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Boarding at unattended stations

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If boarding at an unattended station like Tywyn, where there are no ticket machines, can you purchase a ticket from the conductor? And if so, is it cash only or are credit cards accepted?
 
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Brucey

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Yes, you can buy your ticket from the conductor on board. They will accept cash, credit and debit cards. However, debit cards that require online authorisation (e.g. Visa Electron) cannot be used.
 

wintonian

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Rail warrants and possibly rail travel vouchers although I can't remember if we decided they are supposed to or if different TOC's have different polices here.

However if there is no ticket machine there may be a permit to travel machine in which case you would insert coins up-to the value of your ticket and exchange the permit at the earliest opportunity.
 

SS4

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However if there is no ticket machine there may be a permit to travel machine in which case you would insert coins up-to the value of your ticket and exchange the permit at the earliest opportunity.

Or put 5p/10p in the machine and pay the difference at the earliest opportunity. <D
 

142094

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I don't think there is a Permit to Travel machine at Tywyn, so buy on board.
 

SickyNicky

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Well I did say up-to for a reason, but whether you are supposed to or not well... ;)

London Midland have confirmed to me by email that it's acceptable to just put 5p into the permit to travel machine at Colwall.
 

Squaddie

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If boarding at an unattended station like Tywyn, where there are no ticket machines, can you purchase a ticket from the conductor? And if so, is it cash only or are credit cards accepted?
Your previous posts suggest that you already hold Advance tickets for your journeys to and from Tywyn, so for local journeys during your vacation it may be worth while investigating the range of local rail passes, which give you unlimited travel within a defined area for a certain period. Depending on the amount of travelling you intend to do, they may work out significantly cheaper than buying separate tickets for each journey.

For example, you can buy a Cambrian Day Ranger offering unlimited travel along the Cambrian coast for a day for £9.80.
 

Waldgrun

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There is a thought at the back of my mind, that that the Talyllyn Railway once had an agency to sell National rail tickets at Wharf station, can any confirm if this is still the case?
 
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I've travelled from Bridge of Orchy to Glasgow Queen Street before - nobody at the station, no permit to travel machine and the conductor couldnt be bothered leaving his cab at the end of the train.
Ended up buying a ticket at Queen Street from the manned ticket booth on the platform side of the revenue protection barrier - which seems to be set up purely for this purpose.
Couple of probs with that theory though:
a) You're asked by the ticket booth chappie where you've arrived from, so they are operating on an 'honesty' basis. I wonder how many people arrive from Oban or Fort William (for example) but say they travelled from a far closer station like Garelochead?
b) If you're departing Queen Street on a train, you can just get straight on your next train without having paid anything for the service you've arrived on.
 

142094

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a) You're asked by the ticket booth chappie where you've arrived from, so they are operating on an 'honesty' basis. I wonder how many people arrive from Oban or Fort William (for example) but say they travelled from a far closer station like Garelochead?
b) If you're departing Queen Street on a train, you can just get straight on your next train without having paid anything for the service you've arrived on.

a) This is more common than you think, and means that quite a bit of revenue is lost. However, if they did what is called a 'revenue blockade' at a station like Garelochead, you would be done for not having a valid ticket and also could be prosecuted for intentionally trying to defraud the TOC.

b) Again another one that does happen, although the guard on the next service might ask you how you got through the barriers without a ticket.

Barriers will never be the ultimate answer to ticket checking which is why trains will always need either guards/conductors, or roving RPIs.
 

exile

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It would be interesting to know why the conductor doesn't actually sell tickets on that service. There's enough time between stations, unlike on suburban routes.
 

MidnightFlyer

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It would be interesting to know why the conductor doesn't actually sell tickets on that service. There's enough time between stations, unlike on suburban routes.

Maybe in one case a broken Avantix? I've seen it happen a few times, though not day by day.
 

yorkie

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a) You're asked by the ticket booth chappie where you've arrived from, so they are operating on an 'honesty' basis. I wonder how many people arrive from Oban or Fort William (for example) but say they travelled from a far closer station like Garelochead?
It is true some people lie. Sometimes they are prosecuted for it as blocks may be in place at the station they falsely claim to have travelled from.

Northern have been known to prosecute even when a passenger claimed to travel from a station that is only 10p cheaper, in one famous case (discussed on here in detail previously) the customer stated Burley Park and gave her old address as she used to live near there, and then realised her mistake, but this was not enough to stop the prosecution. Northern lost that case, but a case would not be lost on such grounds for someone boarding at Bridge of Orchy claiming to have travelled from a station much nearer Glasgow, I'm sure!
b) If you're departing Queen Street on a train, you can just get straight on your next train
Yes, that is correct. Depending on the connection time, that next opportunity to pay may well be on the next train.
without having paid anything for the service you've arrived on.
They'd pay for the entire journey on the next train. As 142094 says, if they only claimed to have started their journey at Queen St, questions may be asked!

If there was no check on the next train, they'd pay at their destination (or on the train after that, if a 3rd train was involved) or at their next interchange (if time permits).
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Maybe in one case a broken Avantix? I've seen it happen a few times, though not day by day.
That is the most likely explanation. Or that it had run out of stock!
 

Rich McLean

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The amount of times I used to go from Cosford to Oakengates and back again when both permit to travel machines were out of order, and not see a conductor once meant that I had no means of paying for my fare
 

142094

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Broken Advantix was one of the reasons why Leeds was getting so many people buying at the station. I expect the problem has been sorted now, but for a time it was happening 1-2 times per week on the services I used to get.
 

kieron

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If boarding at an unattended station like Tywyn, where there are no ticket machines, can you purchase a ticket from the conductor? And if so, is it cash only or are credit cards accepted?
Arriva guards will happily sell tickets to people boarding at Chester once the barrier staff go home, so you have nothing to worry about on the Cambrian line.
 
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