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.
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!
Click on the map to explore geographics
