With regard to purchasing a return ticket at your destination from a TVM when you have been unable to purchase one at your origin. Note the following points:-
1) An outward ticket is only valid when you hold a completely unused return portion. In the above case the return would be "used" before the outward therefore invalidating the outward before you have a chance to use it.
2) The time of issue may cause revenue staff to become suspicious as the vast majority of tickets bought from a TVM are bought for immediate travel.
I will give you an example: When checking tickets on an evening peak hours train after a suburban unstaffed station I came across a passenger with the outward portion of a return ticket issued at 08:06 from the TVM at that station. (i.e. issued over 10 hrs before). Due to the fact that the passenger would have been able to make numerous return journeys in that time I asked for his return ticket (see point one above). The passenger did not have this and I was immediately suspicious and therefore completed a TI form - however it transpired that the barrier staff at that station were encouraging the passengers without tickets to purchase from the TVM and then were retaining the return portion, leaving the passenger with the the outward ticket for return travel (contrary to the rules - but possibly understandable to reduce queues in the morning peak). This system does cause confusion to ontrain revenue staff (& I daresay to passengers too).
I personally would not advise any one to purchase in the reverse order from a TVM (but would advise them to use the BO - please listen McNulty!). However if I was to encounter a passenger who had done so I would use understanding and discretion - after all the passenger has made an attempt to purchase a ticket.
Thanks for that....
First Bus Service 38, first service on a Sunday morning Linlithgow to Falkirk is 0657 so thats not bad (I get the 0830)
I believe my first bus is not until after 10 with nothing after 6 or 7pm! Shocking. I do not begrudge anyone their bus service however when Linlithgow has 4 trains per hour to Edinburgh does it need 4 buses per hour also? Esp. when Bo'ness (of a similar population) is lucky to have 5 or 6 direct services a day (I'm sure Linlithgow has a greater car ownership figure too - although I could be wrong).
In my view as the rail lines in the central belt in the main run east - west and run frequently esp between Edinburgh & Glasgow it would make more sense to run the buses north - south to connect the stations on the separate lines & passing though the settlements without rail stations. Introduce an integrated ticketing system whilst we are at it.
The system just now re buses seems to be subsidised services that run round the houses or services that run in wasteful competition with the trains. (Please note I realise that certain towns/villages along railway lines do not have stations and therefore need to retain their bus routes)