Barriers and Rover Tickets

[ashworth]

Does anyone have any recent experience of the situation regarding barriers at stations accepting or rejecting Rover Tickets.

I'm going to be using a North West 7 Day Rover in a few weeks time and I wondered if things had changed since I last used one about 3 years ago?
I'm staying with friends in Blackpool and wondered whether the ticket barriers at Blackpool North were now likely to accept this ticket as they never did when I've used this ticket on numerous occasions in the past.

The reason I ask, and I know this has been brought up many times before, is because of the general poor attitude of some of the staff at Blackpool North should my Rover ticket not operate the barriers! I don't mind trying my ticket in the barrier on the first day, but once it has become clear that it doesn't work it becomes a real pain when at the end of the 7th day and the 14th time of going through the barrier they are still insisting that I queue up and try it! I try to explain to them politely that it's a Rover that I've been using all week and it doesn't go through but certain members of staff just won't listen. Some of the staff have been quite rude towards me in the past shouting at me to put my ticket through the barrier.

Would it make any difference if I actually purchased my ticket at Blackpool North? I usually purchase my ticket at Nottingham or Alfreton on the day I am travelling up to Blackpool. Could it be because I purchased my ticket out of the NW area that causes problems with the ticket barrier at Blackpool North not accepting it?

 

[Paul Kelly]

I think it would make a big difference if you buy the rover at Blackpool North, because that will then be encoded on the magnetic stripe as the origin station and makes it much more likely for the barriers to accept it.

 

[Harpers Tate]

NE Rover:
Leeds - "not valid at this location" every time in and out. No problem with gateline assist staff in any instance.
Newcastle - barriers worked no problem
Most other barriers were unmanned/open as I encountered them, don't remember any other specifics.

 

[philjo]

I used a NorthWest 4 days in 8 Rover in March.
it was purchased at my local station (operated by Great Northern).

The ticket opened the barriers successfully at Blackpool North, Manchester Piccadilly and both Bradford stations.
However it was rejected by the barriers at Leeds. the barrier staff tried to say the ticket wasn't valid - partly as it also showed issued at.. (name of great northern station).
Then they asked me for my photocard, saying I needed a photocard as it was a season ticket!
Eventually I was let out - this was the new southern entrance so there was only one staff member on duty at the gateline. I can back in through the main entrance and was let through without any problems (thought he barrier still rejected the ticket).

 

[yorkie]

My advice with Blackpool North is to be polite and friendly; put the ticket through (even if you know it will be rejected) and then approach staff. If they ask you to put it in, you could say "It's just been rejected, but I can put it through again if you like" (or similar wording). Bear in mind, the staff may want to see the error code, so that they can provide feedback to get the gates improved (that said, that particular reasoning is unlikely at BPN!). If they are rude back, then continue to be polite and simply put in a complaint later.

A lot of the time rude people don't know how to react if you are polite back to them, and if they do continue to be rude, it makes it a lot easier to deal with them later, when you can honestly say you were polite.

I really need to visit Blackpool North again one day to see what they're like these days; last time I was there an individual who spent a lot of time locking and unlocking doors was very unhappy with the fact we were undecided as to which train we were going to get and were told we had to decide immediately. I've never experienced anything like it anywhere else. Clearly some of the staff there have communication issues which makes them unsuited to a 'public facing' role, but the company presumably chooses not to do anything about it. Very odd!

...
Then they asked me for my photocard, saying I needed a photocard as it was a season ticket!
Eventually I was let out - this was the new southern entrance so there was only one staff member on duty at the gateline....

Maybe the same person who tried to tell me there was a direct train for the journey printed on the ticket (there isn't, never has been, and probably never will be; it would require a reversal) and questioned why I did not go a more direct route. He didn't actually claim the ticket was invalid but was reluctant to let me out. I was almost at the stage of getting my phone out to show the itinerary, but that wasn't necessary.

The staff at the main entrance are much more likely to see you waved through. I only once - ever - had someone claim that the ticket was invalid, but even he didn't actually stop me.

 

[Tetchytyke]

Then they asked me for my photocard, saying I needed a photocard as it was a season ticket!

I've had a VTWC train manager get very confused because the FoNW rover, issued at Halifax, looked like a season ticket, and he couldn't work out how I was at Warrington with a Halifax season ticket. It's easy done, they do look at first glance like a season ticket, and outside of enthusiast circles you really don't see them.

It's been said before on here, by a Northern manager at Leeds, that the barrier issues are because rovers are encoded with origin and destination as the same place. Mag strips are very basic technology, I just see it as the (minor) inconvenience of using an obscure but very good value product.

 

[ashworth]

Thanks everyone. Good advice Yorkie. I do try to remain very calm and polite because I know at Blackpool North staff do have a difficult job with some of the people who pass through especially at weekends. I just don't like being treated in the same way as some drunken person attending a stag party without a valid ticket!

