Buying a ticket for part of your journey

[island]

Tonight I anticipate making a journey from Northampton, requiring a ticket to Boundary Zone 3. I expect the booking office will be shut and this ticket is not available from ticket vending machines. NRCoC 3 states I should buy a ticket to allow me to commence my journey and then part-exchange it for the desired ticket. But where should I buy to? London Terminals would be too much. Should I seek out the guard on board or pay at the excess window at Euston? They don't tend to come around very often.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

If you already have a Travelcard it is debatable if you already have paid for part of the journey, however, I would suggest buying a ticket for a station upto, but no further than the first station in zone 3 and no more than the fare you would have paid for the journey had you been able to buy a ticket from a ticket office (if you know what it is). Alternatively, if there is a Permit to Travel machine you should put upto the fare due in it and travel on that.

 

[island]

The odd thing is the first station in zone 3 (Stonebridge Park) is £3 more expensive than Boundary Zone 3!

 

[Smethwickian]

Alternatively, if there is a Permit to Travel machine you should put up to the fare due in it and travel on that.

I would be very reluctant ever to put more than a bit of small change into a PTT machine - especially after being refused reimbursement by the conductor of an ATW train on Saturday who (upon my departure from LM-operated Smethwick Galton Bridge at 0630, when the ticket office had not yet opened) denied all knowledge of what the PTT ticket was, claimed he hadn't been trained to deal with them, and said he could not override the fare that came up on his machine to deduct what I had already paid.

I have of course complained and am now awaiting a response from either or both LM and ATW - including an offer by one of them to reimburse my 30p (no, not a lot, I know - but there's a principle involved here).

I think using a PTT by putting in a purely nominal sum still shows you acknowledge the need to pay and understand that you would exchange it for the correct ticket required at the first opportunity.

 

[SickyNicky]

London Midland have confirmed to me by email that it's acceptable to just put 5p in the PTT machine at Colwall - I don't need to put in any more.

 

[island]

Alternatively, if there is a Permit to Travel machine you should put upto the fare due in it and travel on that.

There isn't one.

I think I will buy to WFJ and try to find the guard when I board. Hopefully this won't come out the same way as when I last had to do this, which resulted in Mrs. island getting complained at by the SET booking office at London Bridge.

 

[transmanche]

I think using a PTT by putting in a purely nominal sum still shows you acknowledge the need to pay and understand that you would exchange it for the correct ticket required at the first opportunity.

And that's what I've been told by SET on-train staff on more than one occasion. "They're not very reliable" is the reason given.

 

[Mike395]

"They're not very reliable" is the reason given.

I'd agree with that - I reckon I must be up to a couple of quid lost in the one at Dumpton Park when it hasn't been working properly! (only putting 10-20p in at a time)

 

[bb21]

and said he could not override the fare that came up on his machine to deduct what I had already paid.

He doesn't have to override the fare given in his Avantix. The correct procedure is to sell you the ticket you need, and then refund the PTT ticket from his float.

Maybe this reinforces the idea that he wasn't trained on how to deal with it.

 

[yorkie]

I have of course complained and am now awaiting a response from either or both LM and ATW - including an offer by one of them to reimburse my 30p (no, not a lot, I know - but there's a principle involved here)..

If you do not get a satisfactory response, please don't hesitate to contact me if you would like me to proof read a follow-up. I would put the ball in their court by asking them what they want people to do in such circumstances.

 

[island]

He doesn't have to override the fare given in his Avantix. The correct procedure is to sell you the ticket you need, and then refund the PTT ticket from his float.

Slightly OT but I believe Fujitsu STAR has PERTIS Redemption as a payment method.
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There isn't one.

I think I will buy to WFJ and try to find the guard when I board. Hopefully this won't come out the same way as when I last had to do this, which resulted in Mrs. island getting complained at by the SET booking office at London Bridge.

The one-under at [stn]HML[/stn] complicated things slightly as the train I ended up on (2Y18) was rammed to bursting and the guard couldn't get through. The excess window at EUS was closed but the local ticket office was happy to sort out the excess, although issued it as X/S ALT RTE SGL rather than over-distance.

 

[AlterEgo]

Interestingly enough, I read the ATOC staff travel facilities page again the other day. It clearly states Priv holders, if unable to buy a discounted ticket need not purchase a ticket for part of the journey and then exchange it. They should wait until the first opportunity to buy the correct ticket arises.

I'll try and dig out the reference if anyone is interested. It's in the public domain.

 

[34D]

Interestingly enough, I read the ATOC staff travel facilities page again the other day. It clearly states Priv holders, if unable to buy a discounted ticket need not purchase a ticket for part of the journey and then exchange it. They should wait until the first opportunity to buy the correct ticket arises.

I'll try and dig out the reference if anyone is interested. It's in the public domain.

I wonder if it is because of the way RJ was treated in Derby?

Regarding the OP, I (along with others) have a bad experience of buying a partial ticket from one company's TVM and then trying to use it in a ticket office of another company.

I would suggest just buying to the next stop, and as you say seeking the guard out. I'd also second 5p in PTT machines (though many NSE area stations have had them removed and a second TVM installed).

What I would NOT do is buy any ticket that is more expensive than the ticket I need, as I do not rate booking offices' abilities to do a partial refund.