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Automated announcements / reserved seats.

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  • 09-03-2013 1:03am
    #1
    spiralbus
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 6 ✭


    I travelled up and down to Dublin on Thursday and it was a pleasure to find that the automated announcements were borked (in carriage 4118 anyway).

    It made for a much quieter journey.

    Also noticed an OAP and his daughter sat themselves down in a reserved seat and the person who had the seat was faced with the prospect of upsetting an oldie or trying to find another seat. She opted for the latter.

    Any thoughts/ views ?


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    #2
    Fred Swanson
    Closed Accounts Posts: 21,730 ✭✭✭✭Fred Swanson


    This post has been deleted.


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    #3
    corktina
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,733 ✭✭✭✭corktina


    you'd nearly be at your destiantion before you found him! Should ahve made the daughter move!

    I think the Irish need to be a bit more assertive over such things


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    #4
    Losty Dublin
    Registered Users Posts: 13,087 ✭✭✭✭Losty Dublin


    corktina wrote: »
    you'd nearly be at your destiantion before you found him! Should ahve made the daughter move!

    I think the Irish need to be a bit more assertive over such things

    They either need to be told that it has happened or physically stop and ask every passenger in a reserved seat for ID and a ticket. Asking a passenger to move is generally easier and quicker.


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    #5
    ProudDUB
    Registered Users Posts: 11,569 ✭✭✭✭ProudDUB


    spiralbus wrote: »
    Also noticed an OAP and his daughter sat themselves down in a reserved seat and the person who had the seat was faced with the prospect of upsetting an oldie or trying to find another seat. She opted for the latter.

    Any thoughts/ views ?

    Unless she screamed into his face, where is the cause for any upset? All she had to do was politely point out that he was sitting in a reserved seat and stand aside for him to move to another one. Why would he get upset at that and even if he did, so what? He is the one that made the mistake, not her.


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    #6
    Louche Lad
    Registered Users Posts: 1,089 ✭✭✭Louche Lad


    ProudDUB wrote: »
    Unless she screamed into his face, where is the cause for any upset? All she had to do was politely point out that he was sitting in a reserved seat and stand aside for him to move to another one. Why would he get upset at that and even if he did, so what? He is the one that made the mistake, not her.

    Depends on the OAP. If he's 71, active and 'with it', no problem. But if he's 91 and looks exhausted or 'not all there', I wouldn't push it.


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    #7
    corktina
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,733 ✭✭✭✭corktina


    Louche Lad wrote: »
    Depends on the OAP. If he's 71, active and 'with it', no problem. But if he's 91 and looks exhausted or 'not all there', I wouldn't push it.

    i would unless the daughter weas in a similar state....the daughter can stand up, there's no reason why the person who reserved the seat should


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    #8
    flazio
    Registered Users Posts: 12,990 ✭✭✭✭flazio


    If a like for like seat can be found elsewhere I fail to see what the issue is, out of curiosity was it one of those near the door seats?


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    #9
    Louche Lad
    Registered Users Posts: 1,089 ✭✭✭Louche Lad


    flazio wrote: »
    If a like for like seat can be found elsewhere I fail to see what the issue is, out of curiosity was it one of those near the door seats?

    That is a point — someone who's very infirm might want to stay near the door as it is too tiring and time-consuming to make their way to a free seat somewhere further along.


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    #10
    Milan Cobian
    Registered Users Posts: 122 ✭✭Milan Cobian


    If someone books a seat, they expect to sit in it.. It's not their problem how old or infirm someone else is. If they're that old and infirm, they should book their own seat. In any case, if they can walk down the platform to the carriage door, they can walk to a new seat.
    Typical Irish "ah shure it'll be grand" bull****, it's not grand, if you book a service that includes a reserved seat, you are entitled to that seat, no excuses. It's not the problem of the customer what condition the other passengers are in.


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    #11
    Hilly Bill
    Registered Users Posts: 6,039 ✭✭✭Hilly Bill


    Louche Lad wrote: »
    That is a point — someone who's very infirm might want to stay near the door as it is too tiring and time-consuming to make their way to a free seat somewhere further along.

    If they were able to make their way to the train and to the reserved carriage then they are able to go back and find a seat in the unreserved carriage.
    I could understand if it was the first seat they got to on the platform at the end of the train.


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    #12
    corktina
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,733 ✭✭✭✭corktina


    IE must do a lot more to make sure people get the seats they have reserved otherwise it is pointless having reservations. It is IEs responsibility to get that seat for their customer


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    #13
    im invisible
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,372 ✭✭✭im invisible


    What would you do when faced with a less than half full carrige, and someone sitting opposite the seat that you have booked, facing you? Happened me once, now i book a group of 4 seats any time i'm travelling by train.


