Ooops - wonder who's to blame for this one!

[whole diary]

[Mookiemoo]

They need to do what FGW^▸ (First Great Western) did at Cam & Dursley after the ticket machine got ram raided. Were they put in a "permit to travel" machine, were you simply push a button and you can get on a train, and even if you dont manage to get a ticket on the train, you can get one the other end, no questions asked.

What the hell is the point of one of them!

Sorry - dont understand why pushing a button and getting on a train makes it ok but getting on without is seemingly not ok

[Shazz]

A "permit to travel" is a ticket saying you got on this train, at this time.

As it's far to expensive, and to long to repair all the damage that was done (something in the region of 30k).and an estimated 4 month fix. So until then to make sure passengers dont get penalized, this was given. It basically is there for incase the guard doesnt get round to letting you purchase a ticket, you can do one at the station you get off at. Without having to pay a penalty fare.

[vacman]

They need to do what FGW^▸ (First Great Western) did at Cam & Dursley after the ticket machine got ram raided. Were they put in a "permit to travel" machine, were you simply push a button and you can get on a train, and even if you dont manage to get a ticket on the train, you can get one the other end, no questions asked.

What the hell is the point of one of them!

Sorry - dont understand why pushing a button and getting on a train makes it ok but getting on without is seemingly not ok

The idea of this type of machine is to show "intent" to buy a ticket, for e.g. if you pick up a permit and you are travelling from Cam & Dursley to Cardiff for example, the guard might not get to you before Bristol Parkway, so you change trains and you don't have time to go to the ticket office then you get on the Cardiff train, give your permit to the guard and then he/she knows that you have travelled from an unmanned station, and can sell you the cheapest availiable fare, if you hadn't picked up a permit then when you get on at Bristol Parkway the TM^‡(resolve) could say "well you boarded at a manned station" (Bristol Parkway) and charge the full fare, OK you could probably explain to him/her where you had come from but the permit instantly prevents any mis understanding. Hope this explains it clearer   

[Timmer]

Once again this is a classic case of bad PR^▸ (Public Relations) for FGW^▸ (First Great Western) even though it wasn't their fault. Even when they didnt run any trains they still found themselves in the press.

Maybe - but the article did say it was "bought from First Great Western".

So maybe FGW could attack the article on the basis that it was bought from the trainline or something similar?

If it WAS bought from first great western then they need to hold their hands up!

It just seems that bad press seems to follow FGW around all the time. It so easily could have happened to another rail company. This even appeared in yesterday's Daily Mail so even more bad press for a company whose's PR stock is at an all time low.

[Shazz]

Real people actually read the Daily Mail these days? 

[Timmer]

Real people actually read the Daily Mail these days? 

Yes they do thank you Shazz 

[smokey]

Trains haven't run on Boxing day for years?

Now that depends on the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company), Gatwick Express used to Run Boxing Day, not sure about these days,
and I have a feelig that GEX ran Buses on Christmas Day.