Andrew Pelling

No paper train for Southern Rail

14 January 2010

Only the views of internet users welcome at Southern

Companies who seek to engage with their customers should be encouraged. Feedback from customers should lead to a better service, but only if the views of all customers are sought.

In recent months Southern Rail has been recruiting for its ‘Passenger Panel’, a body of ‘1000 plus people [which] compliments our existing consultation process with local councils, user groups and other passenger representative’. A noble project, superficially at least.

Having read the sales pitch with interest Southern passengers will turn their attention to the application process and be confronted with the following:

‘To apply to become a member of the panel please complete the online form on our website’.

Immediately swathes of rail users are effectively debarred from participating. The socially disadvantaged, the poor and many of the elderly are cast aside. There is no alternative phone number or postal address through which to notify Southern of one’s interest in the scheme.

The wholesale migration of services in general to the internet is bad news for those people who do not have the access or know-how to manage their affairs in this way. That a company such as Southern, which is of crucial importance to its customers in their daily lives, would exclude the views of so significant a proportion of those customers is ridiculous.

If a rail company wants to know how to improve its services it needs to hear from the people for whom making a rail journey can be difficult and inconvenient, not to mention barely affordable. The people most likely to take delays and other problems in their stride are the 18-35 year olds Southern seems to be targeting.

I hope that Southern will rethink its policy and reprint its leaflets. I have written to the Southern Chief Executive, Chris Burchell, asking that this is done.

Picture courtesy of freefoto.com.