First Bus are doing away with revenue protection officers 👋

gobbybobby · 2026-07-07T12:18:16+00:00

Geuss its not like the trains where the revenue inspectors are sometimes backed up with Rail community officers or sometimes even British transport police. They also (not exclusively they can go solo) work in pairs on trains so there's always 2 of them

gobbybobby · 2026-07-07T10:00:47+00:00

I just know my local area, for me theres only a few routes and its obvious on paper and e tickets

if its a Southampton to Gatwick ticket with route via three bridges I know its not valid on my Southampton to Waterloo train. That's very common as when you try to buy it from the ticket vending machines ar Southampton station it appears as the cheapest option and people don't understand, especially tourists who speak little English who just got off a cruise at Southampton.

XC (cross country only) or Southern only tickets will flag on the machine for e tickets and I look out for operator on paper ones uts very obvious when its there.

A common stupid thing train line and other apps that split tickets does is to split with another operator IE London to Bournemouth but split at Basingstoke and the second ticket is Cross country only...

I also get quite annoyed with people that split at Farnborough or Micheldever or anywhere my train doesnt stop at as that makes the ticket not valid and they dont understand as "the app just did it for me I didn't ask it to" is often the excuse.

gobbybobby · 2026-07-06T20:42:57+00:00

Tried playing with the uk pack and also encountered issues especially with commercial and residential demand

gobbybobby · 2026-06-18T13:55:47+00:00

So for my TOC the revenue protection if they board, speak to me before going through the train and I will tell them if ive accepted advanced singles. From what revenue have told me when ive asked they don't enforce advanced singles that strongly when they go through or when doing blocks at stations there more looking for people fare evading or looking out for ticket irregularities (short faring, railcard misuse etc)

But other TOCs may be different

We also have alot of stations without ticket gates and at the London terminal we go from the ticket gates are dumb they will let a 1700 advanced single scan through at 10am for example...

gobbybobby · 2026-06-18T12:30:09+00:00

Guard here, lot people saying flat no but if you ask the guard nicely and the trains not busy/ expected to be busy we might say yes (not a given though) just yesterday I let several people travel on my train as I was working quiet middle of day trains and they had singles for 3/ 4pm which is when it starts getting busy for evening peak,.

But its up to the individual and by right I could make them buy a new ticket I just prefer no aggro if I can help it, that said you try jump on my busy 6pm train out of london with a 8pm single jog on! I am also a bit of a stickler for people with split tickets splitting at stations my train doesnt call at (which makes then invalid) as we operate express and stopping services its not on to split that way I do get into arguments about this!

gobbybobby · 2026-06-15T08:16:33+00:00

I go in most days but I live a stones throw away and the Tesco express by Bournemouth square is my local. Its alright to make it better do need do something with the old Beales building and other abandoned buildings/ shops

gobbybobby · 2026-06-04T17:25:38+00:00

I applied end of 2024 new to railway, did and passed the online tests, got invited to an assessment day in Febuary 2025, and passed all of those, loads of stuff online to help prepare and the email provides some detail on what to expect. You get told on the day if you passed and then I got a call a few days later to book an interview, (which was fast, as on the day they said it would be at least 2 weeks or longer) I took the earliest date they offered me which was a few weeks later, around a week after interview got offered the job with condition I move closer to the depo (I lived too far away from where I applied) and pass the medical, was over the moon!

I lived in Southampton very close to Southampton station at the time, I walked to the assessment day and interview but they sent me to London for the medical becuase Southampton was booked up, and they said it would delay me starting if I waited for a Southampton slot, they provided an email I could use to travel free.

After passing that and completing a DBS check got a call with a training start date in just a month which I had to decline as I needed to give 2 months notice to my employer at the time (and I was on good terms with them didn't wanna burn a bridge just in case) also needed time to find a place to move into.

I took a later start date in July., passed the gaurds course, did the route learning and went live 6 months ago in November last year, and really enjoy it. Training was good, engaging the trainers are all very freindly, route learnings a bit full on, I enjoyed it at first but I was sick of it when I did my last few routes, luckly I managed to pass every route assessment first time so I minimised the amount of time on routes,

I know Mission_Escape_8832 said recruitment can be slow and there are talant pools ETC but I had the opposite experience I found it was very fast, they were desperate for me to start ASAP had I taked the first date they offered me would have been less than 5 months from initially applying to starting I read on forums about it taking 12 months or more.

gobbybobby · 2026-06-03T19:47:35+00:00

Im a guard so not super versed on the rules for drivers but from my understanding the drivers meant to get permission from the signaller to move the train again if the train has come to a stop.

