Woman asked to move from pre-booked seat calls Gardai

poeticmakaveli

Calina wrote:

Irish Rail's ticket prices are not outrageous; they are load controlled and if you're paying high ticket fairs, either you're buying last minute or you're on a busy train.

well i was going from longford to Dublin last Saturday and was coming back on the Sunday and it was 40 euro! that's pretty steep i think!!
friend of mine came back one way on the Sunday also and he was charged just over 25 euro 1 way!

Fred Swanson

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Losty Dublin

Pretzill wrote: »

On occasion my carraige hasn't been there - so all the prebooked seats on say D are null and void - if one had to stand in this situation I reckon some compensation would be afforded especially on a long journey. For prebooked or non prebooked.

The arrangement is that if you can't get your pre-booked allocated seat and can't be seated elsewhere on the train, you will be reimbursed your fare that leg of the trip by way of Irish Rail travel vouchers. Those who book at the station have no such comeback; they are only booking a ticket to travel on the day and not a guarantee of a specific seat on a specific train.

Guy:Incognito

Fred Swanson wrote: »

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Well they have to, cos some people might want to lie across 3 seats and have a sleep and you know, if they're there first, they shouldn't have to move unless Michael O'Leary and the Lieutenant-General of the army come and tell them too.

Calina

Fred Swanson wrote: »

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I'd forgotten they made that switch so thanks for reminding me.

So "in the past, when Ryanair had free seating..."

stinkle

Its been a while since I regularly used Irish Rail for intercity trips, but from my recollection, when booking online you could only reserve seats in a particular carriage, or maybe two carriages. The odd time there might be a sign on the platform at Heuston saying something like "reserved seating only in carriage B" at busy times. It made it easy for us prebookers to find seats and not have the awkward conversation with someone inadvertantly sitting there. Conversely, anyone who hadn't prebooked could see which carriage had free seating and which to avoid.

For what its worth, any time someone was in my seat they were mostly grand. I preferred a two seater at the back/front of carriage for closeness to toilet and having my own little fold down table withe socket nearby so I could do some work without taking up loads of room. People often have good reasons for choosing particular seats in advance, and having someone refuse to vacate a prebooked seat might mean they have to sit somewhere less suitable.

poeticmakaveli

calina
Me and you would not get on in real life, i could not deal with the likes of you because i would be thinking too fairly and you would be harping on about rules too much and it would irritating to many people in this world!
good luck in this thread defending your annoying views!

end of the road

Calina wrote: »

Irish Rail's ticket prices are not outrageous; they are load controlled and if you're paying high ticket fairs, either you're buying last minute or you're on a busy train.

only load controled because they didn't buy enough carriges yet have some in store, and threw away others because they weren't shiny and new

Calina wrote: »

Seriously, in a country inhabited by grown ups, the person with reservation gets seat, the person without vacates said seat.

clearly mark seats as reserved, have staff other then the driver aboard all long distance trains meaning passengers don't have to bother the driver with any issue, and this and other problems will mostly go away.

Calina wrote: »

On a busy train, I would ask them to move and have the right to do so. People are requested not to sit in seats reserved by other passengers and if you do sit in a seat that is reserved, you are not on the high moral ground. This is particularly case if we do not have a technical problem on the train, and the reservations are posted over the seats.

well, if the seat is clearly marked reserved either via the electronic displays or a piece of paper then absolutely. if either of those don't happen thats irish rails fault.

Calina wrote: »

Irish Rail really shouldn't have to police this.

absolutely they should. they are incharge of running the trains and taking reservations.

Calina wrote: »

The fact that they do is more to do with people being obnoxious than anything else.

no, its to do with the fact they fail to mark the seats as reserved.

Calina wrote: »

They would not be entitled to be angry if you have a reserved seat and they do not.

they would if its not clearly marked by irish rail

Calina wrote: »

You do not deserve to be assaulted for requesting that someone vacates the seat that you book. If more people have your attitude, I can understand why Irish Rail need to enforce seat reservations.

no, they need to enforce them anyway as thats their job

Calina wrote: »

They really don't. Person with reservation gets seat, person without reservation does not. It really is that simple.

its not that simple at all unless its clearly marked by irish rails use of the electronic displays or a piece of paper stating as such.

Calina wrote: »

It really is not. It allows better capacity planning and analysis of passenger trends.

unless its on the waterford line, where the capacity ends up being to little.

Calina wrote: »

Most people who are older than me who do not have free travel passes can operate the website.

yeah, most who would have grown up using a computer in some form. others, probably not so much.

Calina wrote: »

There are prices to be paid when you can't plan in advance and one of those is that people who can have opportunities that you don't.

not at all. your entitled not to be expected to plan in advance. you have a right to travel when you want without being ripped off. all rail travelers are entitled to the same standards whether they plan in advance or not. anything other then that is favouritism

Calina

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Is there a constant IR presence on every train (apart from the driver and the refreshments/cafe staff?)

