Great Western Coffee Shop

With the closure of other car parks on that side of Swindon, the station car park is now regularly full before 8:00am.  For APCOA Connect users the west car park is now cheaper that Swindon BC Car Parks for all day and the main car park is similar to Swindon BC Car Park prices.  It appears that once again the car park is being used by non rail users. 

Last time this happened FGW (as they were then) raise the prices and the problem eased, but the closure of both the bus station car park (now being demolished) and the Turl street Car Park means that this probably is not a solution this time.

I would like to propose that we have a rail users system like they have at Oxford and Bristol Parkway.  How do we go about suggesting this to GWR?

Would you explain about the Oxford and Bristol Parkway schemes for those of us not familiar with them?

Yes they both use the pay by phone method and the code you need to pay is on a dot matrix sign on the platform at the station where it is only visible to those who are rail travellers. The code is changed periodically.

I believe others can still park but the fee is much larger.

I am not sure if there is any other way to pay if you do not have a phone.  Others might know.

Many thanks. That does sound like a possible alleviation to the Swindon problems. I only park at Swindon if I'm taking the 06:58 - as you note: beyond 08:00 both main car parks are normally at capacity.

In Oxford, rail users can pay in the ticket office (assuming it is open) on production of a valid rail ticket, although I believe it is more expensive than the "by phone" option.  You don't get a ticket to place in your car, instead you give them your registration number and it goes on a list to be checked against (presumably) by someone walking round the car park at some point.

I don't know if non rail users can do this - I wouldn't bother doing it as ellundune says it's much more expensive.  However, Oxford is so expensive for parking anyway I think I'd stay at home, or in West Oxfordshire where parking is free in all council run car parks.

The GWR Business Manager for Central Area is attending the Railfuture conference in Bristol tomorrow - I'll brief him & see if they can do an 'Oxford' scheme there.

The Oxford scheme was put in at the behest of the Council to stop non rail users from parking there (it was apparently a planning condition that the car park was for rail users only). The result is the car park is about half full most days, GWR has lost money, and the citizens of Oxfordshire have been forced onto park and rides. But at least the Council is happy.

It will be interesting to see what effect the new Chiltern service has on car park usage at Oxford Station!

Just re-read this - so all GWR need to really do is require APCOA to only allow season ticket holders to be able to pay for this car park? Rather than do as Oxford do & have two levels of charges?

But I am one of the many frequent occasional users who use the car park.  If it was only a season ticket holders car park that would be a disaster!  Or have I misunderstood what you said?

Sorry, yes, rail tickets, not season tickets.

But it would have to go via the Oxford method, as there's no way of advising APCOA whether or not you've bought a ticketvon the day.

I'll follow up

Oxford method is fine if that has the code on the platform.

Had a chat this morning with Matt Barnes....seems he's already on the case re a longer term solution with the Council & Network Rail. He will investigate the shorter term possibility of an 'Oxford' solution & get back to me. Might take a few weeks I think before I hear more. But he's on the case!

Thanks most grateful

Had the same problem this morning.  From the times on the tickets I guess that the car park was full not long after 7:30am. 

I think there was only about 20 spaces left in Swindon main car park when I got there just before 7am!