Good Deed Feed – staff and fellow passengers make it different!

20 October 2014

In the midst of the often gloomy news I enjoy reading the Good Deed Feed in the Metro. Lots of simple, short stories where staff and passengers have helped each other. Lost tickets, fainting, lost phones and falling over – all human life is there.

We know from our research that rail passengers really value the contact they have with staff, that contact often exceeds their expectations but they would like more staff to be available when they need them. Bus passenger’s experiences are very largely framed by the attitude, appearance and helpfulness of the driver. But it’s the little human stories that make this real.

A colleague of mine’s friend recounted this tale:

“Made the 7.15 train – just in time to get a seat, but I skipped the coffee queue for fear the train doors might close and whisk my luggage away to King’s Cross without me. Then, caffeine addict that I am, I stood in the train door staring at the coffee kiosk, gauging the remaining seconds and wondering whether to go for it. A station staff member standing nearby took the matter into her own hands and ordered the coffee for me. I jumped off the train to throw money on the counter and jumped back on to wait, and the lady relayed the coveted cup when it was ready. ‘That’s service for you!’ she laughed. And the train doors closed.”

You just can’t beat it.