Typically, there is usually a number you can call on each train for anti social behaviour. It's usually on the rolling display at each end of the carriage as one of the messages.

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

I have rarely seen a uniformed IR person even just walking through all the carriages before it departs to make sure there are no problems with booked seats, no signage etc. and so forth.

There is usually at least one train host in my experience.

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

To whom does one turn when an issue like this arises and one or both parties refuse to move?

A visible presence like this would surely take the heat out of such situations. A referee!

IME, if someone is prepared to refuse to vacate a seat which another passenger has booked, they will probably be fully prepared to verbally abuse a representative of the rail company as well.

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Now I'm sure some will come back and say yes, there is always someone in charge on the train, but TBH, I have never seen them, except ticket checkers who get on and off at intermediate stations.

Mostly they aren't needed.

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

In fact, one time I was taking my disabled mother to Cork. Prebooked the wheelchair seats, no problems. But.... during the journey the disabled loo doors would not open. I walked the length of that train and saw no one to whom I could address the problem. In desperation, I asked the cafe staff. They found someone, but where the hell he was on that train is anyone's guess!

My normal response would be to ask the cafe staff first. In fact, I'd probably not have bothered searching for the train host because the fastest thing would be to find the cafe staff unless I happened on the train host while on my way to the restaurant carriage.

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

He got the door fixed, and I didn't ask him where he was hiding either! Could have been one of the catering staff for all I know, no uniform or anything.

And this is irrelevant - you need one thing from him, it was delivered, so why do you need to worry what the rest of his job constitutes?

Wang King

end of the road wrote: »

i'm correct. as irish rail have not ensured the seat is marked reserved meaning someone sits in it, then they have failed in their duties to ensure that a reserved seat isn't occupied. airplanes are irrelevant

Again you are wrong,...seems to be a theme on this thread

end of the road

Calina wrote: »

Typically, there is usually a number you can call on each train for anti social behaviour. It's usually on the rolling display at each end of the carriage as one of the messages.



There is usually at least one train host in my experience.



IME, if someone is prepared to refuse to vacate a seat which another passenger has booked, they will probably be fully prepared to verbally abuse a representative of the rail company as well.



Mostly they aren't needed.



My normal response would be to ask the cafe staff first. In fact, I'd probably not have bothered searching for the train host because the fastest thing would be to find the cafe staff unless I happened on the train host while on my way to the restaurant carriage.



And this is irrelevant - you need one thing from him, it was delivered, so why do you need to worry what the rest of his job constitutes?

because he does. there should be a uniformed member of staff aboard all long distance trains to ensure safety and to deal with passenger issues. calling a number is no good. the lack of staff presence is the reason anti-social behaviour goes unchallenged making people feel unsafe

Calina

end of the road wrote: »

because he does. there should be a uniformed member of staff aboard all long distance trains to ensure safety and to deal with passenger issues. calling a number is no good. the lack of staff presence is the reason anti-social behaviour goes unchallenged making people feel unsafe

I have never felt unsafe on an intercity Irish Rail service. Never.

Calina

poeticmakaveli wrote: »

calina
Me and you would not get on in real life, i could not deal with the likes of you because i would be thinking too fairly and you would be harping on about rules too much and it would irritating to many people in this world!
good luck in this thread defending your annoying views!

This is hilarious.

Graham

end of the road wrote: »

because he does. there should be a uniformed member of staff aboard all long distance trains to ensure safety and to deal with passenger issues. calling a number is no good. the lack of staff presence is the reason anti-social behaviour goes unchallenged making people feel unsafe

Some passengers appear to relish finding ways to cause situations where an additional member of staff would be necessary.

Graham

end of the road wrote: »

all rail travelers are entitled to the same standards whether they plan in advance or not. anything other then that is favouritism

The existence of first class obliterates your point.

To ensure fairness, all passengers can book in advance and/or reserve seats.

These right you keep mentioning, are they mentioned in the constitution or can you find them in anti-discrimination legislation?

Losty Dublin

Graham wrote: »

Some passengers appear to relish finding ways to cause situations where an additional member of staff would be necessary.

That reminds me of a story that happened me on a train

Some years back I booked my seat on a busy trip coming out of Cork. I took to my seat and, as the train pulled away, this middle aged couple came up to me asked me to move, saying I was sitting in their seats. Cue a few rounds of "Oh no I'm not, oh yes you are" until, exasperated by my apparent ignorance, the wife threatened to get the train guard, waving her ticket at me.

Running out of gusto to be dealing with her, I asked to see her ticket which she gladly showed me it, proud as punch to reveal her trump card, before seeing me out of her sight. It turned out that she was booked on the train an hour earlier.

And on a different carriage

mickydoomsux

Calina wrote: »

Seriously, in a country inhabited by grown ups, the person with reservation gets seat, the person without vacates said seat.

This is a point that rings really true with me as an IR employee.

