|
|
Post by philthetube on Aug 30, 2015 10:34:26 GMT
totally agree with paying the correct fare for the journey, I just need the opportunity to do so.
|
|
|
|
Post by theblackferret on Aug 30, 2015 14:07:08 GMT
totally agree with paying the correct fare for the journey, I just need the opportunity to do so. You and how many others are in this boat? That's the worrying thing, typical of an ill-thought through idea with very little attention paid to the minor details until they're about to launch it, you know what I mean by minor details, like every conceivable caveat/what-if/playing-devil's advocate you can think of. |
|
|
|
Post by superteacher on Aug 30, 2015 14:11:48 GMT
Use this thread to discuss closure of ticket offices and changes to ticketing. Please use the separate thread to discuss the introduction of Night Tube.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2015 18:13:22 GMT
Will the proposal to abolish priviledge fares ever be implemented, making them FREE instead, as the administrative overheads can be far in excess of the sums collected in running such a scheme from a byegone era?
|
|
|
|
Post by revupminster on Aug 30, 2015 18:26:14 GMT
Will the proposal to abolish priviledge fares ever be implemented, making them FREE instead, as the administrative overheads can be far in excess of the sums collected in running such a scheme from a byegone era? There would still be an administration cost in issuing some sort of card to get through the ticket gates that are all over British Rail (eg Exeter St David's). My retired pass has availability on Former London Country Buses printed on it. There must still be a few of us about that the admin staff are waiting for us to kick the bucket. |
|
|
|
Post by spsmiler on Sept 2, 2015 22:36:46 GMT
Maybe a solution (of sorts) would be to buy a £1 platform ticket?
It would show a willingness to pay a fare that is nearest to what you expect to pay (rather than buying an overpriced paper ticket which is several times greater than the correct fare your your journey).
==========================
There is a sign at Gants Hill... its staffed ticket selling facilities are to be withdrawn on the 7th.
What I will miss the most is the inability to get paper journey records. I don't have an online account... much prefer to do things in paper face-to-face.
Simon
|
|
|
|
Post by causton on Sept 3, 2015 0:35:20 GMT
I feel sorry for the people living in Watford!
Watford Junction has no Oyster facilities apart from basic topup and weekly and monthly tickets from the TVMs (when they are working) - back in March we had the machines taken away. The alternative facilities are Watford High Street (thank god LOROL stations are still available!) and Watford Met which has a ticket office open for about an hour and a half each day I believe - brilliant when your Oyster card doesn't work and you don't have contactless as your only option is to buy a paper ticket to somewhere with LU staff if there is anyone about to serve you!
|
|
|
|
Post by whistlekiller2000 on Sept 3, 2015 7:47:36 GMT
There is a sign at Gants Hill... its staffed ticket selling facilities are to be withdrawn on the 7th. What I will miss the most is the inability to get paper journey records. I don't have an online account... much prefer to do things in paper face-to-face. Simon I'm afraid this is the way of the world now Simon. Apart from the signed compliment slips I send out with deliveries virtually none of my little business venture is conducted on paper so I can imagine the savings for a much larger concern must be enormous. It's all going the same way as VHS, smoking and dodos.  |
|
|
|
Post by spsmiler on Sept 3, 2015 22:42:28 GMT
At least VHS is still available... most of the video recordings which I am placing online were filmed in S-VHS, and that is now so defunct that new machinery to play this format is no longer made.
My feelings are that this is being forced upon people by others with an agenda which includes the reduction in use of physical money. Nothing to do with saving money.
I should add that I nearly always top up my anonymous Oystercards using cash. I only use plastic cards when buying a Travelcard season ticket, and for that I use my only registered Oystercard.
By closing ticket offices and being unable to use small change in the machines I am more likely to top-up at newsagents, and since TfL pay a commission on such transactions so (at least as far as their earnings from me are concerned) they will lose out.
