GLOBAL NEWS
Exceed their expectations and we may tempt one or two of these rail passengers to give their local bus service a go
INSIDE TRACK
We spend our lives dealing with demanding customers, but rarely is an audience harder to please than when they expect to be travelling by train but find themselves aboard a replacement bus. The reaction of many, when confronted with bus replacement for part of their journey, ranges from shock to outright anger. But we should seize the chance to create a win-win scenario, showcasing our industry as the best it can be, exceeding passengers’ expectations and proving that the bus can get them where they need to be, safely, on time and in comfort.
I feel passionately about doing rail replacement well. Over 15 years I have driven and supervised such services all across the south coast and to the East Midlands. Train enthusiasts colour in their maps to show which lines they have travelled, but the colours on mine show which lines I have replaced.
Never mind me. Why should my colleagues care? Is rail replacement not just a quick way to earn some easy money for assets that would otherwise do nothing?
That is the view of many in our industry. Yet it does a huge disservice to …