A lot of people using trains in this country act like helpless children for some reason. They can't read a simple timetable, they can't read a seat reservation screen, they lose their tickets/travel passes (this is a daily occurrence where i work), they can't understand not to stack luggage in wheelchair spaces, they can't read information screens with list of stops/platform numbers, some don't even know how to ask for/buy the right kind of ticket they want etc. etc. etc.

People in this country bumble around obliviously when it comes to public transport .

It's a bizarre phenomenon that i have only ever seen in Ireland despite having used public transport in numerous countries around the world.

Graham

Losty Dublin wrote: »

That reminds me of a story that happened me on a train

Some years back I booked my seat on a busy trip coming out of Cork. I took to my seat and, as the train pulled away, this middle aged couple came up to me asked me to move, saying I was sitting in their seats. Cue a few rounds of "Oh no I'm not, oh yes you are" until, exasperated by my apparent ignorance, the wife threatened to get the train guard, waving her ticket at me.

Running out of gusto to be dealing with her, I asked to see her ticket which she gladly showed me it, proud as punch to reveal her trump card, before seeing me out of her sight. It turned out that she was booked on the train an hour earlier.

And on a different carriage

There are a couple of posters who probably have a way of blaming that scenario on Irish Rail. I've just checked the timetable, one of them is due to post any minute now :pac:

end of the road

Graham wrote: »

Some passengers appear to relish finding ways to cause situations where an additional member of staff would be necessary.

a second member of staff aboard all long distance trains is necessary whatever the situation. the driver should not be expected to deal with passenger issues, and calling some number is not good enough

TheQuietFella

The last time I travelled on a train it was in the UK & there appeared to be no issues with reserving a seat. Maybe it's just an Irish thing?

In the UK they place a ticket above the seat to show it has been reserved.
Is this done here also?

Calina

TheQuietFella wrote: »

The last time I travelled on a train it was in the UK & there appeared to be no issues with reserving a seat. Maybe it's just an Irish thing?

In the UK they place a ticket above the seat to show it has been reserved.
Is this done here also?

We have electronic displays above the seats which will display either the passenger's name or the ticket reservation number (I think - you have the option not to have your name displayed).

There are occasions where the system has not loaded the reservation names but it's not the most frequent event in my experience.

kleefarr

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

I thought that pre booked seats should be taken up at least 20 minutes before departure?

If the man hadn't done that, well......

How do you sit in it 15 mins before it arrives at the station you are getting on at?

TheQuietFella

Calina wrote: »

We have electronic displays above the seats which will display either the passenger's name or the ticket reservation number (I think - you have the option not to have your name displayed).

There are occasions where the system has not loaded the reservation names but it's not the most frequent event in my experience.

Why would the system not be loaded & would this have been the case with these passengers?

Calina

TheQuietFella wrote: »

Why would the system not be loaded & would this have been the case with these passengers?

Not really familiar with the nuts and bolts of Irish Rail's seat reservation application but I assumed some sort of a technical glitch on the one occasion it happened with me. I've found people are happy enough to honour the fact that I have a ticket with an assigned seat on it though.

NOt sure whether it was the case here although based on available information, it'd be my first guess.

Graham

kleefarr wrote: »

How do you sit in it 15 mins before it arrives at the station you are getting on at?

you should be Available for boarding 20 minutes before departure for terminal stations. The rule appears to be claim the seat before the advertised departure time.

Atlantic Dawn

Have not travelled myself for a couple of years on the inter city trains, is there an announcement on the train at each stop informing people that seats may be reserved and to make sure they are not in somebody elses seat, surely this would go to resolve the problem?

Graham

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Have not travelled myself for a couple of years on the inter city trains, is there an announcement on the train at each stop informing people that seats may be reserved and to make sure they are not in somebody elses seat, surely this would go to resolve the problem?

That does usually happen, the confusion is where seats are not showing as reserved which occasionally happens. In such instances I would expect to give up my seat if another passenger demonstrated it was their reserved seat.

TheQuietFella

Just out of idle curiosity why would you want to reserve a seat on the train.

I can understand a large group or a family but travelling solo!

Surely if you got there early enough you could have your choice of seats!

Graham

TheQuietFella wrote: »

Just out of idle curiosity why would you want to reserve a seat on the train.

I can understand a large group or a family but travelling solo!

Surely if you got there early enough you could have your choice of seats!

On some busy services it's the only way to make sure you get a seat. If you're joining a train mid-journey, arriving early isn't going to help.

Calina

TheQuietFella wrote: »

Just out of idle curiosity why would you want to reserve a seat on the train.

I can understand a large group or a family but travelling solo!

Surely if you got there early enough you could have your choice of seats!

It is economically advantageous to do so: travel on the day fares are quite high, particularly at weekends. Prebooking online automatically involves an assigned seat. Additionally, some peak trains can be very busy, particularly at weekends.

As a solo traveller, I do it pretty much every time I travel.