Chris M
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Post by Chris M on Sept 20, 2006 23:00:36 GMT
When I was at Hainault station on Monday, the ticket office was closed for refurbishment. The machines were operational, but there was a sign on them saying that if the machines were not giving change then you should pay at your destination.
The ticket office at Snaresbrook is also closed, although I don't know the details there, it is possible that the arrangements are the same. What happens if you are travelling between these two stations and the machines are not giving change at either location while you are there?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2006 23:03:02 GMT
You'd get a free journey, if the gates were open, or you'd have to explain to a Revenue team about the booking office and the machine not giving change...
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Chris M
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Post by Chris M on Sept 20, 2006 23:17:56 GMT
Well I'd expect the person/people on the gate to know that the booking office was closed at both ends. Verifying that the ticket machines at the destination were not giving change should be pretty easy, but verifying this was true at the origin would be more difficult I expect.
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Post by mikaila on Sept 21, 2006 0:13:11 GMT
Why would someone, close a ticket office for refebishment?. What do they need to refurbish?.
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Chris M
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Post by Chris M on Sept 21, 2006 8:05:27 GMT
Certainly at Hainault, the whole station was undergoing refurbishment. I expect the ticket office will get redecorated, refitted, and possibly made more disability freindly. The press release also says a new control room will be built. |
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Post by Tubeboy on Sept 21, 2006 16:04:11 GMT
When a ticket office is closed, the clerk or supervisor [quiet stations-this will usually be the same person] will contact NOC [Network operations centre] who will inform the revenue inspectors.
As to not being able to get a ticket at point of origin, you would either pay at your destination, either at the ticket office or from a revenue inspector, if no inspector or ticket office is closed, like Artery said, probably a free journey.
My old station had its ticket office refurbed, but the machines were taken out of service. This was due to the fact that the ticket office was a "building site", so therefore the clerk would not be able to float/service the machines. Security considerations as well.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2006 18:40:16 GMT
Under the penalty fares act, the only exceptions to being issued a penalty fare are if all the machines are in no change given mode, and you don't have the change to purchase a ticket, or you are informed by the station supervisor that you can pay at your destination.
The example given is very common and is repeated hundreds if not thousands of times per day. A lot of stations only have part-time ticket offices now and the machines aren't exactly reliable.
If you meet the RCI and they don't believe your story, a quick call to the station or as tubeboy said NOC will confirm your story. Not forgetting that all self service machines are networked so can also confirm what 'status' they are in.
BTW any authority to travel on applies to LU journeys, if you intend to interchange onto NR you must purchase a ticket from your interchange or face being penalty fared by the NR TOC.
Closing a ticket office normally means some major building work, rather than a lick of paint. At alot of open section stations, control rooms and ticket offices are being combined or the ticket office is having additional equipment installed, which likely involves major work.
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Post by Tomcakes on Sept 28, 2006 20:25:54 GMT
What happens if, since your departure, the station staff have gone around and filled it up with change? Do they record that the machine was empty from time x to time y?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2006 20:45:40 GMT
What happens if, since your departure, the station staff have gone around and filled it up with change? Do they record that the machine was empty from time x to time y? The simple answer is Yes. All machines are networked, so London Udnerground could tell if a machine was working/ not giving change/ was having change added. |
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Ben
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Post by Ben on Oct 17, 2006 19:34:27 GMT
This phenomenon will no doubt become more common place after many of the ticket offices cease to sell tickets permanently; I've heard this will start to happen from next year. Not all the offices mind, just the ones out in the sticks, like Upminster Bridge.
rant
Personally speaking, and without wanting to start a debate in this thread, I think this is a disgusting attitude to customer service. People like dealing with another human; and often staff can give more information than a computer is programmed to.
Don't even get me started on Oyster and the paper ticket fiasco.
/rant
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Post by Deleted on Oct 17, 2006 20:21:48 GMT
Sadly I feel it won't 'only' be the ticket offices in the sticks. There will be some ticket offices in zone 3 & 4 that will only see action during the peaks.
We've had version 1 of the ticket office closures, version 2 is around the corner. Without sounding pessimistic what will be left after version 5 or 6
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Ben
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Post by Ben on Oct 18, 2006 8:27:44 GMT
Oh no, thats not pessimistic atall. That realistic. Unless TfL gives out oyster cards free like tube maps at every station then there will be some terrible times ahead; after ticket offices stop selling tickets and then paper tickets are banned. What wil the occassional user do? Or the tourist? Very bad indeed.
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