Can i book a seat on train for under-5?

rosie383

Thank you. I appreciate your concerns. The bus from the port to the train station in Dublin is included in the price, and I will bring some euros just in case.
The national conditions of carriage do apply, as the route is offered by British carriers, IYKWIM.
I am bringing our British passports as we need photo ID, but the kids only have their passports as ID. My driver's licence would do me, and I always carry it anyway, as in the North of Ireland, you are expected to when you drive. Well, you always used to have to anyway.

OrkneyStar

Quentin wrote: »

If you can't take the risk, then you need to buy another child ticket. (Even then if the train is full, most parents would put the child on a knee and offer the seat to a deserving passenger standing)

The child is as deserving a passenger as she would be travelling by the terms of the train operator i.e. free. The only way she would HAVE to give up the seat was if someone else reserved it!

MrsBartolozzi

OrkneyStar wrote: »

The child is as deserving a passenger as she would be travelling by the terms of the train operator i.e. free. The only way she would HAVE to give up the seat was if someone else reserved it!

That's not quite right. While they may be deserving of a lot of things, they are only entitled to a seat if it's not required by a fare paying passenger - no need for the other passenger to have reserved the seat at all!

5. Children
Up to two children under five years of age may accompany each fare-paying
passenger free of charge. However, children under five years of age who are
travelling free may only occupy a seat which is not required by a fare-paying
passenger.

From here.

Also:
Seats may be reserved for children, but for a child under 5 years of age a seat may be reserved only if an appropriate child rail ticket is held.

this clearly states that having a free child place does not mean the child is entitled to a seat.

OrkneyStar

MrsBartolozzi wrote: »

That's not quite right. While they may be deserving of a lot of things, they are only entitled to a seat if it's not required by a fare paying passenger - no need for the other passenger to have reserved the seat at all!

5. Children
Up to two children under five years of age may accompany each fare-paying
passenger free of charge. However, children under five years of age who are
travelling free may only occupy a seat which is not required by a fare-paying
passenger.

From here.

Also:
Seats may be reserved for children, but for a child under 5 years of age a seat may be reserved only if an appropriate child rail ticket is held.

this clearly states that having a free child place does not mean the child is entitled to a seat.

.
Fine, in this particular case.
Surely this is not good in health and safety terms though- if there is an accident any child on someone's knee while be crushed surely ? Although tbh standing is not such a good idea either (and I did it many a time when I lived in the city!).

rosie383

Just to update. We travelled yesterday, and it was great. Plenty of seats the whole way, on each train we travelled on. The only time the train got packed, was at the holiday towns in north Wales, where lots of families got on to go maybe 1 stop.
The only problem we had, was that, even though we had paid for a through ticket from Euston to Belfast, the busdriver from the ferry to Dublin Connolly station, refused to take our ticket as valid and we had to pay. Only 3.75 Euros, and of course, cos I was flustered, and the bus was waiting for us so they could go, I couldn't find my euros and paid in sterling, (not very MSE!!!! ) of course I found my euros as soon as I sat down! When I told the driver that I had the ticket, he said 'Does this look like a train? It's a bus, you have to pay for the bus!' Rude man.
I am off now to check out the T&C and see if I can claim it back on principle.

rosie383

I have looked on the website and it says, very clearly 'The ticket price below represents the total cost of all tickets requested.'
I have just emailed Raileasy (and cc irish ferries) and asked for a refund for that part of the journey. It is not much money, but it is the principle of the thing, and according to others on the bus, it had happened to them before.
BTW, before anyone asks, I did go to the service desk in the port, but there was along queue, moving very slowly, and we had to get that bus or we would have missed our train to Belfast.

rosie383

Just an update. I still haven't heard anything back from either Irish Ferries or Raileasy. Does anyone think I should chase them, not particularly to get my money back, but more to highlight it for others?