On Thu, 4 Jan 2007 15:52:34 +0000, Ian Jelf
wrote:

In message , Brimstone
writes

I used to be a guard on the Piccadilly Line. Passengers would ask me "Where
dos this train go to?" At forst I responded by asking where it was they were
trying to get to but some became quite stroppy so I stopped doing that and
simply answered the question.

Their blank faces when given the answer of "Cockfosters" (or which ever
north London station the train was terminating at) was a joy to behold (if
one was so minded). They would then ask the question they should have asked
in the first place, i.e. "How do I get to ...".

Yes indeed. Isolating what people "ask" from "what they want to know"
is a difficult task but one which is very important in a customer-facing
environment.

I guess the optimal response would be something like "we're going
through Central London to {Cockfosters|Arnos Grove|wherever}; where
are you trying to get to?" which covers most things AFAICS.