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First class rail fares - are they reasonable?
Comments
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pacific4130 wrote: »Careful now... You're getting in the way of people's inverse snobbery!!
.. and challenging the infallibility of the internet ...No-one would remember the Good Samaritan if he'd only had good intentions. He had money as well.
The problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money.
Margaret Thatcher0 -
That's an easy one. I'd pay for it if I had the option, but round here the trains don't have first class sections.GeorgeHowell wrote: »How would anyone propose to prevent wealthy and influential people from indulging in privileges like first class travel ?"It will take, five, 10, 15 years to get back to where we need to be. But it's no longer the individual banks that are in the wrong, it's the banking industry as a whole." - Steven Cooper, head of personal and business banking at Barclays, talking to Martin Lewis0 -
On one level it's a non-story. It's unthinkable that, on a train with many hundreds of 1st class seats, the bloke with the second most important job in the country wouldn't be in one of them. The things that make it amusing though are:
1 - the suggestion, right or wrong, that he was slow in paying up;
2 - the 'scene of the crime' being the west coast railway mainline, scene of one of the sorriest unintended consequences of coalition cuts;
3 - the fact that this bloke, with such an important job etc, was seemingly larking around, watching a DVD. Isn't he kind of, er, busy right now?
Hanging's too good for him I reckon.FACT.0 -
Day by day the mask of these tory f*ckwits slips a bit further.
I have no doubts the reports of this incident are true given how the Piers Fletcher Dervish look and sound alike thinks of us 'Plebs'.
I quote:
"A Virgin Trains spokesman said that the Chancellor's aide found the train manager as soon as the train left Wilmslow station near Manchester "to explain the situation and arrange to pay for an upgrade".
They added: "It was agreed that the Chancellor would remain in first class and an amount of £189.50 was paid by the aide to cover the upgrade for Mr Osborne and his PA.
"The situation was dealt with amicably between the train manager and George Osborne's aide.
"At no time was there a disagreement or a refusal to pay for the upgrade. Nor was there any discussion between the train manager and Mr Osborne."
Maybe if you used your brain instead of rolling out a load of knee-jerk reverse-snobbery, you'd be able to move up in status out of the "plebs"...0 -
Lets be fair, he has never had to cope with sitting amongst the plebs, it must have been quite a shock for him to be told that he might have to sit next to an elector. Give him a break!Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are incapable of forming such opinions.0
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Value for money
You should consider value for money when purchasing tickets which may need to be changed at short notice. In the interest of saving money for the taxpayer, you should exercise discretion and balance low-cost, often inflexible tickets against the likelihood of cancellations and the subsequent charges they will incur.
The online expenses system will automatically check the cost of a standard open fare when you enter the details of your train journey.
You can claim for first class travel if it is less than the cost of a standard open fare.
http://parliamentarystandards.org.uk/IPSAMPs/Guidance/Pages/Travel.aspx
I wonder if the additional costs, for all, are being met out of his personal deep pockets?Were they really necessary? Penalty charges can't really be called getting value for money."If you act like an illiterate man, your learning will never stop... Being uneducated, you have no fear of the future.".....
"big business is parasitic, like a mosquito, whereas I prefer the lighter touch, like that of a butterfly. "A butterfly can suck honey from the flower without damaging it," "Arunachalam Muruganantham0 -
grizzly1911 wrote: »Value for money
You should consider value for money when purchasing tickets which may need to be changed at short notice. In the interest of saving money for the taxpayer, you should exercise discretion and balance low-cost, often inflexible tickets against the likelihood of cancellations and the subsequent charges they will incur.
The online expenses system will automatically check the cost of a standard open fare when you enter the details of your train journey.
You can claim for first class travel if it is less than the cost of a standard open fare.
http://parliamentarystandards.org.uk/IPSAMPs/Guidance/Pages/Travel.aspx
I wonder if the additional costs, for all, are being met out of his personal deep pockets?Were they really necessary? Penalty charges can't really be called getting value for money.
That's a big loophole which means that all parties have been at it:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9623075/The-gravy-train-185-MPs-travel-first-class-and-24-claim-for-club-class-flights.html
Having said that, I don't really have a problem with cabinet ministers travelling first on train or club on longhaul. The others though...Please stay safe in the sun and learn the A-E of melanoma: A = asymmetry, B = irregular borders, C= different colours, D= diameter, larger than 6mm, E = evolving, is your mole changing? Most moles are not cancerous, any doubts, please check next time you visit your GP.
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vivatifosi wrote: »That's a big loophole which means that all parties have been at it:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9623075/The-gravy-train-185-MPs-travel-first-class-and-24-claim-for-club-class-flights.html
Having said that, I don't really have a problem with cabinet ministers travelling first on train or club on longhaul. The others though...
I think this misses the point.
It would be entirely consistent with the ethos of the cabinet to say "we are very important so we will travel first class" and like you, I can see that it may be appropriate on some journeys (eg if it enabled him to do some work). But this is not the case here.
If I were a Deputy Under Secretary in the Treasury travelling second class, and ordering middle ranking civil servants to do the same, what message does it send me and my staff that the boss is not only travelling first class but also doing so against the rules of the ticket he has chosen to purchase?
Its been reported today that this is not the first time that Gideon has sat in first with a standard ticket and tried to blag his way to a free upgrade.Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are incapable of forming such opinions.0 -
It's a stupid and ill thought out rule.I think this misses the point.
It would be entirely consistent with the ethos of the cabinet to say "we are very important so we will travel first class" and like you, I can see that it may be appropriate on some journeys (eg if it enabled him to do some work). But this is not the case here.
If I were a Deputy Under Secretary in the Treasury travelling second class, and ordering middle ranking civil servants to do the same, what message does it send me and my staff that the boss is not only travelling first class but also doing so against the rules of the ticket he has chosen to purchase?
If you were the Deputy Under Secretary in the Treasury and were working on the train (which is likely) I would prefer that you worked in first class where less people were able to have a chance to have a peek at what you were working on or a listen to your mobile conversation.
Over the years I picked up bits of useful pieces of information from listening to people's business conversations on the train.
This I have a big problem with. He can afford to travel first class so should pay for the ticket.Its been reported today that this is not the first time that Gideon has sat in first with a standard ticket and tried to blag his way to a free upgrade.I'm not cynical I'm realistic
(If a link I give opens pop ups I won't know I don't use windows)0 -
I think this misses the point.
It would be entirely consistent with the ethos of the cabinet to say "we are very important so we will travel first class" and like you, I can see that it may be appropriate on some journeys (eg if it enabled him to do some work). But this is not the case here.
If I were a Deputy Under Secretary in the Treasury travelling second class, and ordering middle ranking civil servants to do the same, what message does it send me and my staff that the boss is not only travelling first class but also doing so against the rules of the ticket he has chosen to purchase?
Its been reported today that this is not the first time that Gideon has sat in first with a standard ticket and tried to blag his way to a free upgrade.
Agree -the question is whether the loophole was designed or whether it was unfortunately open to interpretation.
Perhaps they intended it to read
The online expenses system will automatically check the cost of a standard open farewhen you enter the details of your train journey.
You can claim for first class travel if it is less than the cost of a standard open fare at the time of booking.
Obviously if he is paying, for all them, out of his own pocket that is his choice.
I think "work" could also be open to misinterpretation."If you act like an illiterate man, your learning will never stop... Being uneducated, you have no fear of the future.".....
"big business is parasitic, like a mosquito, whereas I prefer the lighter touch, like that of a butterfly. "A butterfly can suck honey from the flower without damaging it," "Arunachalam Muruganantham0
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