Train Travel – Too Much to Bear

From the Guardian 06/01/13:

David Mitchell writes:

Rail minister Norman Baker insists that fares are fairly fair. He must be one of those paragons who books online, months in advance [and who inhabits cloud cuckoo land].

The main point Baker was trying to make was, as he told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Once you take the basket of fares, include early advance and off-peaks, we are not nearly as expensive as has been presented." In other words, once you factor in the cost of tickets that no one wants, the picture is not so bleak. As Baker said: "You could argue that the people who are travelling in the rush hour are using the premium product and therefore ought to pay something which reflects that premium product which they are buying." By "the premium product", I presume he means the early morning smell of a stranger's armpit.

I’m a daily rail commuter and I’m honestly finding the experience of it more and more grating with each passing week.

What with those hi-vis clad morons who insist on bringing their cumbersome bicycles onto the train, the stench of recently-used train toilets which greet you at the end of each carriage or the tart hag with a cart who buffets (no pun intended) you with her trolley as she wheels extortionately priced snacks through the train, it’s all simply too much to bear.

And now further price hikes for season tickets. Another joy to look forward to when mine’s due for renewal in July.

Which reminds me, I spotted the following poll on the UK MSN site a few days ago:

Erm, where’s the, “All of the Above” option?