This will be a Victor Meldrew-style rant, so apologies in advance. I have to travel on London Midland's rail route into Euston. They took over the franchise recently and to be frank, their punctuality, service and responsiveness to customers are all crap. The service over the last few months has been utterly dire, with an endless stream of signalling problems, broken-down trains, unexplained delays - and pretty much every train is late for some reason. You can claim money back for delays longer than 30 mins, but all the constant 10, 15 and 20-minute delays which go under the radar are HUGELY frustrating. My only pathetic consolation is that I have an annual TFL travelcard which entitles me to a discount on the fare, and as it covers zones 1 and 2 I get an extra bit off because technically I've already paid to travel through that bit (apologies to non-Londoners - I know this is deadly dull but the reason for explaining will become clear).
Today I went up to buy my ticket and the clerk said it would be £7.05. No, I said pleasantly, it's £5.70. No it isn't, she said - our managers have just told us today that if you travel on the fast train (ie only stops at Watford, then London terminus), you can't get the discount for zones 1 and 2. Only the slow train is now eligible, they have decreed, because it actually STOPS, whereas the other one travels through. So if I got the fast train on the discounted ticket, I would have to get off at Watford and get back on the slow one that follows it.
FFS!
This is for exactly the same route. Going through the same places. On the same bleedin' tracks. To the same destination. But in their mad quest to wring ever more money out of us, this is a good new wheeze, no? Forgive me for being way over the top here about a small amount of money , but sometimes the little things are the ones that tip you over the edge!
[OK, slightly calmer now.....oooh, my first proper MN rant...it feels gooooooooooood!]