Most people have probably seen others vaping on trains, and while vaping is far removed from smoking, it appears London Midland is going to target passengers who insist on doing it.
The train operator announced it was going to cut out anti-social behaviour exhibited by a small minority of passengers using its services. Vaping is not the only behaviour to be targeted, either. People who insist on riding bicycles along platforms, or put their feet up on train seats, will also be cautioned under the new ruling. It was brought into action from 7th August, and was a direct result of complaints being received by other passengers.
Many people will have heard of railway bylaws, but few will know what they are. They have been in force for decades, but as a spokesman for London Midland pointed out, they aren’t usually enforced. Now, the train operator is looking at changing that.
We suspect vaping wasn’t even an idea when those laws were introduced, so we’re not quite sure how that fits into the theme. However, if it is viewed as anti-social, passengers who insist on doing it could be cautioned. Moreover, persistent offenders may end up in court with the risk of being prosecuted.
This may have been positive news for London Midland, but on 10th August it was announced it had lost its rail franchise in the West Midlands. The operator will cease to run the franchise from December, so we now have the question of whether the new operator – West Midlands Trains Ltd – will take up the gauntlet run by the outgoing company this week.
What are your views on vaping on trains? Do you think it should be included as anti-social behaviour? Have you ever been asked not to vape on a train? Let us know your thoughts.
