Posts Tagged ‘
Passenger Focus ’
Nov 22nd, 2016 |
By The Editor
In future, the DfT says, as part of any new franchise agreement, delay compensation will be liable if the train is fifteen minutes or more late. Existing franchise holders which do not already offer “Delay Repay” will be encouraged to adopt the scheme.
Posted in Travel news |
Comments Off on Rail compensation
Tags: Department for Transport, late train running compensation, Passenger Focus, rail compensation, Which?
Feb 22nd, 2013 |
By The Editor
America’s love affair with the automobile is being replaced by rail writes CD-Traveller’s managing editor, Adrian Lawes
Posted in Travel destinations, Travel news |
Comments Off on America’s love affair with rail
Tags: Amtrak, Bob Stewart, NARP, National Association of Railroad Passengers, Passenger Focus, USA
May 7th, 2011 |
By The Editor
Yes its National Train Day today, but not here. This is an American day to celebrate the benefits of the train. An annual event, this year it coincides with the 40th anniversary of Amtrak, the provider of long distance train travel in the US. In 2010 185 different events took place in the US to celebrate the day. And what do we do?
Posted in Travel rumblings |
Comments Off on National Train Day
Tags: Amtrak, National Rail Day, Passenger Focus
Apr 25th, 2011 |
By Adrian Lawes
Some days ago I wrote that I couldn’t remember the last time we had such a good weather forecast for an Easter holiday. It has turned out that this has been the warmest Easter since 1949. So many of us have been out and about making the most of it. Car mostly but for longer journeys the train has been answer. The number of people heading out of Paddington on Thursday night to the west country or out of Kings Cross or Euston to the north gave witness to that but was this the best way to go?
Posted in Travel rumblings |
Comments Off on Trains versus Planes
Tags: airline fares, Carolyn McCall, Daily Telegraph, Michael O\'Leary, Oliver Smithh, Passenger Focus, Rail Fares, rail subsidies, Which? Travel
Jan 2nd, 2011 |
By Adrian Lawes
Early January means one thing to many travellers. The time of increased rail fares. This year the average increase is 5.8% which is well above the rate of inflation. But that disguises a range of price rises varying from the high to the outrageous for this year train companies can decide which fares go up or not. The government rule is that prices go up by the retail price index plus 1% apart from two lines, Southeastern and West Yorkshire where it is RPI plus 3%.
Passenger Focus, the consumer watchdog covering the railways has pointed out that a Norwich to London anytime return goes up by 14% and Canterbury to London goes by nearly 13%. But Travelmole, the online travel trade e-letter has found that a London monthly fare from Hornsey to Stevenage has gone up by 46.2% from £194.40 to £284.20 which may only be about £90 but is it over £1,000 extra a year to find.
Posted in Travel rumblings |
Comments Off on Hammering the Traveller
Tags: ATOC, Passenger Focus, Train fare increases, Travelmole
Oct 15th, 2010 |
By The Editor
CD-Traveller (25 Sept. 2010) referred to a list of quangos that the government was planning to close, merge or retain. Yesterday the “official” list was published. Going through the list of hundreds affecting the holidaymaker and the traveller, we are not sure that we’ll notice much difference.
Posted in Travel news |
Comments Off on Quangos and the Holidaymaker
Tags: AUC, British Waterways, CAA, Consumer Focus, English Heritage, Passenger Focus, Visit Britain, Visit England
Mar 20th, 2010 |
By Adrian Lawes
What is the role of the passenger in any industrial dispute?
To listen to argument after argument knowing that they can have little influence? To tolerate politicians with fairly well known attitudes who spoke them before the dispute and who will speak the same afterwards? To know that each side will say they regret the disruption that it will cause passengers but that there was no other way? To realise that they will be the ones inconvenienced but who can have no say or sway in the decision of either side?
Is short, then the passenger has to grin and bear it.
In any dispute there are 3 partners, the company, the employees and the customers. The company and the employees will discuss and negotiate. The only time the customers become involved is when decisions have been made.
Posted in Travel rumblings |
Comments Off on The Role of the Passenger
Tags: Air Transport Users Council, Passenger Focus, Passenger Rights
Jan 18th, 2010 |
By Adrian Lawes
It is unusual that customer satisfaction gets mentioned by a government. It merits interest especially if it looks as though there is genuine interest rather than lip service in what passengers think.
Lord Bradshaw who worked for various parts of British Rail in his career asked whether additional measures of customer satisfaction would be added to the requirements when companies bid for new rail franchises.
Since 1999 passengers have been asked twice a year on behalf of the rail consumer watchdog, Passenger Focus, a series of questions including being asked to rate satisfaction with a number of elements of the service provided.
Posted in Travel rumblings |
Comments Off on Railways and Customer Satisfaction
Tags: customer satisfaction., Department of Transport, Lord Adonis, Passenger Focus, Railways
Sep 28th, 2009 |
By The Editor
From the website
“We are the independent passenger watchdog. Our mission is to get the best deal for passengers.
We are an independent public body set up by the Government to protect the interests of passengers.”
Posted in Travel Advice & Contacts |
Comments Off on Passenger Focus
Tags: Passenger Focus
May 13th, 2009 |
By Adrian Lawes
I write this as I travel on the National Express early morning service to Leeds. It’s not very busy in my coach despite the fact that all but 8 seats have little cards indicating they are reserved for parts or all of the journey.National Express have announced that, as from this weekend, they are going to charge a fiver return if you want to make sure you have a seat. Passenger Focus ha provided a quote saying this is not right and two union leaders
> Read more
Posted in Travel rumblings |
Comments Off on Trains Become No-Frills?
Tags: National Express, No-Frills, Passenger Focus
Jan 28th, 2009 |
By Adrian Lawes
The results of the autumn 2008 survey by Passenger Focus are out this morning. To remind you, Passenger Focus is the body that monitors the rights of train passengers and each half year it interviews 25,000 passengers with paper based surveys at railway stations and on trains across the country.Overall satisfaction is up across the three nations (higher in Scotland & Wales than England) but “value for money” still lags behind and this was done before the quite large hike in passenger fares in January.
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Posted in Travel rumblings |
Comments Off on Rail Passenger Satisfaction
Tags: c2c, Chiltern, Heathrow Express, Merseyrail, Passenger Focus, Scotrail
Jan 5th, 2009 |
By Adrian Lawes
For a lot of people today is the first day back at work and here in the south east, the snow may not help despite the fact that we have no more than a couple of centimetres of the stuff.What will annoy people is the annual party every year when rail prices increase. I thought Anthony Smith of Passenger Focus made a good point when he said that supermarkets are cutting prices, airlines are cutting prices yet rail companies are raising them.This year, lots of
> Read more
Posted in Travel rumblings |
Comments Off on Rail Fares up & the Merry-go-Round goes on
Tags: ATOC, Passenger Focus