Earning Commission

[SETCommuter]

Do staff at ticket offices earn commission on the tickets they sell ? I understand that the conductors on SE earn 5% on each ticket sold (hence I always aim to buy my ticket on the train where possible) but wondered if the office staff earn as well. I would guess not but just wondered.

 

[Monty]

As far as I know clerical grades get no commission on tickets sold however one has told me they get a small amount for every railcard they issue.

 

[tony6499]

As far as I know clerical grades get no commission on tickets sold however one has told me they get a small amount for every railcard they issue.

Thought it was only Network Cards ?

 

[trentside]

As far as I know clerical grades get no commission on tickets sold however one has told me they get a small amount for every railcard they issue.

That's certainly not the case at my TOC, I don't know about others. We get no commission at all on any sales.

 

[Oliver]

Do staff at ticket offices earn commission on the tickets they sell ? I understand that the conductors on SE earn 5% on each ticket sold (hence I always aim to buy my ticket on the train where possible) but wondered if the office staff earn as well. I would guess not but just wondered.

There's a good case for paying a commission to conductors because they have to "go looking" for people without tickets. It's a bit different for booking clerks, because their customers queue up at a window to be served.

 

[island]

Do staff at ticket offices earn commission on the tickets they sell ? I understand that the conductors on SE earn 5% on each ticket sold (hence I always aim to buy my ticket on the train where possible) but wondered if the office staff earn as well. I would guess not but just wondered.

Not all Southeastern on-train staff receive commission.

Bear in mind that it is an offence to board a train without a ticket at a station which has ticket-selling facilities.

 

[SETCommuter]

Not all Southeastern on-train staff receive commission.

Bear in mind that it is an offence to board a train without a ticket at a station which has ticket-selling facilities.

Of course - although my station doesn't have ticket-selling facilities and the PTT machine is broken more often than not.

To be fair, every SE conductor I have come across have always been more than happy to sell the ticket on the train - extra money is the obvious incentive. The conductors who work the Monday morning rush hour trains into London are always turning up to work in their new Jaguars !

 

[bolli]

I know several stations under ATW where the ticket staff are subcontracted to [self-employed] people who run the ticket offices- They earn commission but not a salary.

 

[Monty]

Thought it was only Network Cards ?

Not 100% sure myself, possibly. I can only speak from SWT's point of view however, other TOCs may have different arrangements.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

When I worked for Thameslink it was only full priced Network Railcards (not the Goldcard ones) that office staff could get commission on.

 

[RJ]

Do staff at ticket offices earn commission on the tickets they sell ? I understand that the conductors on SE earn 5% on each ticket sold (hence I always aim to buy my ticket on the train where possible) but wondered if the office staff earn as well. I would guess not but just wondered.

I didn't when I was in the ticket office, although apparently in days gone by, staff got 50p for each railcard issued.

 

[Fred26]

When I worked for 'one' we had 50p on Family Railcards. They'd stopped giving it to clerks for Network cards by then, presumably because it cost them too much.

 

[BEF7439]

On my TOC (c2c), we still get 50p for each Network Railcard we sell.

 

[beeza1]

There's a good case for paying a commission to conductors because they have to "go looking" for people without tickets.

Surely that's what they are paid for in the first place?
On a similar theme, do RPI's get commission for every "fare dodger" they catch? they do seem all too keen to issue penalties etc, to people who have made a genuine mistake, (going by what I read on this forum). I realise it must be difficult to tell the "genuine mistake" from the real fare dodger, but a little more "benefit of the doubt" in favour of the passenger wouldn't go amiss.

 

[maniacmartin]

Perhaps its a token of appreciation on having to fiddle with Avantix Mobile, which the office staff don't have to suffer

 

[barrykas]

Still 50p for a Network Card in Chilternland too, which shows up on payslips as "NSE Excellence Pay"!

 

[craigwilson]

Not all Southeastern on-train staff receive commission.

Bear in mind that it is an offence to board a train without a ticket at a station which has ticket-selling facilities.

The version I heard (from a source which is in no way official I should point out - I've no idea as to the veracity of what I was told) is that the mainline guards get commission, but the High Speed train managers don't. I can't speak for Metro services of course.

 

[MikeWh]

The version I heard (from a source which is in no way official I should point out - I've no idea as to the veracity of what I was told) is that the mainline guards get commission, but the High Speed train managers don't. I can't speak for Metro services of course.

South Eastern metro services are all DOO AFAIK.

 

[craigwilson]

South Eastern metro services are all DOO AFAIK.

D'oh! I actually did know that already ...one of those moments you write before thinking what you just put!!

 

[Jeni]

Last year most staff on XC were actively pointing out that they can sell any tickets for any journey and even renewing season tickets (can they actually do that?). Commission would explain that attitude!

I haven't seen anyone do it recently though, perhaps the commission there has stopped or been lowered to a level where it's not worth their effort?

 

[causton]

Last year most staff on XC were actively pointing out that they can sell any tickets for any journey and even renewing season tickets (can they actually do that?). Commission would explain that attitude!

I haven't seen anyone do it recently though, perhaps the commission there has stopped or been lowered to a level where it's not worth their effort?

I remember once hearing a South West Trains guard on an Alton - Waterloo service say something along those lines - I think he was after the commission as well

 

[Jeni]

I remember once hearing a South West Trains guard on an Alton - Waterloo service say something along those lines - I think he was after the commission as well

I guess that if they're willing try, the commission would soon mount up into a nice little earner!

 

[island]

Guards can do 7-day season tickets but not (I believe) anything longer, as monthlies upwards are kept on a database to which they would have no access.

Some TOCs have issued local instructions about the on-train sale of high-value tickets such as 14-day first class all line rovers, primarily prohibiting them on the grounds of potential fraud.

 

[Be3G]

Presumably another problem with selling long season tickets would be the need for the guard to carry different ticket stock.

 

[skyetraveller]

I think Virgin TM's get commission on ticket sales - one of my acquaintance used to boast that it paid for his caravan site fee on the Welsh coast. He got very annoyed when his ticket machine broke one morning and he couldn't sell two First Anytime returns Wigan-Euston - about 700 quid!

 

[island]

Presumably another problem with selling long season tickets would be the need for the guard to carry different ticket stock.

Yes, I don't think they even can put different stock through an Avantix.

 

[barrykas]

Yes, I don't think they even can put different stock through an Avantix.

You can use SPORTIS rolls in them as well as the fanfold magstripe tickets, just not at the same time. Though with the number of times we have to exchange Avantix issued tickets, half the time a non-encoded ticket would be more useful!

 

[Greenback]

My last Monthly + season wa sissued on normal orange stock.

 

[The Colonel]

On my TOC (c2c), we still get 50p for each Network Railcard we sell.

Same at SWT - its the only commission I get.

 

[calc7]

I imagine it's subject to income tax?