I was on an 8pm train from newbury to paddington last night as it happens. I got the reservation by messaging them on twitter. I just said the exact train I was on and then the customer service rep sent back an image from their booking system. I go on GWR pretty regularly and cant remember last time I was asked for a reservation. That said, with there only being 4 spaces because its shit (I actually also work at the DfT) it's probably worth doing it.
I was on an 8pm train from newbury to paddington last night as it happens. I got the reservation by messaging them on twitter. I just said the exact train I was on and then the customer service rep sent back an image from their booking system. I go on GWR pretty regularly and cant remember last time I was asked for a reservation. That said, with there only being 4 spaces because its shit (I actually also work at the DfT) it's probably worth doing it.