Simon
|
|
|
|
Post by philthetube on Sept 4, 2015 6:14:40 GMT
Maybe a solution (of sorts) would be to buy a £1 platform ticket? It would show a willingness to pay a fare that is nearest to what you expect to pay (rather than buying an overpriced paper ticket which is several times greater than the correct fare your your journey). This just donates money to TFL which should be going to Chiltern, and would have no legal standing should I meet a jobsworth. |
|
|
|
Post by norbitonflyer on Sept 4, 2015 6:43:30 GMT
Maybe a solution (of sorts) would be to buy a £1 platform ticket? It would show a willingness to pay a fare that is nearest to what you expect to pay (rather than buying an overpriced paper ticket which is several times greater than the correct fare your your journey). This just donates money to TFL which should be going to Chiltern, and would have no legal standing should I meet a jobsworth. That would be the case whatever ticket he bought at Harrow, unless it were specifically to a Chiltern destination. I don't know how the money would be apportioned if the correct ticket could have been bought from TfL at Harrow, nor whether TfL would get a share of any penalty fares levied by Chiltern's Revenue Men on the jointly-operated section. The Ts & Cs are stacked against the passenger - woe betide you if you use a service you haven't paid for, or (on advance tickets) have to change your plans and use a different service. But the operators get off quite lightly if they fail to provide a service you have paid for, or change their plans and make you use a different service (e.g by not holding connection). |
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Sept 4, 2015 13:36:48 GMT
I feel sorry for the people living in Watford! Watford Junction has no Oyster facilities apart from basic topup and weekly and monthly tickets from the TVMs (when they are working) - back in March we had the machines taken away. The alternative facilities are Watford High Street (thank god LOROL stations are still available!) and Watford Met which has a ticket office open for about an hour and a half each day I believe - brilliant when your Oyster card doesn't work and you don't have contactless as your only option is to buy a paper ticket to somewhere with LU staff if there is anyone about to serve you! There are 6 Oyster Ticket Stops that I can see on the relevant "finder" took on the TfL website. OK they don't give the full service that a ticket office would but people in Watford are not devoid of access to Oyster. If push comes to shove then buy a new Oyster card and whack some money on it and head off to get the defective one fixed. Not perfect by a long chalk but that's the mess we've ended up with. I can't see resolving these sorts of daft and illogical problems ever reaching the agenda of any London Mayor so the vandalism has been done and the public live with the consequences.  I still say TfL's strategy of no outer area "Travel Centres" is completely wrong. It would not kill them financially to have a Travel Centre at a main bus or tube service in a key centre like Harrow, Tooting, Hounslow, Wood Green that could deal with customer queries and the more complex ticketing transactions as well as provide info and help on all TfL services (bus, tube, rail, congestion charge, parking, cycle hire etc) as that would provide a face to face service for people, give TfL a better "presence" away from Zone 1 and take pressure off the few places in Zone 1 that will provide a face to face service. Heck combine it with a retail outlet, as Merseyrail do, if they're really desperate to have some additional revenue streams.  |
|
|
|
Post by rsdworker on Sept 4, 2015 20:02:19 GMT
i agree with it - merseyrail is much simple solution for underused ticket offices also in dutch - its commonly to buy tickets from newsagent or kisok where closed ticket office (eg outside peak hours) but plus with larger stations having ticket offices for all trains also some metro stations in holland have ticket office but not all stations only at busy stations
|
|
rincew1nd
Administrator
Junior Under-wizzard of quiz
Posts: 10,286 
|
Post by rincew1nd on Sept 4, 2015 20:55:18 GMT
The M to Go shops are brilliant, you can buy a Sleeper ticket and your morning coffee in one go!
|
|
|
|
Post by rsdworker on Sept 5, 2015 11:03:38 GMT
The M to Go shops are brilliant, you can buy a Sleeper ticket and your morning coffee in one go! yeah this would worked in TFL because if they put ticket office and retial in one - its saves the staff as well - they wont be behind glass - just pop out when shop is not busy but its easy to manage |
|
|
|
Post by spsmiler on Sept 5, 2015 18:04:58 GMT
Its not just M To Go shops... the concept of petrol stations sharing their shop with well-known supermarket retailers is also well proven and understood with car users.
Its a shame that TfL can't do likewise with their station ticket halls - maybe though local shops outside the station won't like it! But hey, that is how life works.
Simon
|
|
|
|
Post by abe on Sept 16, 2015 15:02:23 GMT
The only information from TfL about the dates for ticket office closures was a list giving the month for each station. I have been unable to find out the date that each ticket office closed, apart from a handful where I've received an e-mail from TfL (presumably because my Oyster card history shows that I use the station a reasonable amount). Could forum members use this thread to record closure dates that they know so that we can capture the information in one place? Thanks.
|
|
|
|
Post by stapler on Sept 16, 2015 15:42:08 GMT
Buckhurst Hill this month
Walthamstow (C) August
|
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Sept 22, 2015 20:43:23 GMT
Blackhorse Road closed during the Vic Line blockade.
