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Author Topic: Pregnant woman challenged to prove she is pregnant by GWR ticket inspector  (Read 10519 times)
Chris from Nailsea
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« on: October 21, 2016, 23:11:28 »

Erm ... it's from the Daily Mail, but it does seem to have some credibility:

Quote
Prove you're pregnant: Mother-to-be travelling in First Class is asked for proof she is expecting by a ticket inspector despite being SEVEN MONTHS gone

Claire Hillard, 36, said rail inspector demanded she prove she is expecting
She sat in First Class section of delayed train amid fears of overcrowding
At seven months', she feared for her unborn child due to number of people
Great Western Railway ticket inspector apparently asked for doctor's note


A heavily pregnant mother has hit out at a rail company after claiming she was asked for proof she is expecting by an overzealous ticket inspector.

Claire Hillard took a seat in first class because she was worried about the safety of her unborn child after a crowd of people rushed for the delayed Great Western train.

The 36-year-old, who is seven months' pregnant with her second child, said she offered to pay for an upgrade but was shocked when the inspector on the London-bound train asked for proof she was expecting in the form of a doctor's note.


Claire Hillard, of Cookham, Berkshire, took a seat in first class because she was worried about the safety of her unborn baby as a crowd rushed for the delayed London-bound train

Mrs Hillard, of Cookham, Berkshire, who had been travelling from Maidenhead, said: 'The train I usually get was delayed and it moved platforms from two to four. This created a stampede of people crossing to the platform and an overcrowded train so I headed to first class. I took a seat in first class, but I didn't just want to travel for free - especially as there were other people who had a first class ticket who were having to stand. When the guard asked for my ticket I told him I was seven months pregnant but happy to pay the difference. He then asked me if I had a cover note from my doctor to prove I was pregnant. I thought he was joking at first. He told me it was unfair I was sat there and he made me feel like a piece of dirt on his shoe. Other people in first class actually stood up for me and one guy, who was standing, said no-one would have made me give up that seat.'

Mrs Hillard, who already has one son, Max, with husband James, was forced to pay for a first class upgrade to her ticket, but felt she was made to look a bad person. The fashion trend forecaster added: 'It was an extreme situation and inspectors should be able to use their own judgment. I feel for the pregnant women who don't have the confidence to look after themselves and break the rules. I don't know about you, but I don't know many people that walk around with cushions stuffed up their t-shirts. He represents cold-hearted people that sadly exist, a cold-hearted company that sadly exists and clearly feels the need to stick up for first class passengers over a pregnant woman.'

Great Western Railway refused to comment on the incident directly, but a spokesman said: 'We offer a Mums2B pass allowing a free upgrade to first class for standard season ticket holders if there are no seats available in standard. Passengers wishing to upgrade from standard to first are welcome to do so.'

On the Great Western Railway passenger charter it states that in order to get this pass, a maternity certificate or family health services authority exemption certificate must be sent off, which can be obtained from a midwife of GP.


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LiskeardRich
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« Reply #1 on: October 22, 2016, 05:16:00 »

Sounds like good customer service....

GWR (Great Western Railway) have a policy whereby pregnant women over 25 weeks into  their pregnancy get free upgrades to first class when no available seating in standard on production of their maternity exemption. So I would suggest the 'ticket inspector' was attempting to avoid charging her the upgrade.
Page 27 of their passenger charter.
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TaplowGreen
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« Reply #2 on: October 22, 2016, 07:56:38 »

Sounds like good customer service....

GWR (Great Western Railway) have a policy whereby pregnant women over 25 weeks into  their pregnancy get free upgrades to first class when no available seating in standard on production of their maternity exemption. So I would suggest the 'ticket inspector' was attempting to avoid charging her the upgrade.
Page 27 of their passenger charter.


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NickB
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« Reply #3 on: October 23, 2016, 08:49:52 »

This was the main story in the Maidenhead advertiser this week. As much as I may spend my time on here having a moan about GWR (Great Western Railway) I felt compelled to jump to their defence on assorted social media sites on this occasion.
To my mind the inspector was trying to give the woman a free upgrade, not cause embarassment. If she had 'demanded' a free upgrade and he had refused because she couldn't prove she was 3rd trimester (I think that's the restriction isn't it) despite being visibly bumpy then I'd see a gripe, but that wasn't the case. She offered to pay and he tried to apply the rules to give her a free upgrade.

Ps. As one other comment on Facebook stated, you should be carrying your maternity paperwork with you at all times "in case of emergencies, or
Jobsworths".
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