....Under the current system if a passenger already has a ticket but walks into a ticket office asking to pay the extra to start his journey sooner it appears the options are to:
(a) buy a separate ticket to cover the extra distance, or
(b) have their original ticket refunded and a whole new one issued.
In the case of option (a) it seems unfair on the passenger if the fares would have been the same in the first instance. Also there are occasions when a separate ticket is inappropriate: for example, the passengers original origin station is not a booked stop for the service they wish to travel on, thereby failing the multiple ticketing requirements.
In the case of option (b) it's just extra work for the ticket office staff, especially in the instance where any excess would be zero. I'm sure there's extra paperwork involved when processing refunds, no? ....
Any refund would be subject to an admin fee (£5/£10 depending on TOC) so the passenger would likely have to buy a new ticket which allowed them to travel on the train (not neccessarily to the origin on the ticket held)
For Example...
A passenger has a ticket from Levenshulme to London, but decides instead to travel from Manchester Piccadilly (I haven't checked the NRG, but I assume double back at Piccadilly isn't allowed). He would have the choice of....
A refund (£10 admin fee if refunded through VT, £5 if refunded through Northern); or
Buying a ticket to Levenshulme (£0.80-£1.90 single) and getting a train that stops there (condition 19); or
Buying a ticket to Stockport (£1.90/£2.80 single) (or further if the train doesn't stop there) and get the direct train to London.
The refund would be dealt with in the normal way and is likely to result in the passenger paying out for a new ticket whilst the refund is processed.
....So it just seems that something which should be easy (and it is easy, rightly or wrongly, on the Avantix) is made complicated for staff in ticket offices. And for what reason? After all, the manual doesn't seem to expressly or explicitly forbid it - it just doesn't seem to have been thought of or included as an option.
Perhaps the ease by which it can be done using the Avantix is a simply a lapse in the programming. Or perhaps it's because the Avantix is for use on trains and extra latitude is necessary since the conductor cannot refund any ticket he himself has not sold and a separate ticket may be out of the question due to split ticketing restrictions, thereby saving awkward situations with a passenger who has already boarded....
It is also quite possible on Fastis and I think Smart machines, but I'm not certain on the latter.