Kings Cross North Ticket Hall closed last week - after the 17th I think.
|
|
|
|
Post by snoggle on Sept 22, 2015 20:46:34 GMT
A bit of a daft question but it sprang to mind as my Oyster Card plastic wallet was falling to bits. What do passengers do now if they want a replacement *free* Oyster Card wallet? In the past it was easy - ask at the ticket office. Do LU still stock them and will a member of staff go and get one if asked or is it yet another customer facility that is being killed off as a result of this closure programme?
As I couldn't see any staff to ask (I've lost track of ticket halls with no visible staff) I've had to dig out an old but unused wallet at home.
|
|
|
|
Post by superteacher on Sept 22, 2015 20:50:00 GMT
A bit of a daft question but it sprang to mind as my Oyster Card plastic wallet was falling to bits. What do passengers do now if they want a replacement *free* Oyster Card wallet? In the past it was easy - ask at the ticket office. Do LU still stock them and will a member of staff go and get one if asked or is it yet another customer facility that is being killed off as a result of this closure programme? As I couldn't any staff to ask (I've lost track of ticket halls with no visible staff) I've had to dig out an old but unused wallet at home. And of course we were promised that closing ticket offices would mean more visible staff. Really . . . |
|
|
|
Post by MoreToJack on Sept 22, 2015 21:08:11 GMT
A bit of a daft question but it sprang to mind as my Oyster Card plastic wallet was falling to bits. What do passengers do now if they want a replacement *free* Oyster Card wallet? In the past it was easy - ask at the ticket office. Do LU still stock them and will a member of staff go and get one if asked or is it yet another customer facility that is being killed off as a result of this closure programme? As I couldn't any staff to ask (I've lost track of ticket halls with no visible staff) I've had to dig out an old but unused wallet at home. It seems to differ from station to station. At King's Cross we still stock them and have copious amounts available nearby to the POMs, whilst most staff will also have a few on their person to save the trek to the machines. If you PM me I can bung a couple in the post this week if you like. |
|
Chris M
Global Moderator
Forum Quizmaster
Always happy to receive quiz ideas and pictures by email or PM
Posts: 19,772
|
Post by Chris M on Sept 22, 2015 22:28:12 GMT
Mainline ticket offices will also give you free wallets. Paddington gave me two at once last time I needed one.
|
|
|
|
Post by rail2210 on Sept 23, 2015 11:11:26 GMT
At Seven Sisters, and maybe also Highbury and Islington, there were two towers of "Watch out for card clash" wallets stacked above the ticket machines, however I am not sure if they are still there.
|
|
|
|
Post by stapler on Sept 23, 2015 12:33:44 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by norbitonflyer on Sept 23, 2015 13:39:20 GMT
Loughton, planning application just submitted for removal of TO windows in the listed building What happens if planning permission is refused? Have the "keep the ticket offices open" campaigners been missing a trick here? |
|
|
|
Post by MoreToJack on Sept 23, 2015 13:45:47 GMT
Loughton, planning application just submitted for removal of TO windows in the listed building What happens if planning permission is refused? Have the "keep the ticket offices open" campaigners been missing a trick here? Unlikely. If the planning application is refused the windows will remain but just be out of use, with none of the associated improvements able to then happen. Refusing the planning application won't help things, as the closures are very much happening. |
|
|
|
Post by stapler on Sept 23, 2015 14:52:37 GMT
What "associated improvements", Jack?! As far as I can see from the plans they just involve moving a bus timetable board!
Only in listed buildings do LU need planning permission, I suspect so the campaigners haven't missed many tricks.
Mind you, a heritage station with no ticket windows? Seems a bit odd to me.
|
|
|
|
Post by MoreToJack on Sept 23, 2015 15:02:43 GMT
What "associated improvements", Jack?! As far as I can see from the plans they just involve moving a bus timetable board! Only in listed buildings do LU need planning permission, I suspect so the campaigners haven't missed many tricks. Mind you, a heritage station with no ticket windows? Seems a bit odd to me. [br Your guess is as good as mine. ;-) |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2015 19:28:58 GMT
In Hong Kong, there is a total Ban on the use of credit cards on the MTR system (Except the Airport Express) introduced around the time of the Handover, so ALL ticket transactions MUST be in hard cash - they obviously enjoy the risks in handling all that cash, especially for a Monthly Ticket, which is the longest duration ticket available there - This is one area they fall down compared to the rest of the world - clinging onto a cash Only policy.
|
|
