FGW 1st Class - ongoing discussion of the benefits and their apparent reduction

[whole diary]

[Phil]

That's fine - but you can then hardly expect law abiding fare paying passengers not to get a little 'annoyed' when they are automatically assumed guilty. I for one have got mightly pee'd off with ticket checking staff who were rude and down right unpleasent. Passengers pay enough to at least get a little respect. A distinction needs to be made - you can't assume everyone is trying to get a ride for free.

I must admit, I'm inclined to agree with this. As mentioned elsewhere, I'm fortunate in having an employer who sees fit to reward my particular employment status with First Class train travel. It so happens that I also rather enjoy rock music, so I regularly use my Anytime Return ticket to travel back from London not during peak time but late at night, having stayed on after business hours to change into jeans and a T-shirt and go watch a band.

I am invariably made to feel really uncomfortable by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) staff who quite frankly ought to know better than to make snap judgements based purely on appearances.

[devon_metro]

I think that's a problem not just specific to FGW^▸ (First Great Western).

[Mookiemoo]

That's fine - but you can then hardly expect law abiding fare paying passengers not to get a little 'annoyed' when they are automatically assumed guilty. I for one have got mightly pee'd off with ticket checking staff who were rude and down right unpleasent. Passengers pay enough to at least get a little respect. A distinction needs to be made - you can't assume everyone is trying to get a ride for free.

I must admit, I'm inclined to agree with this. As mentioned elsewhere, I'm fortunate in having an employer who sees fit to reward my particular employment status with First Class train travel. It so happens that I also rather enjoy rock music, so I regularly use my Anytime Return ticket to travel back from London not during peak time but late at night, having stayed on after business hours to change into jeans and a T-shirt and go watch a band.

I am invariably made to feel really uncomfortable by FGW^▸ (First Great Western) staff who quite frankly ought to know better than to make snap judgements based purely on appearances.

But this is the point of my issue...............

I regularly travel as a scruff - tracksuits/t shirts etc - because I like to spend 2.5 hours comfy not dressed in office gear.

I then have two issues:

1. The TM^‡(resolve)'s who (on at least 2 occasions ) have directed me to standard as I get on in F

2. The aforementioned issue I have with people assuming I am trying to dodge the fare!

The problem is - SOME staff assume (2).

[Mookiemoo]

(and a scourge to fare dodgers and others who tried to play the system) and is shaping up to be good in his new role. I also am surprised that the Mod's have not deleted the posts, as it is pretty obvious who is been refered to, but as they remain, I'm going to defend him.

But from the customer side - should the issue be fare dodging?  I'm open about the YP issue and wont cry if its closed off BUT - I AM NOT A FSARE dodger!  but I do not like the attitude!

[devon_metro]

Going back to the original topic; would it not make more sense to entice more people into First Class?

• Free wifi (a charge in Standard)
• A range of free complimentary items
• Reinstate Friday night wine
• 50% off purchases from the Buffet

I'd like to think that the additional expenditure would counterbalance with increased First Class renenue?

[Btline]

This post criticises FGW^▸ (First Great Western) on the Cotswold line only:

Virgin have First Advance Fares (e.g. London - Birmingham about ^20 with railcard), and give free meals (peak) or free food/drink (off-peak), with proper China etc.

FGW have no First Advance Fares on the Cotswold Line, and yet the free food/drink selection is poor, meals are not free and are served in a cardboard box!

At an extra hundred quid a ticket, what are you paying for? Leather seats? Better travelling environment. No - half the time, you end up on a Thames Turbo, and sit in standard class quality seats!

I am surprised FGW get ANY First Class passengers on lines like the Cotswold.

[devon_metro]

First Class customers do get food served on plates 

[Btline]

First Class customers do get food served on plates 

Firstly,

The last two times I used the travelling chef service in first class, no at seat service was offered, the only hot food was toasted sandwiches, served in a cardboard box.

And even if this is rare, having a Thames Turbo on the Cotswolds is not rare, and Thames Turbos don't have microwaves, let along China!

I can't see how FGW^▸ (First Great Western) can justify their Worcester/Hereford First Class prices.

[moonrakerz]

"Assume everyone is guilty until proven innocent" ...

Regrettably, this appears to be more and more commonplace in this day and age, not just on the trains. Parking offences, minor traffic offences and of course my favourite - TV Licensing who threaten you with: "WARNING - this property is unlicensed",  "fines", "visits from enforcement officers", "interviews under PACE^» (Police & Criminal Evidence Act - about)" - just because you don't have a TV Licence ! The fact that you don't have a TV seems to be immaterial to them !

[willc]

having a Thames Turbo on the Cotswolds is not rare

Off-peak, no, but in the morning peak, when the overwhelming majority of first class tickets are sold on the route, all the trains from Hereford and Worcester except the halts train are HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train), while in the evening, everything from London from the 15.51 to the last train at 21.48 is an HST.

FGW^▸ (First Great Western) don't offer First Advance fares because they don't need to on those morning trains - most of the seats are filled anyway. With a Pendolino from Birmingham every 20 minutes morning noon and night and three coaches to fill, of course Virgin need to do more to shift tickets.

Off-peak, first class custom on the Cotswold Line is limited and FGW don't seem overly bothered about it. Even on the 8.52 from Malvern, when it was an Adelante or HST, you would have struggled to fill one coach, and anyone travelling at that time probably isn't interested in anything more than a free tea or coffee.

From the late 1980s until the Turbos arrived, you couldn't even get a first class seat off-peak anyway, since the service was provided by 150s and 155s, except for one out-and-back HST to Malvern.

[John R]

Going back to the original topic; would it not make more sense to entice more people into First Class?

• Free wifi (a charge in Standard)
• A range of free complimentary items

[li]Reinstate Friday night wine[/li]
[li]50% off purchases from the Buffet[/li]
[/list]

I'd like to think that the additional expenditure would counterbalance with increased First Class renenue?

To my surprise I was offered a glass of wine this evening. When I asked I was told it was going to be a new thing every Wednesday. I'm sure the customer host was still at school when Friday wine was withdrawn, so I'd didn't bore him with the history, but is it true? Is Wednesday wine back?

[jester]

Wednesday wine has been back for about a month now!! 5pm to 8pm ish, enjoy!

[John R]

Well that's curious - I've not been offered it before, and I've most definitely been travelling on Wednesdays. But good news!

[SDS]

The following Email is not going to please some First Class people.

"Please note that one of the early franchise changes will be declassification of one of the first class sections on a 166 turbo, so that like a 165 there will only be 1 compartment for first class. They are initially removing internal signs and later external signs."

"Progressively from 2nd October to 14th October 2013 one of the two First Class compartments in the three car Class 166 fleet will be de-classified and made available for the use of standard ticket holders. This will be a two stage process. Stage 1 will see internal de-classification with the locking open of the sliding door and removal of First Class stickers and antimacassars. A second stage delivered later twill remove external branding. The de-classification applies to a particular unit at the point it appears in service with stage 1 de-classification complete."

[grahame]

That'll be fun spotting which is which as a train pulls in between phases I and II!