Bristol Commuter Considers Going Back To Car After Problems With First

[whole diary]

[Lee]

Last summer, Chris Parsons swapped his car for an annual season ticket with First, worth ^725 (link below.)
http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145365&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145191&contentPK=20237153&folderPk=83726&pNodeId=144922

He hoped to use it, alongside other forms of public transport, to travel to work and give up the car for good.

But after a catalogue of mix-ups over the issuing of the ticket and a series of problems with the company's customer services department, he said he is considering going back to driving through Bristol's notorious traffic again.

Mr Parsons said he spent more than ^150 on fares while a replacement for his season ticket was issued, while waiting three months for First to rectify the problem.

A First spokeswoman apologised to Mr Parsons and said it would offer him compensation for the bus tickets he has had to buy while waiting for his new season ticket.

Mr Parsons, a 30-year-old personnel trainer for Virgin Media, used to use his car to travel around the South West.

But he now uses the train and local bus services in a bid to cut down on his carbon emissions.

However, he said he is so frustrated with his daily commute, the poor customer service and a lack of information that he is considering packing it in.

[Phil]

My eldest daughter recently took an alternative step to the above mentioned Mr. Parsons - she was so fed up of the impossibilities of the daily commute from Melksham to Swindon via FGW^▸ (First Great Western) that she eventually packed her job in, and took a lower paid but comparatively hassle free job nearer to home. Ironically, she had only taken the job in Swindon because she thought it would be easier than her previous daily FGW commute from Cardiff to Bristol.