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    #14
    feelgoodinc27
    Registered Users Posts: 714 ✭✭✭feelgoodinc27


    Milan Cobian wrote: »
    If someone books a seat, they expect to sit in it.. It's not their problem how old or infirm someone else is. If they're that old and infirm, they should book their own seat. In any case, if they can walk down the platform to the carriage door, they can walk to a new seat.
    Typical Irish "ah shure it'll be grand" bull****, it's not grand, if you book a service that includes a reserved seat, you are entitled to that seat, no excuses. It's not the problem of the customer what condition the other passengers are in.

    You are entitled to it, but would you let one of these old or infirm stand from Dublin to Cork? Old people and computers tend not to be a great combination so booking is out of the question, and if there are free seats on a train I'd rather take one them than evict an OAP.

    Irish Rail tend to be to blame a lot of the time anyway, either not displaying reservations at all or not until after boarding has started.


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    #15
    corktina
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,733 ✭✭✭✭corktina


    how much extra effort would it take for IE to have a system that allocates a seat to every ticket it issues? " there's your ticket sir, seat C37"

    They could even have standing tickets with no seat allocated on a busy train @10% discount!

    It just takes the will to give better service to their customers.


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    #16
    Hilly Bill
    Registered Users Posts: 6,039 ✭✭✭Hilly Bill


    corktina wrote: »
    how much extra effort would it take for IE to have a system that allocates a seat to every ticket it issues? " there's your ticket sir, seat C37"

    They could even have standing tickets with no seat allocated on a busy train @10% discount!

    It just takes the will to give better service to their customers.

    That what happens when you reserve a seat.

    can you honestly see someone standing when there is a free seat ?


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    #17
    corktina
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,733 ✭✭✭✭corktina


    Hilly Bill wrote: »
    That what happens when you reserve a seat.

    can you honestly see someone standing when there is a free seat ?

    specifically said for busy trains, for when all the seats are booked.


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    #18
    Jamie2k9
    Registered Users Posts: 10,690 ✭✭✭✭Jamie2k9


    Part of the problem with pre booked seats is a lot of passengers don't actually sit in the pre booked seats.


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    #19
    road_high
    Registered Users Posts: 19,404 ✭✭✭✭road_high


    Jamie2k9 wrote: »
    Part of the problem with pre booked seats is a lot of passengers don't actually sit in the pre booked seats.

    It is and guilty of it myself. Mainly because I figure that the system for reserving seats is so bad anyhow that by the time I find it, it will likely have some one else sitting there with the resultant scramble for a seat elsewhere or cause a "scene" as per previous posts.

    I really agree that it should be IE's responsibility to enforce the arrangements much better rather than leaving it up to the individual concerned. Currently it's far too relaxed and reliant on the intelligence and goodwill of the travelling public. Hence the reason why there's problems!


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    #20
    Losty Dublin
    Registered Users Posts: 13,087 ✭✭✭✭Losty Dublin


    road_high wrote: »
    It is and guilty of it myself. Mainly because I figure that the system for reserving seats is so bad anyhow that by the time I find it, it will likely have some one else sitting there with the resultant scramble for a seat elsewhere or cause a "scene" as per previous posts.

    I really agree that it should be IE's responsibility to enforce the arrangements much better rather than leaving it up to the individual concerned. Currently it's far too relaxed and reliant on the intelligence and goodwill of the travelling public. Hence the reason why there's problems!

    More like it doesn't work because people like you are selfish and unreasonable sitting on reserved seats.


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    #21
    road_high
    Registered Users Posts: 19,404 ✭✭✭✭road_high


    Losty Dublin wrote: »
    More like it doesn't work because people like you are selfish and unreasonable sitting on reserved seats.

    Hold your horses there....where did I say I was sitting in other people's reseved seats :confused:
    Read the post before embarking on lectures...


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    #22
    Strumms
    Registered Users Posts: 25,089 ✭✭✭✭Strumms


    I had it a few years back Dublin to Cork. I had reserved a seat in 1st class unusually for me as I fancied a bit of extra comfort and legroom due to a recent knee injury which had still been playing up. Anyway when I got to my allocated seat there was a group of well enough to-do middle class ladies say mid-late 60's in my seat and those around it. I thought at first it was my mistake but when I realised I pointed it out to them that my seat was occupied by one of them in error. They thought this was funny and started to feed me bull**** that they don't usually travel on the train and would I be asking a group of old ladies to move you knowthe auld guit trip thing, obviously old dears on the free pass which wasn't good enough just getting a regular seat they thought they'd upgrade themselves to mine ! .. I had a look around the carriage for a second as it began to fill up quickly behind me so ..". Erm no madam I payed for this seat, I selected this seat, if you would kindly find alternative seating yourselves or do I have to contact the train manager to assist you ? " anyway much grunting and flannel later they did move...

    I also get this a lot on Aer Lingus where if I select a window seat I find somone already sitting there and I have been asked countless amounts of times if I would mind swapping which I certainly don't do any more. I even booked the emergency exit rows on the way back from Nice last year and somone who wasn't even in the same row was sitting in my seat and wouldn't remove themselves until requested to do so by the cabin crew member.

