class411
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Post by class411 on Jan 28, 2017 12:13:39 GMT
Catching a train, yesterday, I noticed the following on the announcement board:
"From 20th February you will only be able to buy non-discounted anytime tickets on trains." (Paraphrased.)
Now, admittedly, this is not common, but there are occasions, were you get to a station and find the ticket office is closed (unscheduled), and the ticket machine is not functioning.
Under these new rules it would mean that I would have to pay ~£60 instead of ~20 if I wanted to continue my journey.
The other option is to always make a separate journey to the station a day or so before departure to purchase a ticket.
This seems well out of order - particularly given the railways penchant for closing things right left and centre to save money. It means they can close a ticket office without any comeback, but if a passenger cannot use a machine for any reason, the passenger will be subjected to a massive penalty.
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rincew1nd
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Post by rincew1nd on Jan 28, 2017 12:40:32 GMT
This has been the way of things for ages. If you don't buy a ticket and could, you're charged full fare; if you couldn't buy a ticket, you can on the train without penalty.
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class411
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Post by class411 on Jan 28, 2017 12:56:39 GMT
This has been the way of things for ages. If you don't buy a ticket and could, you're charged full fare; if you couldn't buy a ticket, you can on the train without penalty. I know that was the case, but is it still? They did not say that you would be charged a penalty, simply that there was only one type of fare you could buy. Even if there are ways to avoid paying what is effectively a penalty fare, I wonder how many passengers will be bullied and browbeaten into paying massively over the odds because of a failing by the station operator. |
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Post by MoreToJack on Jan 28, 2017 13:07:43 GMT
Catching a train, yesterday, I noticed the following on the announcement board: "From 20th February you will only be able to buy non-discounted anytime tickets on trains." (Paraphrased.) Now, admittedly, this is not common, but there are occasions, were you get to a station and find the ticket office is closed (unscheduled), and the ticket machine is not functioning. Under these new rules it would mean that I would have to pay ~£60 instead of ~20 if I wanted to continue my journey. The other option is to always make a separate journey to the station a day or so before departure to purchase a ticket. This seems well out of order - particularly given the railways penchant for closing things right left and centre to save money. It means they can close a ticket office without any comeback, but if a passenger cannot use a machine for any reason, the passenger will be subjected to a massive penalty. Presumably this was in a non-penalty fare area where commercial guards operate and tickets are routinely sold on board. My understanding is that it applies to those who choose to ignore a previous opportunity to pay in an area where penalty fares and/or revenue staff are not available, and previously would allow people to buy their ticket on board despite the requirement to do so before boarding. If there is no opportunity to purchase a ticket before boarding the full range of tickets will be available on board or at the first opportunity if there is no commercial guard on board. It's certainly not a general thing and likely relates just to the one TOC where it appeared. |
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class411
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Post by class411 on Jan 28, 2017 13:14:01 GMT
Of course, the devil is in the detail. This was just a message on a departure screen, so may have just been to alert people who habitually bought tickets on trains when they had very opportunity to purchase them in advance (e.g. cheats travelling to an unmanned station).
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rincew1nd
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Post by rincew1nd on Jan 28, 2017 15:25:30 GMT
With a couple of new franchises now having bedded in, some operators are clamping down now to maximise their income streams. And why wouldn't they?
By penalty I meant not being able to make use of discounts, rather than a Penalty Fare. My understanding of the latter is that there must be ticket buying facilities at all stations within the Penalty Fare zone.
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class411
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Post by class411 on Jan 28, 2017 15:38:22 GMT
With a couple of new franchises now having bedded in, some operators are clamping down now to maximise their income streams. And why wouldn't they? By penalty I meant not being able to make use of discounts, rather than a Penalty Fare. My understanding of the latter is that there must be ticket buying facilities at all stations within the Penalty Fare zone. So long as that's the case, it's really no different to the situation at present of the RPO's are first to ask for your ticket. On the occasions when I was not able to buy a ticket, I was always a little surprised that the guard did not ask why I hadn't. (Although I later discovered they are on a percentage of sales so I don't suppose they really care.) |
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Post by philthetube on Jan 28, 2017 21:58:17 GMT
I would advise getting out the mobile, if poss, and photographing closed ticket office/defective machine to play it safe though.
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class411
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Post by class411 on Jan 29, 2017 10:29:43 GMT
I would advise getting out the mobile, if poss, and photographing closed ticket office/defective machine to play it safe though. Excellent idea. The last time I could not buy a ticket it was because the ticket office was closed, and the single ticket machine was in the process of re-booting. It appeared to be hung, but for all I know it could have finished a re-boot five minutes after the train departed, and the Guard - if they have such a facility - would have seen that the machine was in operation. Of course, the muppets who decide these things seem to have used 'where can we position this machine so that it is in direct sunlight for the longest possible part of the day' as their primary siting parameter on some stations on my line, so a photograph might not be that easy! |
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rincew1nd
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Post by rincew1nd on Jan 29, 2017 10:49:50 GMT
If you've got your phone out, you might as well just buy a mobile ticket.
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Post by countryman on Jan 29, 2017 11:52:09 GMT
If you've got your phone out, you might as well just buy a mobile ticket. OK if you are mobile savvy. I use one, but strangely in this day and age I only use it as a phone and for occasional texts. |
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class411
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Post by class411 on Jan 29, 2017 12:02:07 GMT
If you've got your phone out, you might as well just buy a mobile ticket. Good luck with that. I tried their so called 'mobile app', but the only option for picking up a ticket was 'self service ticket machine'. A fat lot of good if the thing's out of operation. But about par for the course for train companies. |
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rincew1nd
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Post by rincew1nd on Jan 29, 2017 12:42:11 GMT
Oh, I'm sorry, I hadn't realised that ticketing in south was so, antediluvian. All operators across the north* accept mobile tickets. You purchase your ticket on an app which then displays a QR code for the guard/ticket gate to scan. No ticket machines or pieces of paper+ involved.
*Including Scunthorpe and Stoke-on-Trent.
+Including paper money.
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class411
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Post by class411 on Jan 29, 2017 12:51:25 GMT
dup.
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Post by class411 on Jan 29, 2017 12:51:48 GMT
Oh, I'm sorry, I hadn't realised that ticketing in south was so, antediluvian. Aye, it's grim down south. On the subject; at least if you use the trainline app you can prove you've paid for a ticket. |
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