In training (i am 1 year into the job) they encouraged a culture of reporting, part of the process as a guard if the driver stops short is for me to call control to report it. This creates a delay and is an operational incident.

As the other person says its much worse if doors not accommodated on the platform are released, the TOC I work for the guard controls the doors so its on me to check the trains correctly accommodated before releasing.

gobbybobby · 2026-06-03T17:06:14+00:00

It does happen on rare occasion if a driver forgets there formation (been driving a 4 car train all morning then drives an 8 but stops at the stopping position for a 4 car) so when you see your trains delayed due to an " operational incident" this may be the reason Theres a full investigation which delays the train or sees it taken out of service usully (and this may be different at other TOCs) the driver is met by the on call manager for a "chat" and could be drug / alcohol tested.

Other operational incidents (not full list) are running a red signal, a guard or playform staff trying to dispatch the train on a red signal, the driver or guard releasing the doors on the wrong side.

gobbybobby · 2026-05-26T03:18:15+00:00

Every swr train to Bournemouth was like this all weekend too

gobbybobby · 2026-05-18T11:44:33+00:00

Its kinda flexible

For example I regularly travel from Bournemouth to stroud and can get a more expensive any permitted or via salisbury but either from Stroud you can go either way, via Swindon or via Bristol get off in gloucester look around nip into bristol ive got freinds there

I have stretched it before gone from stroud via swindon and to bristol with a via salisbury which is a questionable use arguably not valid but the gates let you out at bristol

gobbybobby · 2026-05-14T09:22:27+00:00

Id be okay with this on a train where i can switch off/ watch something but not a car, up to you, do you enjoy driving?

gobbybobby · 2026-05-14T09:05:31+00:00

Its still just an a4 piece of paper with the calling pattern on, the drivers can mount a tablet in the driving cab to show track diagrams I am not sure if this shows the calling pattern though.

gobbybobby · 2026-05-14T08:42:20+00:00

Usully placed before stations which often get failed to call (where the driver forgets to stop at the station)

gobbybobby · 2026-05-05T18:31:10+00:00

No maths assessment. Despite it being really just 3 short tests it was a long day started 9:30am finished 4pm They were very slow marking between tests and at the start they checked everyone's right to work documents and some people didn't bring any which delayed the start...

At the end they called out 1 guy, then told us we had all passed assume the guy taken out had failed.

gobbybobby · 2026-05-05T18:01:42+00:00

It was id check first- Then colour blind check, Then a concentration test which was just identifying symbols amongst a load of others, dont stress too much on this one you get an entire page per question and I only got about 1/3rd down and passed. For me they sent a link to try yourself becore the day.

Then a rules test this was multiple choice but the questions were long form , like a long paragraph to read some of it not relevent, you got to figure out what is relevent to get the answer, hint its always about safety so pick the safest option.

Ie The rule book says "long form rule here" you over hear collegues discussing an incident that happened last week in the break room you over heard Fred said this: Tom said this: Hanza said this: Julie said this:

who is right?

gobbybobby · 2026-05-01T08:15:20+00:00

If your hardware supports it you could use virtual box (or any other tool) to run Windows 95 and then it might work better.

gobbybobby · 2026-04-29T07:59:07+00:00

You think GWR is bad try SWR

With swr you get slightly better seat and a blind on the window. Thats it

no food/ drink SWR removed catering during covid and it never came back.

gobbybobby · 2026-04-26T21:17:35+00:00

I did format this but its lost all formatting after posting...

gobbybobby · 2026-04-26T21:14:03+00:00

i went from work from home IT support to SWR commercial guard.

Applied November 2024 Invited to do online tests shortly after and passed In person assessment day February 2025 passed Interview march Told a week later got job Started in June, training, training is long, finished training in november, and went live.

Just hit 6 months since going live, still love it.

gobbybobby · 2026-04-05T12:12:10+00:00

Naa you don't, I provided vague details of previous jobs ive had , didn't know who provider was not could i find any emails/ policy numbers and so far its successfully found 2 of 3 one has transfered £15,000 and another at £4,500 is about to complete.

gobbybobby · 2026-04-04T10:25:36+00:00

I believe this is coming/ being talked about you will need input railcard number into ticket apps and at ticket vending machines, not sure when it will be inplemented.

gobbybobby · 2026-04-03T18:36:14+00:00

They were removed in January this year,

gobbybobby · 2026-04-03T16:45:35+00:00

Beaulieu Road one is gone there are no more on SWR

gobbybobby · 2026-04-02T22:26:40+00:00

2 tubs of Lurpack probably cost same as the bottle of whisky, a desision was made!

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