Southern - Now Dangerous

[inland seagull]

The company and the drivers do agree on one thing, lets not give a toss for the passengers

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Just to correct you - we have been EXPLICITLY told by our managers that if a wheelchair is on the platform and there are no platform staff or an OBS to assist we HAVE to leave them behind. That is a (disgraceful) fact but heaven forbid we should deal in those.

Then tell your managers to eff off and do the right thing.

 

[ditchy]

Just to correct you - we have been EXPLICITLY told by our managers that if a wheelchair is on the platform and there are no platform staff or an OBS to assist we HAVE to leave them behind. That is a (disgraceful) fact but heaven forbid we should deal in those.

Then tell your managers to eff off and do the right thing.

Better still; Whistle blow your managers as its clearly the wrong thing to do !

 

[Wrong-Direction]

I had a similar experience coming back from London a few weeks ago, completely heaving train just sat there whilst people were sweating out buckets! Hate getting on trains nowadays

Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Surely you can't expect a driver to stop the train at a station get out of his cab then run back and set a ramp up and wheel someone on then run back to the front of the train ? There should be platform staff for this and Southern have cut them back to the bone.

I'm sorry, I'm not sure I see why a driver can't do that? It would take a whole 2 minutes, no? Surely he can lock the cab and then unlock it again when he's ready to re-enter?

What's the argument for binning off the disabled passenger?

Then tell your managers to eff off and do the right thing.

100% this. Orders are one thing, simple humanity is another. "Just following orders" is never a good excuse.

 

[vegster]

I'm sorry, I'm not sure I see why a driver can't do that? It would take a whole 2 minutes, no? Surely he can lock the cab and then unlock it again when he's ready to re-enter?

What's the argument for binning off the disabled passenger?

Are you sure it would just be 2 minutes ? what happens if he had 3 consecutive stations with a disabled passenger he needed to assist and then finds his train running 6 minutes late with another train gaining on his train ? impossible to do.

 

[BBassic]

I sometimes toy with the idea of moving out of Brighton but because I work here and have no other means of transport it'd mean commuting via Southern. Paying a little bit more in living costs is easily the better option when the choice is between that or using Southern Rail on a daily basis.

 

[Ernest]

I'm sorry, I'm not sure I see why a driver can't do that? It would take a whole 2 minutes, no? Surely he can lock the cab and then unlock it again when he's ready to re-enter?

What's the argument for binning off the disabled passenger?



100% this. Orders are one thing, simple humanity is another. "Just following orders" is never a good excuse.

It would take 30 minutes at most stations to shut down the cab and secure it before giving assistance, why not employ staff on stations like they used to instead ?

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Are you sure it would just be 2 minutes ? what happens if he had 3 consecutive stations with a disabled passenger he needed to assist and then finds his train running 6 minutes late with another train gaining on his train ? impossible to do.

In 25 years of on and off commutting I have never experienced a 3 station set of less abled people.

 

[Deadly Danson]

In 25 years of on and off commutting I have never experienced a 3 station set of less abled people.

Really? Probably because the guard helped them on board quickly and without fuss without you realising. As it should be.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Just to correct you - we have been EXPLICITLY told by our managers that if a wheelchair is on the platform and there are no platform staff or an OBS to assist we HAVE to leave them behind.

Get them to put it in writing. Then whistle-blow.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Are you sure it would just be 2 minutes ? what happens if he had 3 consecutive stations with a disabled passenger he needed to assist and then finds his train running 6 minutes late with another train gaining on his train ? impossible to do.

Of course I'm not sure, it's a hypothetical situation but even so - isn't it better to be a few minutes late than to leave disabled people behind? I know everyone is in a mad rush to get everywhere immediately but at what cost? You never know when you yourself might become the person who needs the additional assistance and maybe you'd feel differently.

It would take 30 minutes at most stations to shut down the cab and secure it before giving assistance, why not employ staff on stations like they used to instead ?

I would never question your knowledge on this subject, and we're 100% in agreement they should just have the appropriate levels of staff. Why would it take 30 minutes to shut down the cab? Surely it's just a case of getting out and locking it so nobody else can access it? Why does that take 30 minutes?

 

[The Large One]

The company and the drivers do agree on one thing, lets not give a toss for the passengers

No they don't.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Get them to put it in writing. Then whistle-blow.

This, this and this again ..... but they won't because it shows the drivers in a bad light.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

This, this and this again ..... but they won't because it shows the drivers in a bad light.

Drivers perfectly within their rights to insist on a written instruction I'd have thought. Else they'd have no legal comeback and would, as you say, be shown in a bad light through absolutely no fault of their own. Besides, it's nonsensical madness to suggest that the driver should close down his cab, bring the entire line to a halt to assist a disabled passenger, start up his cab again, then do the same again should the passenger require to be disembarked (sorry, not ever going to use the word 'de-trained') at the very next stop down the line, which he or she is fully entitled to do. And that's for ONE disabled customer. Which, apart from NO disabled customers, would be the best case scenario. No reflection whatsoever on the driver or the passenger, just on the utterly shitehouse train company that is openly flaunting disability legislation, with the full backing of the Department for Transport. In no civilised society should this need to be taken through the courts. But in this case, it clearly does. Only thing these cold-hearted ****s understand.

 

[The Large One]

This, this and this again ..... but they won't because it shows the drivers in a bad light.

There may well be laws in place to protect whistleblowers, but the reality is individuals, irrespective of union protection, would still be sacked, and maybe even prosecuted.

Besides, back in the real world, who do they blow to? Their bosses? The government? The media? As if that isn't already happening. This is a government-sponsored dispute. No point in doing it to the union either as they already know, and it's part of the issues of the industrial action. No point in 'blowing' to the ABC as it's part of their ongoing challenge to the government.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Actually, thinking about it - there is another option here when talking about disabled customers.

Why can't other passengers get up and help them?! Would that be such a tragedy?!

 

[The Large One]

Actually, thinking about it - there is another option here when talking about disabled customers.

Why can't other passengers get up and help them?! Would that be such a tragedy?!

They would need access to get the ramp, which is padlocked on the platform.

Not even every member of staff is allowed to use the ramp (though of course platform staff will be), as the need to have their health & safety training first in order to use it.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

They would need access to get the ramp, which is padlocked on the platform.

Not even every member of staff is allowed to use the ramp (though of course platform staff will be), as the need to have their health & safety training first in order to use it.

Sure, officially. And again, I'm completely in agreement that every train should have a conductor for just this type of situation.

But in the real world, there's nothing to stop people lifting the wheelchair or supporting a disabled onto the train, is there? Maybe the concern would be the doors closing on you and then you're stranded but in theory, people can still be people and help.

 

[The Large One]

Sure, officially. And again, I'm completely in agreement that every train should have a conductor for just this type of situation.

But in the real world, there's nothing to stop people lifting the wheelchair or supporting a disabled onto the train, is there? Maybe the concern would be the doors closing on you and then you're stranded but in theory, people can still be people and help.

You can, though it's not particularly dignified for that person to carry someone on in that manner. Some may well find it too undignified.

Plus a powerchair is around 150kg.

I appreciate it will show up the train companies as even more appalling far more publicly, but it depends on the individual in question.