Campaign update

Several things to update you about today:

1. Passenger Focus survey results

You may have seen in the press that Passenger Focus, the independent national rail consumer watchdog, have recently released their 2007 passenger survey. It shows that satisfaction levels have dropped again this year to just 72%, and that FGW is the second worse performing company in terms of customer satisfaction - not at all surprising. The full report is available from the Passenger Focus website. It is interesting to note that the bottom three worst performing rail companies are all FirstGroup franchises.

The reaction in the local press can be read here (The Oxford Mail), and the reaction of FGW in the national press can be read here (The Telegraph).

2. New RingGo parking system

Those of you who drive to Oxford station will have noticed the new RingGo paying system, designed to keep the car park free for rail passengers. After some initial doubts, most people seem to think the new system is an improvement (no trying to find those pesky pound coins!) but there has been a hike in the prices to £4.50 per day, which seems to have sneaked in without comment. We’ve been contacted by Cobalt Telephone Technologies who provide the technology behind the new system, who advice that if people are worried about giving out their credit card details over the phone on the platform or the train, you can pre-register at the RingGo website. The company wish us luck with our campaign. I’m sure if there are any comments or suggestions for making the system easier to use, Cobalt would be pleased to hear
them and we can pass them on.

3. Campaign progress

There are several meetings on the horizon at which Ox Rail Action organising members will be again representing the views of Oxford passengers and attempting to get a better service. Firstly, we have been invited to meet the Secretary of State for Transport, Douglas Alexander, in mid-June. We hope to raise the profile of our campaign and talk directly to him about the issues facing Oxford passengers. Secondly, we are hoping to have a date soon for a meeting with FGW to discuss the draft December timetable. Updates on both meetings will be forthcoming.