Forum for former BBC staff

Forum for former BBC staff
http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl >> News and Comment >> BBC to save £4.5M over 3 by scrapping staff buses? http://www.ex-bbc.net/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1559922845 Message started by Dickie Mint on Jun 7^th, 2019, 3:55pm

Title: BBC to save £4.5M over 3 by scrapping staff buses?
Post by Dickie Mint on Jun 7^th, 2019, 3:55pm

From another social group I'm on, a BBC basher has commented on, but not supplied a source, of news that "the Beeb is axing its free bus service for staff between New Broadcasting House in central London to White City to save £4.5 million over 3 years,"

All I can find are articles on more BBC bashing newspapers, the Times and Daily Mail commenting back in December about the service.

Back in my day it used to be the Mail minibus you could book to travel on. Travelling by tube was slower due to having to walk to and from tube stations and buying tickets. Then you had to put an expenses claim in and wait for the money. But it was better because you weren't tied to specific times of the bus you booked.

Title: Re: BBC to save £4.5M over 3 by scrapping staff buses?
Post by apcwmwl on Jul 23^rd, 2019, 10:01am

Don't know about anyone else, but during the late 60s as a Studio Manager/POA based in Old BH, we were required to work at various studio locations all over London - The Paris, Aeolian Hall, The Camden Theatre, Golders Green, not to mention Maida Vale, etc., but we were never reimbursed for our travel. Was it only them Senior Managers working 9-5 who benefitted? And did anyone ever succeed in parking in BBC car parks? When I was forced to drive in because of hours, I parked in Regents park 1 mile away, or North Paddington and walked. ::)

Title: Re: BBC to save £4.5M over 3 by scrapping staff buses?
Post by Roundabout on Jul 27^th, 2019, 10:13am

Sorry Dickie I misread you and thought you said 'bosses'!

Title: Re: BBC to save £4.5M over 3 by scrapping staff buses?
Post by Dickie Mint on Jul 30^th, 2019, 4:16pm

Title: Re: BBC to save £4.5M over 3 by scrapping staff buses?
Post by Mikej on Jul 31^st, 2019, 9:24am

When I worked in BH Switching Centre, we on late shifts got a car park pass under whatever that tall building with BBC other side of the church (my old brain forgets name of building!) The pass was actually an exit one so you could enter with no pass and on the far side of the barrier was kept a convenient metal milk crate which, when placed on the sensors, thought it was a car coming in so opened the barrier without a pass so one could simply drive out! Of course replacing the crate inside for others to use! :)

Title: Re: BBC to save £4.5M over 3 by scrapping staff buses?
Post by JohnW on Jul 31^st, 2019, 10:15am

Mike - that would have been Henry Wood House.
I remember that game well - until someone got wise to it and they took away the metal item that people were using (as you describe).
Then there was the Egton underground car park: Wasn't the "official" way to get in there by using a token (if there were any to be had)?

I seem to remember that Geno (of blessed memory!) found a way to get you SwC guys into the underground car park - where only "Top Management" and Radio Cars were supposed to go!!

Personally, I go back slightly farther, and remember that post 17:30 pm when the offices emptied we were allowed to park (using an official card!) on top of what was "the bunker" (prior to them erecting BHXX on top of it!
In the late 60s, for an evening shift we'd cruise Portland Place for an empty space (this was before the meters were made too expensive to use!) but if none could be had, then we would park up in Regent's Park (if you could find a free space (not that you had to pay, but there weren't physically any empty spaces!) and 'leg it' down to BH. Once it got to about 17:20 pm then you'd request a relief and dash up to collect your vehicle and wait for your opportunity. All this meant that come the end of evening shift you didn't have to trudge up to collect your car and drive home at 22:30!

Security did get tightened up considerably once the Cash Office got raided through the back door (which gave out onto the carpark) and then they eventually decided to close that one altogether and installed a couple of ATMs up in old BH near to the back lifts (at the front of the building!).

The BH Carpark was also available on Saturdays and Sundays (very few office workers around!) but you had to time your arrival right on those mornings so as to catch the outgoing nightshift's spaces! But that was a dicey event as the Maintenance shifts were also using the spaces - and they changed over at 08:00 - which meant there was often a queue on Duchess Street with cars waiting for an available space!! Many a time you had to watch as the oncoming shift's replacement was sitting in his/her car waiting to get into the carpark!! Good times they were.