My message to MTLS; GET A LIFE or failing that try a hobby like golf or rambling.

[John R]

A rather effective load of old militants though, both in terms of publicity and results. Have you noticed how they are the group that all the press now go to for a comment whenever there is a story about FGW^▸ (First Great Western)? And do you honestly believe that the doubling of compensation would not have happened if it wasn't for the forthcoming fare strike? You may not like their tactics, but there are an awful lot of your customers out there who are quite pleased that this group is able to highlight to the media the shambles that FGW and DaFT^» (Department for Transport - critical sounding abbreviation I discourage - about) have made of the Wessex trains franchise.   

[vacman]

A rather effective load of old militants though, both in terms of publicity and results. Have you noticed how they are the group that all the press now go to for a comment whenever there is a story about FGW^▸ (First Great Western)? And do you honestly believe that the doubling of compensation would not have happened if it wasn't for the forthcoming fare strike? You may not like their tactics, but there are an awful lot of your customers out there who are quite pleased that this group is able to highlight to the media the shambles that FGW and DaFT^» (Department for Transport - critical sounding abbreviation I discourage - about) have made of the Wessex trains franchise.   

MTLS^▸ (More Train Less Strain) cant take the credit for the enhanced compensation, it would have happened anyway, they'll come unstuck one day when their millitant tactics backfire on them.

[smokey]

OH please!!!!

BRING BACK WESSEX.

I'm allowed to dream.

[vacman]

OH please!!!!

BRING BACK WESSEX.

I'm allowed to dream.

I'm sure if FGW^▸ (First Great Western) recieved the amount of subsidy that Wessex did then things would be quite different!! was it ^75m per year to run local services??

[smokey]

A rather effective load of old militants though, both in terms of publicity and results. Have you noticed how they are the group that all the press now go to for a comment whenever there is a story about FGW^▸ (First Great Western)? And do you honestly believe that the doubling of compensation would not have happened if it wasn't for the forthcoming fare strike? You may not like their tactics, but there are an awful lot of your customers out there who are quite pleased that this group is able to highlight to the media the shambles that FGW and DaFT^» (Department for Transport - critical sounding abbreviation I discourage - about) have made of the Wessex trains franchise.   

MTLS^▸ (More Train Less Strain) cant take the credit for the enhanced compensation, it would have happened anyway, they'll come unstuck one day when their millitant tactics backfire on them.

FGW pay out extra money without someone kicking their A***,

NO CHANCE!

[John R]

A rather effective load of old militants though, both in terms of publicity and results. Have you noticed how they are the group that all the press now go to for a comment whenever there is a story about FGW^▸ (First Great Western)? And do you honestly believe that the doubling of compensation would not have happened if it wasn't for the forthcoming fare strike? You may not like their tactics, but there are an awful lot of your customers out there who are quite pleased that this group is able to highlight to the media the shambles that FGW and DaFT^» (Department for Transport - critical sounding abbreviation I discourage - about) have made of the Wessex trains franchise.   

MTLS^▸ (More Train Less Strain) cant take the credit for the enhanced compensation, it would have happened anyway, they'll come unstuck one day when their millitant tactics backfire on them.

You know that? First Group would have cheerfully coughed up ^5m in additional compensation if there hadn't been the huge amounts of bad publicity brought on by MTLS? I don't think so somehow.

[vacman]

A rather effective load of old militants though, both in terms of publicity and results. Have you noticed how they are the group that all the press now go to for a comment whenever there is a story about FGW^▸ (First Great Western)? And do you honestly believe that the doubling of compensation would not have happened if it wasn't for the forthcoming fare strike? You may not like their tactics, but there are an awful lot of your customers out there who are quite pleased that this group is able to highlight to the media the shambles that FGW and DaFT^» (Department for Transport - critical sounding abbreviation I discourage - about) have made of the Wessex trains franchise.   

MTLS^▸ (More Train Less Strain) cant take the credit for the enhanced compensation, it would have happened anyway, they'll come unstuck one day when their millitant tactics backfire on them.

You know that? First Group would have cheerfully coughed up ^5m in additional compensation if there hadn't been the huge amounts of bad publicity brought on by MTLS? I don't think so somehow.

I don't think a few busybodies from Bath have influenced a ^5m decision somehow, it's simply FGWs poor performance that brought it about! It was after a meeting with the DFT^▸ (Department for Transport) of all people!

[Timmer]

I don't think a few busybodies from Bath have influenced a ^5m decision somehow, it's simply FGWs^▸ (First Great Western) poor performance that brought it about! It was after a meeting with the DFT^▸ (Department for Transport) of all people!

I expect that DFT were very much behind FGW offering more money in compensation as an indirect way of fining them for poor performance on top of what they would have had to pay out anyway under the passengers charter. I can't honestly see that FGW came up with this idea all by themselves, after all what privately owned company gives away money unless they either have to or its in the own interest to do so?

Where I would say that MTLS^▸ (More Train Less Strain) have played a small part would be that they have kept the peformance of FGW in the media spotlight which has got it noticed by a great deal of people, not just in the West Country but all over the country. Not a day seems to go by now without an article about FGW in some form or other appearing in one of the papers or on TV.

[John R]

Exactly. Would DFT^▸ (Department for Transport) have cared two hoots if there hadn't been any bad publicity? And who has driven that publicity?

[vacman]

Exactly. Would DFT^▸ (Department for Transport) have cared two hoots if there hadn't been any bad publicity? And who has driven that publicity?

I hadn't heard of MTLS^▸ (More Train Less Strain) until I came to this forum! In the far West country we never hear of them?? So it can't be that stronger brand!

[Conner]

Exactly. Would DFT^▸ (Department for Transport) have cared two hoots if there hadn't been any bad publicity? And who has driven that publicity?

I hadn't heard of MTLS^▸ (More Train Less Strain) until I came to this forum! In the far West country we never hear of them?? So it can't be that stronger brand!

I admit I had never heard of them either, we don't have any participants down here.