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A couple of observations...

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tadhatter

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Earlier today I attempted to purchase a Freedom of the Northwest rover ticket at Leeds station.
The woman on duty clearly had no idea what I was asking for.
This isn't uncommon. Every year around the summer I take the inside of a week and buy a Rover Ticket and whoever and wherever I purchase it the story is the same. General staff don't seem to have a scooby what I'm asking for and always end up requesting their supervisor.
The next thing is that the ticket itself might as well be in double Dutch for the attention station staff and train guards give to it. If I wasn't so honest I could have flashed anything at them and got away with it!
I'm currently on a class 142 pacer. Say what you like about them.but, counting the seats in this Northern variant there are 53 seats and a toilet in this carriage! That's not a bad stat!
 
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a_c_skinner

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I've usually had no problems buying on train or at CNF or LAN (or DHM rarely). However correct checking is the exception. I have travelled all day with the wrong date written in the date boxes. On another occasion I was criticised for writing in the date box in pencil. I couldn't find anything in any public information that says it must be indelible despite the obvious reasons. You need a proper ball point pen to write on the tickets. I've even been asked by Northern revenue protection at Halifax if I needed a photocard with a rover. You don't of course.

Andrew
 

Iskra

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Rangers and rovers seem to confuse a lot of staff, both on and off trains, I've shown the wrong one before and got away with it. Also, a lot of staff don't seem to recognise them. However, you often come across that one person who really studies it, so there is that deterrent value. I can not be asked for my railcard for (literally) thousands of miles (intercity operators seem especially lax), but then I got challenged twice about it last week.
 
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causton

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I've usually had no problems buying on train or at CNF or LAN (or DHM rarely). However correct checking is the exception. I have travelled all day with the wrong date written in the date boxes. On another occasion I was criticised for writing in the date box in pencil. I couldn't find anything in any public information that says it must be indelible despite the obvious reasons. You need a proper ball point pen to write on the tickets. I've even been asked by Northern revenue protection at Halifax if I needed a photocard with a rover. You don't of course.

Andrew

Further confusing is new software on ticket machines printing Photocard No. boxes on day rovers (Merseyrail Day Savers and Travelcards) I have seen (and the ME one I have myself!)
 

Bevan Price

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I know it is officially called "Freedom of the North West", but I have found it easier just to ask for a "North West Rover" - even staff who have never issued one before seem to be able to find it (eventually) on the ticket machine.
 

gazthomas

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I agree with you, I've had similar issues. Training would help but there are so many tickets I imagine it will be difficult to remember everything. Maybe the IT systems need overhauling to make things easier
 

edwin_m

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A few years ago I planned an itinerary in south west Wales which involved buying a Rover on the train out of Milford Haven. The conductor said "I've never heard of it but I appreciate a challenge", disappeared off and returned some time later with the correct ticket.
 

a_c_skinner

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Bevan Price strikes a chord with me, I've a vague recollection that the names on the tickets are not always the same as the public offer.

The only time I've had problems was a Lakes Day Ranger on Transpennine from ARN to LAN. Mind you ARN to LAN often means a trip to the LAN ticket office as selling of tickets is not uniformly strong! (Esp on Northern, easy to miss a connection which includes a diversion to the ticket office.)
 

marcouk2

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Earlier today I attempted to purchase a Freedom of the Northwest rover ticket at Leeds station.
The woman on duty clearly had no idea what I was asking for.
This isn't uncommon. Every year around the summer I take the inside of a week and buy a Rover Ticket and whoever and wherever I purchase it the story is the same. General staff don't seem to have a scooby what I'm asking for and always end up requesting their supervisor.
The next thing is that the ticket itself might as well be in double Dutch for the attention station staff and train guards give to it. If I wasn't so honest I could have flashed anything at them and got away with it!
I'm currently on a class 142 pacer. Say what you like about them.but, counting the seats in this Northern variant there are 53 seats and a toilet in this carriage! That's not a bad stat!

Was this from the ticket windows or the travel centre?

I've only ever bought rovers successfully from the travel centre at Leeds.

First time I had to buy a rover there the incoming train guard couldn't sell me it and was then unable to buy from excess fares window and ticket office before finally succeeding at the travel centre, I just go straight to the travel centre now.