Although it's about 3 years since I last used one of these tickets, apart from at Blackpool North I've never had anything but friendliness towards me when they have not worked barriers. I find many rail staff, especially on train staff, seem genuinely pleased to see someone using these 7 Day rovers. I once encountered extremely friendly staff at the barrier at Southport who remembered me on my return and opened the barrier before I got there without me even having to show my ticket.

Without being too negative towards them, I must add that the last time I used this ticket, the staff at Blackpool North were not as bad as they were 5-10 years ago. Some of them were actually quite friendly and helpful. There's just a couple of the older staff who have been there many years who still still seem to have an attitude problem. Hopefully in the last 3 years since I last visited Blackpool North things at may have continued to improve. The barriers may even accept my ticket.

 

[shredder1]

I really need to visit Blackpool North again one day to see what they're like these days; last time I was there an individual who spent a lot of time locking and unlocking doors was very unhappy with the fact we were undecided as to which train we were going to get and were told we had to decide immediately. I've never experienced anything like it anywhere else. Clearly some of the staff there have communication issues Blackpool North stafffeel you`ll find which makes them unsuited to a 'public facing' role, but the company presumably chooses not to do anything about it. Very odd!

.

Sadly Yorkie, Blackpool North staff are still a bunch of ignorant chimps, I think its a genetic flaw, one theory is that the sea around Blackpool is contaminated from Sellafield.

 

[Kite159]

I've had a VTWC train manager get very confused because the FoNW rover, issued at Halifax, looked like a season ticket, and he couldn't work out how I was at Warrington with a Halifax season ticket. It's easy done, they do look at first glance like a season ticket, and outside of enthusiast circles you really don't see them.

It's been said before on here, by a Northern manager at Leeds, that the barrier issues are because rovers are encoded with origin and destination as the same place. Mag strips are very basic technology, I just see it as the (minor) inconvenience of using an obscure but very good value product.

I've had a ticket examiner on a Glasgow - Edinburgh (via Bathgate) service getting confused with the new format for the Central Scotland Rover as it was the first time they had seen it

(previously it was a "3 in 7" style rover with date boxes, but now is 3 running days printed on one ticket). That ticket worked barriers on the Saturday but not on the Sunday

 

[Wallsendmag]

With S&B on VTEC rovers will work day rangers more than likely to be rejected


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[rg177]

I've had a ticket examiner on a Glasgow - Edinburgh (via Bathgate) service getting confused with the new format for the Central Scotland Rover as it was the first time they had seen it

(previously it was a "3 in 7" style rover with date boxes, but now is 3 running days printed on one ticket). That ticket worked barriers on the Saturday but not on the Sunday

I'll be due some fun with this then.

I remember showing my Central Scotland Rover to a guard on a Falkirk High Route service towards Edinburgh, and being accused of fudging the dates on the ticket before she'd even actually looked at it.

Maybe she just wondered what a 15 year old Geordie was doing so far from home.

 

[BlueFox]

I used a NorthWest 4 days in 8 Rover in March.
it was purchased at my local station (operated by Great Northern).

The ticket opened the barriers successfully at Blackpool North, Manchester Piccadilly and both Bradford stations.

I had the same ticket in March, bought from the ticket office at Carlisle. The only barrier where I tried to use it was Piccadilly, and it didn't work.

 

[Silver Cobra]

I purchased a 7-day 1st class All Line Rover on GWR's website back in April last year for use in August for my summer holidays. When I used it, the only stations I visited where the ticket worked in the barriers were Exeter St. Davids, Liverpool Street and Ipswich. Everywhere else, it was rejected with a variety of different errors appearing on the barrier (unfortunately I don't remember the particular error numbers). Showing the ticket to the barrier staff was quite an amusing experience, as in many cases they looked rather confused by the ticket. In particular at Stevenage, the two staff members manning the barriers at the time had a conversation about if each knew what an ALR was, so I guess neither had ever seen one before. Thankfully in all cases, I was ultimately allowed through the barriers with no issue.

 

[rg177]

When I used a 7-day 1st class All Line Rover back in August last year, bought on GWR's website, the only stations I visited where the ticket worked in the barriers were Exeter St. Davids, Liverpool Street and Ipswich. Everywhere else, it was rejected with a variety of different errors appearing on the barrier (unfortunately I don't remember the particular error numbers). Showing the ticket to the barrier staff was quite an amusing experience, as in many cases they looked rather confused by the ticket. In particular at Stevenage, the two staff members manning the barriers at the time had a conversation about if each knew what an ALR was, so I guess neither had ever seen one before. Thankfully in all cases, I was ultimately allowed through the barriers with no issue.

It is quite a good conversation starter!

I've had guards on Portsmouth to Waterloo and Paddington to Plymouth trains come back after doing tickets and ask me what I'm up to, if I've been far on the ticket etc.

The gateline at Dorking was also keen to have a chat before I caught the Horsham train.

Only negative incident was the agency bloke at Guildford who didn't want to believe it was an actual ticket because the issuing office was "FGW Web Sales".

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