Great Western Coffee Shop

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

As usual MTLS use any excuse to find fault with FGW.

--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.""

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

^10.50 Bristol - London is stupidly cheap!

MTLS 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.

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? 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 have made of the Wessex trains franchise.   

MTLS 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.

OH please!!!!

BRING BACK WESSEX.

I'm allowed to dream.

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

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

NO CHANCE!

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 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 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.

Exactly. Would DFT have cared two hoots if there hadn't been any bad publicity? And who has driven that publicity?

I hadn't heard of MTLS 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.

You obviously don't read The Times or listen to Radio 4. I suspect many MP's do.

I agree with Timmer and John R on this one.

While I do accept that many of you in Devon and Cornwall had probably not even heard of MTLS until very recently (that's no way a criticism of you - please hear me out!), they are nevertheless a very potent voice in the Bristol / Bath area, where they originated.  They have tapped into a lot of dissatisfaction on that particular commuter route, and because Bristol and Bath have big populations with their own issues with First Bus as well, MTLS have easily gained a lot of local support.  There are also a lot of MPs in this area, and they have generally publicly supported the sentiments of their constituents (strange, that?).

As John R and Timmer wrote earlier, scarcely a day goes by up here in Bristol / Bath / Somerset without some comment in the local paper / radio / television about FGW, usually quoting someone from MTLS.  However, MTLS are really still just a local group - as we've seen from the dwindling support they have received for their fare strike from other areas (for example, Oxford) after FGW's offer of increased compensation.  You could argue that MTLS's influence is out of all proportion to the area of their mainstream support - indeed, John R did, and I think he's quite right.  Nevertheless, they have raised these issues, which will probably not go away until the situation improves - to the benefit of both passengers and staff of FGW, I think!

By the way, I am NOT a member of MTLS, I do NOT support any lawbreaking by fare-dodging.  I hope everything goes good-naturedly on Monday; the protesters get to make their point and perhaps FGW get a chance to put their case as well!

Strangely enough NO!!

Not sure they've got the wireless down in Cornwall yet, John?   ;D ;D ;D

Devon, but yes, Cornwall doesn't even have electric yet and they still pee in a hole in floor in their garden shed!! (tongue in cheek before anyone accuses me of being anti-Cornish or something) ;)

Likewise: I was born in Plymouth, and I have family in Cornwall.  It's a beautiful county - very scenic.   ;)

If Vacman was in Cornwall, he wouldn't be able to post 1/4 of what he does.

Do you Know how slow Gas Powered PC's are!

Coal burners in Cornwall. lol!!

Coal burner PC's, all that coal dust plays hell with the Hard Drive.

Thats why they use Gas.