from a mailing list -
Day Out Guide - mirror
(here)With working from home restrictions now lifted in England, we want to help you make the most of your ‘me-time’ on the train, and during those long awaited catch-ups with friends and colleagues after work. We’ve teamed up with the likes of FutureLearn, The Mindfulness App, audiobooks, Pure, and more to offer you free and discounted rewards to help enhance your on-train and at destination experiences.
and in the
BBC» NewsTrain firms bet on mindfulness to lure commuters back
The journey to work is set to be a whole lot more relaxing than before for commuters hopping back on the train.
That at least is the plan: the rail industry is offering free hot drinks, access to a mindfulness app and other perks to lure people back on board.
It's part of a new industry rewards scheme, aimed at reviving passenger numbers which slumped in the pandemic.
But some question whether it will work at a time when many operators are still running reduced timetables.
Train firms, who have faced high levels of staff absence due to Covid, say services will increase in the coming weeks, but passengers have complained of crowded services.
"Currently sat on an utterly crammed SWR» service due to the reduced timetable," one tweeted on Thursday. "I don't need coffee and books, I just need a reliable, frequent, comfortable and affordable service."
Independent watchdog Transport Focus said the rewards scheme - which also offers passengers free bacon rolls, audiobooks and music streaming services - was a good idea.
But it added that enticing passengers back meant delivering their priorities, "including punctual and reliable services, enough space on board and improved value for money tickets".
My highlighting in purple - are those free hot drinks on trains, or at stations?