    All in all if you book a seat you are entitled to sit in it. For anyone else who didn't have the foresight to book in advance to suit their own requirements and comforts.. **** em. Not my problem. If the elderly gent mentioned above has assistance from his daughter then I would guess she took care of the ticket booking and should have had herself and the gentleman seated where they were booked, end of. If its somone so old with a disability or frailness than fair enough I can sacrifice my own comfort in those circumstances lets face it it won't be a regular occurrence.


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    #23
    Losty Dublin
    Registered Users Posts: 13,087 ✭✭✭✭Losty Dublin


    road_high wrote: »
    Hold your horses there....where did I say I was sitting in other people's reseved seats :confused:
    Read the post before embarking on lectures...

    The bit where you said... "It is and guilty of it myself. Mainly because I figure that the system for reserving seats is so bad anyhow that by the time I find it, it will likely have some one else sitting there with the resultant scramble for a seat elsewhere or cause a "scene" as per previous posts."

    Sit where you like having booked a seat, that makes the booking system work so much better :rolleyes:


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    #24
    Fred Swanson
    Closed Accounts Posts: 21,730 ✭✭✭✭Fred Swanson


    This post has been deleted.


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    #25
    Emme
    Registered Users Posts: 4,055 ✭✭✭Emme


    The elderly person might have been visually impaired and not realised the seat was booked. Sometimes Iarnrod Eireann don't put reserved signs on the seats themselves but a sign lights up above the seat with the person's name on it. An old person might not know to look for that. Also they might not have been able to see "Reserved" written on the sign if it was there.

    If other seats were available I wouldn't see the point in asking an old or infirm person to move. I think that would be rather mean. Would any of you like people to that to your parents or grandparents?


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    #26
    Hilly Bill
    Registered Users Posts: 6,039 ✭✭✭Hilly Bill


    There are carriages set aside for online reservations and any visually impaired passengers or infirm would get help in boarding and wouldnt be placed in a reserved seat.


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    #27
    schemingbohemia
    Registered Users Posts: 5,606 ✭✭✭schemingbohemia


    Emme wrote: »
    The elderly person might have been visually impaired and not realised the seat was booked. Sometimes Iarnrod Eireann don't put reserved signs on the seats themselves but a sign lights up above the seat with the person's name on it. An old person might not know to look for that. Also they might not have been able to see "Reserved" written on the sign if it was there.

    If other seats were available I wouldn't see the point in asking an old or infirm person to move. I think that would be rather mean. Would any of you like people to that to your parents or grandparents?

    Yes, I would prefer people to do that, so that they would learn and not sit in the wrong place in future.

    Of course, I'd have told them beforehand to book a seat themselves and kick anyone sitting in their seat out.


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    #28
    Peppa Pig
    Registered Users Posts: 2,670 ✭✭✭Peppa Pig


    Emme wrote: »
    If other seats were available I wouldn't see the point in asking an old or infirm person to move. I think that would be rather mean. Would any of you like people to that to your parents or grandparents?
    Just curious, if all the other empty seats were reserved, would you ask them to move or take someone else's seat?


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    #29
    foggy_lad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    Peppa Pig wrote: »
    Just curious, if all the other empty seats were reserved, would you ask them to move or take someone else's seat?
    Reservations are only held until the train leaves the station the seat has been reserved from. If you see an empty seat with reservation and it does not show "reserved from xxx station" then that seat is free for any passenger to use as long as the person that reserved it is not just in the toilet/buffet car.


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    #30
    laoisfan
    Registered Users Posts: 2,297 ✭✭✭laoisfan


    Fred Swanson wrote: »
    This post has been deleted.
    Fred Swanson wrote: »
    This post has been deleted.

    IE have no legal power to fine anyone who sits in a reserved seat. They can of course politely ask you to vacate the seat. If you refuse they can remove you from the train.

    Can you please quote the by-law which shows that IE have this legal power? I am unable to find it. And the guys over on the Rail Users Ireland website were unable to as well.


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    #31
    laoisfan
    Registered Users Posts: 2,297 ✭✭✭laoisfan


    laoisfan wrote: »
    IE have no legal power to fine anyone who sits in a reserved seat. They can of course politely ask you to vacate the seat. If you refuse they can remove you from the train.

    Can you please quote the by-law which shows that IE have this legal power? I am unable to find it. And the guys over on the Rail Users Ireland website were unable to as well.

    @Fred Swanson - actually had a think about this overnight and you may have a point. I asked a Revenue Inspector on the train this morning. He said the following:

    Regular IE staff do not have the power to fine somebody who may sit in a reserved seat which is not theirs. They can have you removed from the train. However, the Revenue Inspectors ( about 36 in total ) do have the power to issue fines for such an offence AND remove you from the train also if necessary.

    He mentioned the National Rail Act etc etc.

    So there....I learnt something new :D


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