snorri said:
I just thought you sounded too accepting of the situation.
The staff and management of public transport companies know they are going to be dealing with the public, and anyone who works with the public knows there will be a few awkward customers. That is one of the challenges in the transport industry, ensuring all of those wishing to travel, even the awkward brigade, are provided with satisfactory levels of service.
We must not give up the fight!
Agree with Kaipaith on this. Transport is usually not a discretionary purchase. We travel because we have to. Like any other company, the private rail companies are interested in maximising profit, but unlike most other companies they don't have retain the customer or compete for their market share. The business plan writes itself - reduce customer-facing staff, squeeze the punter (metaphorically and literally) and cut out any activity (like bike facilities) that doesn't directly contribute to the bottom line.
My own transport service provider and hacker's employer, SWT (a Stagecoach company) is a master at this. Recent 'service improvements' have included....
The introduction of barriers across the network (they often fail and require full time station staff backup, but the contracted-out ticket checkers can all be dumped even though they provide front line customer services)
The introduction of machines as the primary ticketing facility at stations, including mainline stations (allowing SWT to reduce ticket office staff, even though most non-regular travellers find the machines impossible to use) and
A focus on 'revenue protection' over customer service (your ticket will typically be checked once on the train in addition to checks at the departing and arriving stations, but on-train issues such as mobile use in the quiet zone, drunk or disruptive passengers, out-of-order toilets, failed or ignored seat reservations etc are rarely addressed)
OK, rant over. But the family-Bollo spend as much on train travel as we do on our mortgage in a typical month, so I think I count as a 'stakeholder'. What worries me is not the current level of service, but the direction that the service is taking. It's not good for the customer, its probably not good for the staff, but its good for the shareholder so the rest of you can f*** off.
