Safe to Vape on London Transport

[glynwhite]

Being peed off with no one knowing if it was AOK to vape on London Transport, I wrote to the Mayors Office.

Here is the reply:

Dear Mr White



Thank you for your email to the Mayor about electronic cigarettes.



As you can appreciate, the Mayor receives a significant amount of correspondence. Therefore, it‘s not possible for him to reply personally to them all.



Transport for London (TfL) is the body responsible for developing and implementing the Mayor's transport policies, and your email was referred to us to reply on his behalf. I'm sorry that we didn't get back to you in time on this occasion.



I can confirm that it is illegal and against TfL by-laws to smoke a lit cigarette on our network, including our trains, ticket halls and platforms.



However, passengers who wish to use an electric cigarette, which is neither lit nor discharges smoke are currently not prohibited from doing so.



I hope this information is of assistance, and that I’ve been able to clarify our position on the matter.



Thank you once again for contacting us.



Yours sincerely





Adeniyi Adegoroye

Customer Support
TfL Customer Experience

[beautycat]

Thanks for clarifying Glyn, nice to see someone else on here from Essex

[kruegerbait]

I wish Blackpool Transport would have a more open mind, it's not allowed at all here.

[jayjay]

In a way I'm glad, but at the same time believe its only a matter of time before they ban it. Till then i think its wise to refrain from doing anything blatant on a packed train or bus!

[mrprovari]

Thanks for that Glyn, but completely agree with Jay, they will receive complaints and then decide to ban them!

[chrisjw]

Very handy to know, but I wonder how long it will last.............( & hi Glyn from an Upminster boy)

[rosylea]

Dunner kick me 'ed in' but i dont think we should vape on public transport.Maybe in the waiting areas yes but i think it would look terrible with plumes of vape floating around people who have never smoked or vaped.I know it disperses quickly but if there was a few people vaping it would be more of a cloud,and depending on what you are vaping it does smell.Before anyone attacks me,beware,ive got a black belt in fleeing the scene.

[fagin]

I tend to agree with Rosylea - depending though - I wouldn't worry in a fairly empty carriage, but not in a packed one.

[boo]

Agree with the above 2 posters.

This bit... "which is neither lit nor discharges smoke"..... makes me think that people will see it as smoke and complain.

[fananntut]

I also tend to agree with Rosylea - until most of the public are educated enough to know that we aren't smoking, then I think we have to be careful about where we vape in public. If I remeber correctly, in that article that was in the Sun just after the M6 fiasco, one of the landlords said that he knew it was legal to vape indoors, but he didn't allow it as it caused too many complaints from other customers. You have to feel sympathy for the guy.

Apparently there were a few stealth vapers in our local Wetherspoons recently, and in the cinema, but one vaper got asked to leave a local restaurant.

[boo]

On a slight tangent...is anyone else sick and tired of being vilified?

I was treated as a leper when I was a smoker, and now that im vaping instead, i still feel that im being looked at by strangers in disgust.

[jayjay]

I think some people will happily vape on a packed train just so they can have a pretty solid argument. Fair play to them, however it will ruin things and I doubt those same people will be bovered. I occasionally vape on a platform that ain't busy or a cheeky half empty train carriage. But I think that m6 fiasco will be the excuse the operators need to justify banning it when the complaints come in. prodematley from smokers looking to jack it in.

[rosylea]

Boo,i used to love showing my cig to everyone,but a few years on i am sick of explaining to them how it works etc.I just take a small Titan out with me now else i end up with no juice when they all want to try it,lol.And yes,the strange looks can be annoying.

[fagin]

glynwhite. How about posting a pic/copy of the letter (suitably redacted to remove your personal details) which people who use public transport regularly could carry around in case of jobsworth conductors or grumpy passengers.

[jayjay]

I'd be mindfull of seeking 5 minutes of glory out of this. We may not get a fine, but could the conductor not throw us off if we don't stop vaping? As it stands, I can have a discreet vape on a half empty carriage without fear of getting a fine. If I was unlucky enough to get spotted on cctv, I'd gladly discuss the situation with the conductor. But I'd also be mindfull he might just tell me to get off the train? I dunno. If a member of public complains about music through headphones they act in that manner I'm sure. Either way, encountering that situation and refusing to do what the conductor says best case scenario, would be a simple policy change for everyone. Would that be worth it. Hmmm not in my book.