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which is all of... 4 days! 

I have had a very similar experience to this incident as well (which I think I have related here before). We were on a very crowded train from Newport to Temple Meads, which had its first stop at Severn Tunnel Junction. The guard was also standing where we were, and when I asked, he said the front carriage was much less crowded, and agreed that we should get out at the first stop and walk down the platform to get back on that carriage. We did that with our luggage, and just before we got to the door in that carriage, it closed, and the train started moving off. He could obviously see what we were doing, so I can only assume that he had forgotten what he had said to us. We had to wait half an hour for the next service.

I had similar experiences with my last remaining aunt. It is several years since I went as a passenger in her car, but every time I have, it has been terrifying, as she drives right alongside parked cars at speeds that must be well over the speed limit. Her sons have made many attempts to get her to stop, and she finally has, but only at the age of 98(!) when she had an accident that shook her up (fortunately nothing worse), which has coincided with her health deteriorating.

But strangely, the tickets do work in a minority of barriers. When I have had FOSS^▸ (Freedom of Severn & Solent rover ticket) tickets, I have found that each time at least a couple of different stations have had barriers which accepted them quite happily.

Which brings me back to my original point. Why was the bus not provided in the winter half of the year? (when while there may be fewer passengers overall, there will still have been a demand for it, and in winter weather the alternative walking route would be even worse to do).

I'm a bit confused. Isn't this shuttle bus just taking passengers from one platform to the other, for those who cannot manage the stairs? We had heavy luggage to carry, and it was a long walk around via the road.

Do visitors not go to St Ives in the winter as well? We went there in March, and had this shuttle service existed then, our experience would have been much improved.

Are you including First Class seats in those figures. If so, anything above 80% could easily include full and standing in Second Class.

Which leads me to the question: At what point does a train manager decide to allow standard class passengers occupy first class seats?

Yes my treatment is going well, though is quite onerous and leaving me with side effects which will hopefully go when it finishes (which is next Wednesday).

Bath's buses are always a tale of woe. My journey yesterday, having just missed the number 20, was to wait for the number 1, which goes every ten minutes (in theory) and then have a 5 minute walk to change onto a bus going along the Upper Bristol Road to the RUH. It was due at the same time as the number 20, but unlike that, it arrived at least 5 minutes late, and ended up being overtaken by the following number 1, which is always frustrating to watch when you have limited time. After my walk to the Upper Bristol Road, the screen there said there next 3 buses were not ones which go to the RUH, but the first one due was the number 19, which goes fairly close to the rear entrance. I could see a bus coming towards me, but as the sun was shining straight into my face, I couldn't see its number, but flagged it down. It turned out to be the number 3, which does go the RUH, and wasn't on the screen at all!

You missed last week First Bus having a stall at the RUH, along with some other travel initiatives, and I had a useful chat with the two staff there (both drivers I think). Apparently the trackers can cut out in Bath due to the geography, so buses often just disappear and then mysteriously reappear (or don't) on tracker apps.

I am travelling to the RUH every day at the moment, for radiotherapy, and funnily enough when I was walking out of the main entrance yesterday I saw someone who I thought at the time might be Graham. It would have been about 11am.

In theory I can get a bus from the nearest stop to me direct to the RUH, the number 20 which goes once an hour, and would love to make use of it, but have only done so twice so far (in fifteen visits). Some I have cycled, but when I have tried to catch the bus, it is either not on the screen at all, and not being tracked, or it is running very late, or just for a change today, left my stop 2 minutes early, despite the previous stop being a timing point 1 minute before it should get to my stop.

That is incredibly sad and tragic.

I am astounded by the "buses are allowed to leave up to one minute early." Is this commonly allowed elsewhere? Is it publicised anywhere visible to the public, such as at a bus stop?

My mistake, having a senior moment. 

What changed was that ticket offices were stopped from issuing 3 year cards, and can now onlu issue annual ones.

You have overlooked Toucans, where two can cross at the same time - pedestrians and cyclists (unless they have been renamed in the years since I was involved in installing them).

I was paid cash in hand, by the foreman down in the pub on a Friday afternoon, at one of my first jobs. Quite extraordinary now when I think back to it. And certainly remember £1 notes.

More on topic, I have a physical card, so renew it each year at the ticket office. I did have a 3 year card until you had to have that on a phone, and reverted back to an annual card. Happy to pay the extra for that to help keep the ticket office open.

Are there any campaigns to get extra stations opened on this line?

I don't know the exact location of the old Holt station, but there should be a little local demand there, and The Courts at Holt would benefit from more people arriving in a sustainable manner.

I don't know if there was ever a station at Lacock (I haven't investigated that one, but would assume there was) but obviously that attracts many tourists, and for cyclists it would open up some wonderful quiet cycling country. I am aware the line is a little way away from the village (three quarters of a mile?) and involves crossing a main road, but the crossing there already needs a safe crossing place for cyclists. (It is quite a while since I cycled that way, so things may have changed since I last did).