Thames Clipper - Fare Dodging

Goodness only knows what's been going on the last couple of days, waiting at Earlswood for the normal train to London Bridge each day it's been delayed (only by about 5-10 minutes) but when it's pulled into the station it's already "full and standing" (like twice the number of people that are usually on it), luckily in each case we've got seats fairly near one another (so not anything like the end of the world, just a bit...well...strange)!

Yesterday the train managed to take about twice as long as usual to get into London. I *think* because it was so full, and the tracks were so slippery (leaves on the line) it just couldn't seem to get traction when it was trying to move away (luckily the tube was pretty empty when I got down there so it made up for it, was only about 5 minutes late as I leave a big buffer just in case of problems like this)...today we arrived at Earlswood to find it was delayed by 10 minutes, and finally crept into East Croydon at just about the time we normally pull into London Bridge...kissing Flyingpops goodbye there I told her I was going to have to leg it and flew towards the Jubilee line (praying for similar luck to Monday), but as I cut through the crowds I began to fear the worst as announcements echoed "Passengers please note, the DLR is currently suffering severe delays, we advise all customers to seek alternative methods of transport" (which basically means the Jubilee line), and lo and behold! When I got down the escalator the queue was backed right up into the shops in the vault...*never* seen it that bad before...so I span on my heels and rapidly reversed course, stamped back up the escalator and made a run for the secret footbridge (empty as usual) over to the London Bridge dock...

Damn...the queue there must have been 250 people (stretching right back up towards King William Street) and I now had 10 minutes to get to my desk...I trudged miserably to the end and peered over my shoulder to see if there might be a boat due soon and (Yes!) one was just pulling in...! The queue moved really rapidly -

- and I was getting seriously near the front, but we could all hear the two crew members counting people on (they can't overload)...I crossed my fingers in my pockets and scrunched up my eyes (pleasepleaseplease!)...and they called a halt to boarding two people behind me...phew!

So this, to my knowledge, is the first time I have been on a fully loaded Thames Clipper...and I have to say I wasn't terribly impressed with how they coped, for example, the ticket office at London Bridge was closed, and no-one was going up the queue taking fares, so when these hundreds of people got on, all of them still had to cough up...and guess how many people were selling tickets on board? One...

So it's no surprise to learn that 10 minutes later when we pulled into Canary Wharf only about 15 people had managed to buy them, then began this absolutely crazy scene where the two members of staff at Canary Wharf were both trying to issue tickets (their machines take *forever* to issue them especially if people are trying to pay by card) and check and punch (yes, they have a punch system like the old days on British Rail) existing tickets and check season ticket holders out...it didn't take long before the impatient crowd just gave up trying to pay and walked out via the entrance ramp, and of course when others saw the staff failing to check (or even really seem to care) many, many more people (I'm guessing about half the number waiting) just left the queue and legged it while the poor woman was struggling to juggle money (endless searches for change in terribly inefficient bum bag)/tickets (literally handfuls of paper tumbling into the water below the dock - now lost to any auditing process)/ticket machine/ticket punch/etc. etc...

Of course I did the right thing and waited and paid my money, but they really need to find a better payment system, it's all very well when 20 people use the boat on a normal morning, but all too often they seem to get caught with their pants down when the other services fail and they become the only option...normally it would just mean a huge number of people standing in long queues, however today, from the looks of things, it cost them a whole lot of money for their inefficiency...

Thames Clipper Commute review - pics and video

What could have been an absolute disaster this morning (Jubilee line suspended due to power failure) turned into an amazing experience...I groaned when I got down the escalator at London Bridge and all the gates were shut, whole place rammed (I mean, even the trains had been full when we got on at Earlswood, but luckily two people got off at Redhill and we dived into their seats), but when I got about a third of the way across London Bridge (thinking DLR, but dreading the crush) and just happened to peer to my right and spot the pier..BAM! I stopped dead in my tracks and reversed course (against the almost unstoppable flow of other commuters) until I was able to find a way down to the bank of the Thames...

...Amazingly only a tiny handful of other people had twigged and were checking prices, which *appeared* to be £4 for a single -

- but to save the agro that was definitely worth it so I walked down and joined the small queue of people-

- and luckily enough the next boat was "due" now -

- it was only about two minutes late (but I don't expect perfect timekeeping when rivers are involved)...

We were then *counted* on to *ensure* that every single passenger gets a seat (how civilized?)-


- and I began to explore, quickly finding the open-air seats at the back of the boat -


- waved goodbye to the swarm of ants on London Bridge -

- and then we were off -

- past the HMS Belfast -

- under Tower Bridge -


- and then things really got up to speed (had to hang on tight!) tiny bit of video here showing how quickly we were travelling -

- and in no time the Wharf was in sight -


- it took a minute or two to dock (because the pier was full so there was nowhere to moor) and then everyone queued to get off (and pay if the lady with the ticket machine had missed them, as she had done in my case, but it was only £2.60!) past the coffee bar (don't get them on the tube!) -

- and then through the gardens and plaza(s) towards One Canada Square -


- (and I must say it looks incredible walking up the avenue towards the building from this direction, like New York on Thames, honestly) -

- more pictures here if you like this kind of thing...

Thames Clipper Riverline - voucher

Got this voucher handed to me as I was stepping out of the tube this morning (there were delays on the Jubilee line, so I think they were going for the "I hate the tube" factor as an extra incentive to defect)...basically it's 50% off one single journey on a Thames Clipper...and I have to admit I was quite tempted...The hype makes it sound quite wonderful -

• "Canary Wharf to London Bridge in 13 minutes, every 15 minutes"


• "Riverline services suffer none of the problems of congestion or interruption that can blight Londoner's journey to work. Boats run to schedule with a better than 98% on time record"


• "Standing inside boats is not allowed, so all passengers travel sitting in airline style seats"


• "Tickets can be purchased on board, and season tickets are available. Travelcard discounts apply"

...and this is still saying nothing about the lovely view as one would be swept along the Thames - my daily commute would take me past the Tower of London, HMS Belfast and under Tower Bridge every day, to name but a few of the wonderful sights and the wind in your hair rather than stuffy air and close proximity to other commuters B.O. or choice of aftershave...all rather tempting, eh?

So I thought it might, at least, be worth checking out the prices...But when I did I nearly choked on the mini-cheddar I was eating! A *single* is £4.00 (which works out costing about two grand a year)! Even if you pay for a zone 1-2 travel card (about £90 a month) it's still £2.60 extra per trip! Admittedly the season tickets do make a big difference, but it's still going to set you back £1215 a year (about £4.67 for a return each day)...so it really can't compete with the tube for price (being, at best, £135 more expensive (if you throw away your travelcard completely, which isn't a great idea)...or £801 more expensive if you hang onto it...

Oh well, what a shame...I'll put that dream of a seat for every journey on hold for now then...but I have my 50% off voucher, so I guess I can at least try it out (especially if the underground is being silly)... ;)