£5 to sit down on train!!!!!!!!!!! (national express)

marko4ever25 · 13 May 2009 at 12:48AM

I hate this company and now dislike them even more for this -
http://news.uk.msn.com/business/article.aspx?cp-documentid=16770144

Union leaders are accusing a leading train company of "mugging" its passengers by starting to charge them to reserve a seat.

From this weekend, National Express plans to introduce a fee of £2.50 for reserving a single or £5 for a return ticket on its East Coast and East Anglia franchises.

so lets all write to the chief executive

National Express Richard Bowker, Chief Executive richard.bowker@nationalexpress.com

Maybe the public backlash will get them to rethink after all marks and spencers eventually admitted they boobed. see below.

http://news.uk.msn.com/business/article.aspx?cp-documentid=16770144

robt_2 · 13 May 2009 at 1:09AM

Every single day thousands upon thousands of seats are reserved which are not used. This will help put an end to that. It will actually HELP people get seats. Although I would try it at £1.50 single and £3 return.

From Sunday 17 May, a £2.50 booking fee will apply to some seat reservations on National Express East Coast and National Express East Anglia.
Seat reservations made on some Standard Class ticket types are optional for the customer and could apply to about 25% of people travelling. If a customer does not want to reserve a seat, there is no charge.
This does not apply to any Advance Purchase tickets, First Class tickets, Season Tickets, customers with a Disabled Railcard or assisted passengers.

Look at it from both sides before shouting "email the chief executive of national express".

As for "£5 to sit down on train!" - what a load of rubbish. Do you write headlines for tabloids?

wapow · 13 May 2009 at 8:24AM

probably The Sun loll

AdrianHi · 13 May 2009 at 9:57AM

Taking a leaf out of Ryanairs book of how to get cheap publicity may be :rotfl:

Timmne · 13 May 2009 at 10:00AM

I agree it is annoying to get on a train having bought a ticket without a reservation to not be able to sit anywhere due to all the seats being reserved - many of which end up staying empty.

AdrianHi · 13 May 2009 at 10:27AM

What is this reserved seat nonesense anyway, seats are first come first served on SW trains which suits me as I get on at the start of the line

I'd be livid if I couldn't sit down for over an hour because someone half way along the line has reserved a seat.

FARE-COP · 13 May 2009 at 4:00PM

I don't recall all this public furore when seat reservations were charged at £1.00 in BR days...

I was a booking clerk at the time......what will the 1979 value of a pound buy you today?

A lot more than £2.50 will now and robt is absolutely right, it will make more seats available to more people.

robpw2 · 13 May 2009 at 4:02PM

the problem is if there was a pregnant women then everyone here would chastise you for not wanting to guve up the seat that you have paid for

AdrianHi · 13 May 2009 at 4:20PM

FARE-COP wrote: »

I don't recall all this public furore when seat reservations were charged at £1.00 in BR days...

I was a booking clerk at the time......what will the 1979 value of a pound buy you today?

A lot more than £2.50 will now and robt is absolutely right, it will make more seats available to more people.

Perhaps indicitive of the general mood of the rail traveller these days? The system is full of illogical inconveniances.
Commute to/from London Waterloo and there are ticket barriers, you cannot get off the platform/on the train without a ticket, no doubt eliminates fare dodging. I don't have a problem with this, but why I am I woken up or interrupted from what I'm doing on my journey to have my ticket checked?
Why can't I renew a season ticket before midday the day before the one I have expires, forcing me to queue up early in the morning on the day I need to travel because the tick office is closed when I return the night before. Did that last sentence make sense? Well it makes more sense than the ticket availability policy.
Of course I can get around it by ordering tickets onlien and having them delivered.... for an extra £3 fee :rolleyes:

lisyloo · 13 May 2009 at 4:33PM

the problem is if there was a pregnant women then everyone here would chastise you for not wanting to guve up the seat that you have paid for

Didn't she pay fo her own seat ??
I don't know......blooming free loaders :rotfl:

robpw2 · 13 May 2009 at 5:02PM

see this week moral question kisyloo

£5 to sit down on train!!!!!!!!!!! (national express)

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