Information for Volunteers – Booking Clerks

Introduction

The job of Booking Clerk is vital to the efficient operation of the railway. He or she is usually the first person a potential passenger will encounter when they arrive at the line. Passenger fares are the principal means of raising the revenue necessary to keep the line going; in 2002, for the first time, they exceeded £1M. There are ten stations on the West Somerset Railway, six of which are ticket-issuing stations: Minehead, Dunster, Blue Anchor, Watchet, Williton and Bishops Lydeard. Minehead is the busiest Booking Office, except during August, when Bishops Lydeard usually assumes the mantle.

Early Days

When the railway reopened on 28 March 1976, between Minehead and Blue Anchor, there were only two tickets: Adult Return 50p and Child Return 30p! During the early years of the revived railway, there were two separate fare tables; one for steam and one for diesel trains. This proved a difficult system to operate, requiring almost impossible feats of mental gymnastics on the part of both Booking Clerks and Travelling Ticket Inspectors (TTIs) and was soon abandoned.

Today

Booking Clerks now have to be competent all-rounders, in that you will be required to provide information to travellers about the railway and neighbouring attractions, as well as selling tickets. New recruits will undergo training under the supervision of a regular Booking Clerk until they are considered competent and confident enough to undertake the task on their own and they express themselves satisfied that they can cope. While not wishing to cause unnecessary alarm to potential volunteers, Minehead and Bishops Lydeard Booking Offices at 10 a.m. in the high season are not places for the faint-hearted and you need to be able to keep cool under sometimes trying circumstances, whilst ensuring as far as possible that trains leave on time.

What you will need to know

It is as well to bear in mind that most of our passengers are not railway enthusiasts. They are holiday-makers, the majority of whom never travel on public transport (and especially trains!) and who are completely unable to read and understand our simple timetable. It is therefore essential that you should become familiar with the railway. To do this, you may need to take several trips up and down the line and visit all the stations. In this way you will be able to advise passengers on any requirements they may have.

You will need to study very carefully the current fare tables, which tend to become more comprehensive every year. These contain, as well as basic fares, special fares such as ATOC (formerly BR) Privilege Rates, Starcard Rates (for local residents and WSRA members) and Rover Tickets (1,2 and 3 day).

Tickets generally are of two types: Edmondson card and Setright. Edmondson tickets, printed in the railway's own in-house printing works at Dunster station, are used for most standard fares, adult, child and senior citizen. Bishops Lydeard Booking Office carries no fewer than 54 different types of Edmondson ticket. Other, lesser-used, tickets are issued from the Setright machines of a type formerly used by bus companies.

Fares are reviewed every year by the WSR Board and a percentage increase authorised in line with current inflation. Compared with most other lines, the WSR offers excellent value in terms of pence per mile.

Hours of Work

Booking Offices normally open about an hour before the first train departure from Minehead and Bishops Lydeard. Intermediate offices may differ slightly. Offices will usually close for reconciliation after the departure of the first afternoon train on the Blue and Red timetables and after the departure of the third afternoon train on the Green and Gold timetables. This means that your shift should be finished comfort-ably by four o'clock.

Security

Bear in mind that you will be handling cash and in some cases card transactions. You will be briefed orally on personal and office security during your on-the-job training. It is extremely important that you follow any instructions given in this respect.

Other useful information

You will need to be numerate and to be able to do mental arithmetic, although an office calculator will be available in most offices. Each year usually sees various special offers on the railway. Some of these involve coupons cut from newspapers or magazines. All are different and all will offer different concessions. You will be assisted by special fares notices relating to these offers but you should remember that all such transactions outside normal ticket issuing can affect the smooth-running of the office, especially when there are large numbers of passengers to deal with.

How to volunteer

You should apply in the first instance to the Commercial Department at Minehead Station or to the Station Master at Bishops Lydeard. Alternatively, you may prefer to apply to one of the intermediate ticket issuing stations, although they may not always require staff. However, you may be assured that your applications will be most welcome, as there is always a requirement for Booking Clerks at one of the stations.

The West Somerset Railway Association will also have details – 01823 433856 (fax 01823 433954) or look inside any copy of the Journal. The WSR Commercial Department can be contacted on 01643 700385. Bishops Lydeard Station Master is on 01823 433856.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

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