Actually once you get the hang of the system it's ok. I use it between 3 and 5 times a year and have done since 2003
. I travel with my family at peak times, ie Easter, summer holidays and half terms etc, and so far have always got seats
. There are some tweaks that'd make it a better system that unfortunately the management don't seem interested in
even though they'd be no cost, and more importantly a small amount of extra revenue.
As for whether 70%ers would be eligible for staff travel, I don't know, you'd have to ask for the contract of employment. The required service for entry into the system is 6 months.