Woking to Heathrow
 

e27002 aurora wrote:
On Mon, 3 Apr 2017 09:04:24 +0100, "tim..."
wrote:



"e27002 aurora" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 2 Apr 2017 01:15:45 +0100, Graham Nye
wrote:

On 2017-04-01 11:07, e27002 aurora wrote:
e27002 aurora wrote:

OK, so I have had it with the Woking RailAir coach link. I need an
alternative means of reaching the airport. Train from the South Coast
to Woking is fine. But what are the alternatives for reaching the
airport?

Starting from the Portsmouth area.

The national rail journey planner suggests a number of options - Waterloo,
Paddington, Heathrow or Southampton, Reading, the other railair coach.

If you're going to do part of the journey by coach you could do the whole
journey by National Express - half an hour longer but a quarter of the
rail price. That's what I do from the West Country rather than messing
around at Reading.

(Travelling off-peak from Portsmouth Harbour seems to save a whole 3%
off the anytime fare. How generous.)

Using Portsmouth Harbour would mean travelling in the opposite
direction, probably be rail! But that one might be doable.

The sanest suggestion is to travel to Waterloo, then taxi to
Paddington, then Heathrow Express.

why would you get a taxi from Waterloo to Padd when there's a direct tube
line?

Have you ever tried to manoeuvre on the Underground with a large
suitcase and a sizable piece of hand baggage, i.e. a pilot's case? I
only tried once. :-)


On my most recent long haul trip, I had two wheelie suitcases, a
medium-sized backpack and a shoulder bag. I got all the way home from
Heathrow using public transport, but wasn't popular getting that lot off a
packed bus!

Woking to Heathrow
 

In message , at 15:58:25
on Sun, 2 Apr 2017, remarked:
https://www.uber.com/en-GB/drive/lon...-requirements/

The main complaint is that they don't (do much checking). And
reportedly the problem with insurance is they don't track
cancellations

I'm not even sure there's a mechanism for that even if they wanted
to

They could do spot checks on the drivers, say once a month on
averagefor each, and blacklist the ones without insurance.

I think you mean take them to court to get 6 points on their licence?

No, but the licensing authorities and police are.

Why would Uber snitch on their customers (and make no mistake, Uber's
customers are the drivers, passengers are the customers of the
drivers).

Because the consequences of them being found out covering up such illegality
will have far more serious consequences for their business than jettisoning
the odd driver or two.

Let's get them doing the regular checks first. One step at a time!

--
Roland Perry

Woking to Heathrow
 

In message , at 09:03:02 on Mon, 3 Apr 2017,
tim... remarked:

I just thought that doing that for 10,000 drivers, once a month (say)
was going to be too much aggro for both parties

If you're running a billion-dollar business, you shouldn't just turn
your back on the costs of doing that business.
--
Roland Perry

Woking to Heathrow
 

In message , at 09:21:10 on
Mon, 3 Apr 2017, e27002 aurora remarked:

As an aside, the events of that evening showed the value of having a
guard on board. Apparently, the driver went into shock. The card
called the BTP, and Network Rail. He saw that the driver was given
tea and comfort. As we lost heating and the lighting the guard dealt
with a sick passenger and a lady going into labour. The issue of the
role of guards needs careful attention before they are eliminated.

Now that almost everyone has a mobile phone passengers can call for an
ambulance for a lady going into labour. And if they are miles from a
station, that's what air ambulances are for.

The balance here is between the cost of guards on every train, every
day, the cost of sending an air ambulance to a scene like that about
once a month in the whole country.

In any event, many trains will still have a second member of staff on
board, to check tickets. It's just that they won't have the power to
close the doors, and have "guard - I'm paid twice as much" on the name
badge.
--
Roland Perry

Woking to Heathrow
 

In article , (Roland Perry)
wrote:

In message , at
15:58:25 on Sun, 2 Apr 2017, remarked:
https://www.uber.com/en-GB/drive/lon...-requirements/

The main complaint is that they don't (do much checking). And
reportedly the problem with insurance is they don't track
cancellations

I'm not even sure there's a mechanism for that even if they
wanted to

They could do spot checks on the drivers, say once a month on
averagefor each, and blacklist the ones without insurance.

I think you mean take them to court to get 6 points on their
licence?

No, but the licensing authorities and police are.

Why would Uber snitch on their customers (and make no mistake, Uber's
customers are the drivers, passengers are the customers of the
drivers).

Because the consequences of them being found out covering up such
illegality will have far more serious consequences for their business
than jettisoning the odd driver or two.

Let's get them doing the regular checks first. One step at a time!

My point was to highlight how seriously the law takes lack-of-insurance
offences.

--
Colin Rosenstiel

Woking to Heathrow
 

"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
In message , at 09:03:02 on Mon, 3 Apr 2017,
tim... remarked:

I just thought that doing that for 10,000 drivers, once a month (say) was
going to be too much aggro for both parties

If you're running a billion-dollar business, you shouldn't just turn your
back on the costs of doing that business.

but they are a technology business, they aren't a transport operator

tim

Woking to Heathrow
 

On 03/04/17 10:15, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 09:21:10 on
Mon, 3 Apr 2017, e27002 aurora remarked:

As an aside, the events of that evening showed the value of having a
guard on board. Apparently, the driver went into shock. The card
called the BTP, and Network Rail. He saw that the driver was given
tea and comfort. As we lost heating and the lighting the guard dealt
with a sick passenger and a lady going into labour. The issue of the
role of guards needs careful attention before they are eliminated.

Now that almost everyone has a mobile phone passengers can call for an
ambulance for a lady going into labour. And if they are miles from a
station, that's what air ambulances are for.

