[Gryffprefect]

I said a couple of days ago that I found out my shifts and about half of them had me starting at 6am. I've worked out it will be doable for me to be able to get into those shifts but will probably have to get up at around 3am and leave around 3.30am. Also its working out to be quicker walking than taking the night buses even though by walking it will still take at least an hour and a half to get there. But I guess this is a sacrifice I'm willing to take and luckily I seem to be off the day before every 6am-4pm shift so I'm not complaining much. However, they do have me working an early shift on my birthday which kinda sucks.

[GodAtum]

(Original post by Gryffprefect)
I said a couple of days ago that I found out my shifts and about half of them had me starting at 6am. I've worked out it will be doable for me to be able to get into those shifts but will probably have to get up at around 3am and leave around 3.30am. Also its working out to be quicker walking than taking the night buses even though by walking it will still take at least an hour and a half to get there. But I guess this is a sacrifice I'm willing to take and luckily I seem to be off the day before every 6am-4pm shift so I'm not complaining much. However, they do have me working an early shift on my birthday which kinda sucks.

Where are you walking from/to?
TFL seem to of made a big mistake not running services earlier. I'm starting at 7am for the test event but the tube does not run until then!

[Divingbrit]

Tubes will be starting earlier and running later during Games times, at least 30mins either way, but could be longer, they are still in discussion

[El Torres]

(Original post by Divingbrit)
Tubes will be starting earlier and running later during Games times, at least 30mins either way, but could be longer, they are still in discussion

Yeah I heard that, now give us internet access and air conditioning and the Olympics will be good to go!

[Gryffprefect]

(Original post by GodAtum)
Where are you walking from/to?
TFL seem to of made a big mistake not running services earlier. I'm starting at 7am for the test event but the tube does not run until then!

I'll be walking from South East London to ExCel Centre.

And in order to use the tube to get to my 6am starts, it would have to start from at least 4.30 am. And even then South East London has very few tube lines and in a way it wouldn't really matter much if the tubes were running earlier.

[El Torres]

Did anyone get an email about health & safety. Telling us to go to besafe.co.uk and watch some videos and complete a test? Does it have to be done?

[JClive]

People have shifts and uniforms and I dont even know if I have been accepted yet, huh!?!

[El Torres]

(Original post by El Torres)
Did anyone get an email about health & safety. Telling us to go to besafe.co.uk and watch some videos and complete a test? Does it have to be done?

Screw it, they want me to register and there's no chance I'm doing that.

I was going to say something else but I forgot.. On another note, I heard that we can't use our travel passes on days where we are not working, or maybe it just won't work. Either way they said if we do than it could get revoked. Bit of a shame, I wanted to make full use of it! Can't they just be nice for once, we are doing this for free after all.

[Divingbrit]

I too would have liked to use the travel Pass, but as public transport is going to be at melting point, maybe they thought the idea of encouraging non essential travel by say 30,000 non working Gamesmakers would not look good. (as if 30k extra on top of 4 million + would be noticed)

[mathsmusicfrench]

(Original post by Divingbrit)
I too would have liked to use the travel Pass, but as public transport is going to be at melting point, maybe they thought the idea of encouraging non essential travel by say 30,000 non working Gamesmakers would not look good. (as if 30k extra on top of 4 million + would be noticed)

I heard you'll get beat up (well not quite, but...) if you're seen using it when not in uniform. But answer me this, how would anyone see you use it? Presumably it'll be an Oyster type thing (if not actually an Oyster) with maybe some pretty pictures on it, and you could then just use it without anyone knowing/caring.

In fact, if you have your own Oyster, and you keep them together you might use it accidentally.

I obviously am not planning to go against that which Lord Coe has commanded, and would never be caught to be using LOCOG property improperly (!) but I'm just saying other less scrupulous people might be able to take advantage if they wished, although obviously not one of the 70,000 dedicated and honest Games Makers would be so immoral.

