Hannah Bullivant did a proper good job with her Amelia's Magazine article showing the good work protestors are doing against the disgraceful rise in rail fares. When you dont have the option to drive, and indeed would rather travel in a way thats not adding extra exhaust fumes to our breathing spaces there isn't much choice but to fork out an astronomic amount for a few hours journeying. I live in North Devon. In the sixties they ripped up the wonderful network of trains linking Barnstaple, Ilfracombe, Torrington, Instow up with South Devon. You could also travel directly to Taunton in Somerset to get a London train, instead of travelling for an hour south in the wrong direction. All we have now is a train that runs infrequently to Exeter. Two carriages, but the inside of them look like a bus, so you are sat uncomfortably staring at each other. In the winter it is awfully cold. On bank holiday one year they crammed so many passengers in a little toddler was seperated from her Mother and had to travel on her own next to kind strangers for the hour.
Not quite sure what would happen to these poor people if the train crashed.
For a month I had to commute on this line to Exeter for around £250 a month. I was knackered from working in a busy bookshop and on the journey home I would try and give myself some privacy from the general public by putting on music and reading my book. I was hit on the head with a stack of leaflets as the fat ticket collector wanted my attention for my ticket inspection. I was so surprised I barely said anything, It really hurt as it slapped onto my plastic headphones and gave me a headache. I was also mortified as everyone saw what happened, I felt like naughty school child being scolded. Two women shook their head in disgust. Obviously I wrote a letter to First Great Western demanding an apology as I failed to get one off the rude man. I was so angry he felt he could do this, am sure if I was man or an older woman he wouldn't have dared.
My response from the company was that they spent nearly £4 million on customer service. I dont see how that amount helps someone learn not to physically whack someone in public. But there you go.
I dont like ticket inspectors, was spoken to like a criminal the other week when apparently I didn't have the right ticket. I went as a group of 4 but one could not make it so I called the company a week or so before I travelled to change my ticket, no need I was told, thats fine, get a refund on the fouth ticket by sending it to this address. The ticket man had none of it and charged us £70 there and then.
This weekend am going by coach. £9 there and £10 back.
Not quite sure what would happen to these poor people if the train crashed.
For a month I had to commute on this line to Exeter for around £250 a month. I was knackered from working in a busy bookshop and on the journey home I would try and give myself some privacy from the general public by putting on music and reading my book. I was hit on the head with a stack of leaflets as the fat ticket collector wanted my attention for my ticket inspection. I was so surprised I barely said anything, It really hurt as it slapped onto my plastic headphones and gave me a headache. I was also mortified as everyone saw what happened, I felt like naughty school child being scolded. Two women shook their head in disgust. Obviously I wrote a letter to First Great Western demanding an apology as I failed to get one off the rude man. I was so angry he felt he could do this, am sure if I was man or an older woman he wouldn't have dared.
My response from the company was that they spent nearly £4 million on customer service. I dont see how that amount helps someone learn not to physically whack someone in public. But there you go.
I dont like ticket inspectors, was spoken to like a criminal the other week when apparently I didn't have the right ticket. I went as a group of 4 but one could not make it so I called the company a week or so before I travelled to change my ticket, no need I was told, thats fine, get a refund on the fouth ticket by sending it to this address. The ticket man had none of it and charged us £70 there and then.
This weekend am going by coach. £9 there and £10 back.
Lovely Natasha Thompson did some lovely illustrative treats for this article too, you can see more of her work here ...