The balance here is between the cost of guards on every train, every
day, the cost of sending an air ambulance to a scene like that about
once a month in the whole country.

In any event, many trains will still have a second member of staff on
board, to check tickets. It's just that they won't have the power to
close the doors, and have "guard - I'm paid twice as much" on the name
badge.
But some lines (and tunnels) don't have mobile coverage.

I travelled between Cardiff and Netley on Wednesday and Thursday and at
least 20% of that route has absolutely no mobile coverage but
fortunately still has a guard.

If a train is stranded without a functional driver then the situation
can serious especially if the signalling is such that the signaller
doesn't know exactly where the train is. I dread to think what might
happen if this is somewhere without mobile coverage.

I just pray that the the new orders are not DOO Faraday screens.

Woking to Heathrow
 

"e27002 aurora" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 3 Apr 2017 09:04:24 +0100, "tim..."
wrote:



"e27002 aurora" wrote in message
. ..
On Sun, 2 Apr 2017 01:15:45 +0100, Graham Nye
wrote:

On 2017-04-01 11:07, e27002 aurora wrote:
e27002 aurora wrote:

OK, so I have had it with the Woking RailAir coach link. I need an
alternative means of reaching the airport. Train from the South
Coast
to Woking is fine. But what are the alternatives for reaching the
airport?

Starting from the Portsmouth area.

The national rail journey planner suggests a number of options -
Waterloo,
Paddington, Heathrow or Southampton, Reading, the other railair coach.

If you're going to do part of the journey by coach you could do the
whole
journey by National Express - half an hour longer but a quarter of the
rail price. That's what I do from the West Country rather than messing
around at Reading.

(Travelling off-peak from Portsmouth Harbour seems to save a whole 3%
off the anytime fare. How generous.)

Using Portsmouth Harbour would mean travelling in the opposite
direction, probably be rail! But that one might be doable.

The sanest suggestion is to travel to Waterloo, then taxi to
Paddington, then Heathrow Express.

why would you get a taxi from Waterloo to Padd when there's a direct tube
line?

Have you ever tried to manoeuvre on the Underground with a large
suitcase and a sizable piece of hand baggage, i.e. a pilot's case? I
only tried once. :-)

yep

every time I go to LHR (on the Picc)

tim

Woking to Heathrow
 

"Recliner" wrote in message
...
e27002 aurora wrote:
On Mon, 3 Apr 2017 09:04:24 +0100, "tim..."
wrote:



"e27002 aurora" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 2 Apr 2017 01:15:45 +0100, Graham Nye
wrote:

On 2017-04-01 11:07, e27002 aurora wrote:
e27002 aurora wrote:

OK, so I have had it with the Woking RailAir coach link. I need an
alternative means of reaching the airport. Train from the South
Coast
to Woking is fine. But what are the alternatives for reaching the
airport?

Starting from the Portsmouth area.

The national rail journey planner suggests a number of options -
Waterloo,
Paddington, Heathrow or Southampton, Reading, the other railair coach.

If you're going to do part of the journey by coach you could do the
whole
journey by National Express - half an hour longer but a quarter of the
rail price. That's what I do from the West Country rather than messing
around at Reading.

(Travelling off-peak from Portsmouth Harbour seems to save a whole 3%
off the anytime fare. How generous.)

Using Portsmouth Harbour would mean travelling in the opposite
direction, probably be rail! But that one might be doable.

The sanest suggestion is to travel to Waterloo, then taxi to
Paddington, then Heathrow Express.

why would you get a taxi from Waterloo to Padd when there's a direct
tube
line?

Have you ever tried to manoeuvre on the Underground with a large
suitcase and a sizable piece of hand baggage, i.e. a pilot's case? I
only tried once. :-)


On my most recent long haul trip, I had two wheelie suitcases, a
medium-sized backpack and a shoulder bag. I got all the way home from
Heathrow using public transport, but wasn't popular getting that lot off a
packed bus!

Not many people travel with that much luggage and even consider getting
to/from the airport by PT

even transporting that lot around the terminal is a PITA

The worst that I ever tried was a maximum sized wheelie suitcase and a carry
on wheelie suitcase

I really need a large rucksack ;-)

tim

Woking to Heathrow
 

On 03/04/2017 11:49, Martin Coffee wrote:
On 03/04/17 10:15, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 09:21:10 on
Mon, 3 Apr 2017, e27002 aurora remarked:

As an aside, the events of that evening showed the value of having a
guard on board. Apparently, the driver went into shock. The card
called the BTP, and Network Rail. He saw that the driver was given
tea and comfort. As we lost heating and the lighting the guard dealt
with a sick passenger and a lady going into labour. The issue of the
role of guards needs careful attention before they are eliminated.

Now that almost everyone has a mobile phone passengers can call for an
ambulance for a lady going into labour. And if they are miles from a
station, that's what air ambulances are for.

The balance here is between the cost of guards on every train, every
day, the cost of sending an air ambulance to a scene like that about
once a month in the whole country.

In any event, many trains will still have a second member of staff on
board, to check tickets. It's just that they won't have the power to
close the doors, and have "guard - I'm paid twice as much" on the name
badge.
But some lines (and tunnels) don't have mobile coverage.

I travelled between Cardiff and Netley on Wednesday and Thursday and at
least 20% of that route has absolutely no mobile coverage but
fortunately still has a guard.

If a train is stranded without a functional driver then the situation
can serious especially if the signalling is such that the signaller
doesn't know exactly where the train is. I dread to think what might
happen if this is somewhere without mobile coverage.

If there is no mobile phone coverage, what is the guard going to do?


--
Graeme Wall
This account not read.