Not sure if it's just Leeds as other places have easily sold me rovers even when for the other end of the country; multiple ones at Doncaster, South West rover & sleeper tickets at Barnsley and North West rover at Aberdeen.
 

Howardh

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If I bought an *unusual* ticket I would probably take a copy of the site it was advertised on (is that the right word??) but I appreciate many wouldn't do that.

The sheer volume of ordinary, let alone extra-ordinary tickets is bewildering, to ma anyway, and I hold my hands up to any staff that are aware of over 95% of them!!
 

fishquinn

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I have bought a North East Rover at Leamington Spa before and the ticket clerk immediately knew what I was talking about and issued one fine. And every guard that my ticket got checked by knew what I was talking about.
 

crispy1978

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When I got my Tyne Tees Rover, it was issued at Scarborough with no problem at all.

The conductors had a couple of quizzical looks at it but never questioned it. Could probably have travelled out of zone and no one would have known!
 

Minilad

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Further confusing is new software on ticket machines printing Photocard No. boxes on day rovers (Merseyrail Day Savers and Travelcards) I have seen (and the ME one I have myself!)

I had an issue with a member of gateline staff at Paddington because of this.
I had a ALR which had a box for a photocard number on and he wouldn't let me through until I showed him my photocard, which of course I didn't have or need.
Even his supervisor backed him up saying I needed a photocard.
Eventually they relented and let me through but it took around 10 mins of me standing there trying to explain that a rover isn't a season ticket
 

crehld

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Earlier today I attempted to purchase a Freedom of the Northwest rover ticket at Leeds station.
The woman on duty clearly had no idea what I was asking for.
This isn't uncommon. Every year around the summer I take the inside of a week and buy a Rover Ticket and whoever and wherever I purchase it the story is the same. General staff don't seem to have a scooby what I'm asking for and always end up requesting their supervisor.

To be fair I've never had any issues obtaining rovers (even obscure ones) from station ticket offices (including Leeds).

The next thing is that the ticket itself might as well be in double Dutch for the attention station staff and train guards give to it. If I wasn't so honest I could have flashed anything at them and got away with it!

Here again I have the opposite experience. The most problems I face are with station staff manning barrier lines. You get the odd guard who will refuse to accept it even though it's valid, but this seems to vary by TOC (see below).

I've even been asked by Northern revenue protection at Halifax if I needed a photocard with a rover. You don't of course.

If you're referring to the agency staff Northern employ they don't have a clue!

The only time I've had problems was a Lakes Day Ranger on Transpennine from ARN to LAN. Mind you ARN to LAN often means a trip to the LAN ticket office as selling of tickets is not uniformly strong! (Esp on Northern, easy to miss a connection which includes a diversion to the ticket office.)

Most of my on board train troubles with rangers and rovers have been with TPE. Some are incredibly stubborn about it, even upon production of the official rover map and a print out of the conditions from NRE! I think someone on another thread a while back stated their guards get no training on rover validity at all so they're just left to fend for themselves. Northern staff on the other hand seem to have a very good knowledge of rangers and rovers and their validity areas in my experience.

I had an issue with a member of gateline staff at Paddington because of this.
I had a ALR which had a box for a photocard number on and he wouldn't let me through until I showed him my photocard, which of course I didn't have or need.
Even his supervisor backed him up saying I needed a photocard.
Eventually they relented and let me through but it took around 10 mins of me standing there trying to explain that a rover isn't a season ticket

At lot of people have issues with the Paddington gate line staff. It's by no means confined to accepting ALRs!!
 

swt_passenger

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Further confusing is new software on ticket machines printing Photocard No. boxes on day rovers (Merseyrail Day Savers and Travelcards) I have seen (and the ME one I have myself!)

Thanks for explaining that. My normal (London Zones 1-6) Off-peak Day Travelcard bought at Paddington today had a new box, top right, presumably that's the one? So it might not be a fault confined to Rovers and Rangers...

Fortunately I didn't need to use it at Paddington (NR)...
 
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causton

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I guess this is a new software version on a S+B machine that prints most other tickets in the new format. So I guess they have tried to introduce something new and messed up what was perfectly fine before!
 
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