Great Western Coffee Shop

So I get to Bath this morning on my usual commute from Reading, and hand in my advance single tickets on exiting the station (manned gate, not barrier). I'm on way back to Reading this evening and the conductor comes down the carriage asking for tickets. I get them out of my wallet - ah, they're for Didcot to Bath, not Bath to Didcot. I'd handed in the wrong ones this morning :o

I show the conductor my incorrect tickets, and also the correct standard return for the Didcot to Reading bit of my journey (a lot cheaper that way as you probably know). I explain what I've done, and admit it doesn't sound particularly convincing.

However, either he's had a good day, or he's a very good judge of character :). Either way, he stamps my tickets and moves on.

So heartfelt thanks to the conductor, and I hope he reads this so he doesn't have any doubt over whether he made the right decision.

John

Thanks for posting that 'vote of thanks', matth1j!  :)

I've moved this topic from 'Across the West', simply because I think it's more particularly relevant here, on the 'London to Swindon and Bristol' board.

It seems to me that your conductor was indeed a good judge of character, as well as quite rightly using his discretion.  As your commute is the opposite of the general flow of the hordes travelling westwards in the evening, I think the conductor made the correct decision.  The scope for abuse is minimal - and you had your standard return ticket to confirm your overall travel arrangements for today.

Well done, FGW, I say!  ;)

Thanks for moving this to the correct location chris.

I've been doing the Reading-Bath commute for 6 or 7 years now (3 days a week) and it's the first time I've done this. Hopefully it's also the last :)

John

FGW do have some good conductors. I have had one where i have been on a train from Bridgend to  Swindon where i intended to get off and continue to London on another service 40 minutes afterwards . Sadly the train i was on was delayed  so i missed my connection but the conductor  just told me to stay on.