</irony>

But seriously, no one would know, surely??

[NothingCrushesUs]

(Original post by mathsmusicfrench)
I heard you'll get beat up (well not quite, but...) if you're seen using it when not in uniform. But answer me this, how would anyone see you use it? Presumably it'll be an Oyster type thing (if not actually an Oyster) with maybe some pretty pictures on it, and you could then just use it without anyone knowing/caring.

In fact, if you have your own Oyster, and you keep them together you might use it accidentally.

I obviously am not planning to go against that which Lord Coe has commanded, and would never be caught to be using LOCOG property improperly (!) but I'm just saying other less scrupulous people might be able to take advantage if they wished, although obviously not one of the 70,000 dedicated and honest Games Makers would be so immoral.

</irony>

But seriously, no one would know, surely??

I have a feeling that they're going to be old-style paper/card travelcard type things. And they'll probably beep the Olympic Anthem (if such a thing exists) when they're inserted into the barriers.

[El Torres]

Haha well there must be a way. Maybe they check your Oyster card every day. They give you a meal voucher every day when your shift starts, so maybe they do it there. I'll probably ask when I go and pick up my uniform, try and see how they do it.

Everyone should ask at the off chance that one person lets it slip out.

I doubt it's the paper, travel card thing because you can't check with those, and they would have to print loads and check when people have their shifts.

[Divingbrit]

Proberly a pre loaded Oyster card, and I am not sure how they can montior 70k of them, but is it really worth the bother

[N!*]

I'm still waiting for a reply, had my interview in about January, I think. Got an email few weeks ago saying i'd be informed by late March/early April. Haven't heard anything.

I've heard that some of the shifts that have been offered that end at 3am..

[El Torres]

They stop giving out jobs in May.

[mathsmusicfrench]

I reckon if they could be bothered to moniter them and check which shifts 70,000 different games makers were doing and match shifts to journeys (considering they don't know when or where we'll have to start our trip) they could just as easily use Oyster cards and program them so they only worked on days you had a shift, and around the start and end of it. I don't think they'll do either of those things. Like I said it says if you are seen using it not in uniform they you'll be told off (or whatever) so I think that is the only way they will be checking (if anyone happens to see your ticket/card and notice you aren't in uniform.

I don't reckon TfL will be charging LOCOG for every journey we make though, so I don't see how it matters. I reckon LOCOG will have said to TfL "hey, we'll pay £700,000 (or whatever) and you'll let all of our staff use Transport for free throughout the games, deal?"

I'll probably have my own Oyster for going out in the evening/whenever I'm free and then my Games Maker one and if I use the wrong one at the wrong time then whoops, total accident, sorry guv'ner.

[El Torres]

(Original post by mathsmusicfrench)
I'll probably have my own Oyster for going out in the evening/whenever I'm free and then my Games Maker one and if I use the wrong one at the wrong time then whoops, total accident, sorry guv'ner.

Yeah just keep two and say you pulled out the wrong one. They made it sound like it is possible to do it but if they see it they will revoke the card. I don't know how they'll see, I mean are they going to have someone standing at every station. Or I guess they'll tell TFL staff to look out for it. Meh I'll try and find out as much information as I can at accreditation. Hopefully someone tells me why we can't use it and how they are going to check.

[Divingbrit]

Best of luck, but don't hold your breath, the team at UDAC are all volunteers, and as two are friends, I can tell you they have been told no more than you already know, (but they have seen the Gamemakers watch, and they have said the trousers come with a belt (bet you wanted to hear that):-)

[GodAtum]

I am also worried about travel. I think the shift times will coincide with the least busiest times (most likely really early or really late!)

[Divingbrit]

Shift times will coincide with what the job requires, if you are a driver, shifts are finishing in the middle of the night (3:00am) for some, but if you are in a venue, and the last 'game' is at 22:00 your shift will finish by midnight. Tube times will be extended.