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Boundary ticket on Gatwick Express

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colinz

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Hi,
Sorry if my title is not clear, or if this has been discussed before - I’d like to ask a question about ticket acceptance on Gatwick Express.

Today at Gatwick Airport, I was told that with a “Gatwick to Boundary Zone 6” single and a “London Victoria to London Zones 1-6” day travelcard is not allowed to travel on Gatwick Express.

The ticket staff insisted that only weekly or longer travelcard with BZ6 to GTW ticket can be used on GX, and that for day travelcard the combination could only be used on Southern or Thameslink, despite the ticket should say “Any permitted” route on it.

I was in a hurry and therefore purchased a cheaper NOT GATWICK EXP routed ticket and travelled on SN instead.

Can I ask for clarification about this? Thanks
 
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Dhassell

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I have used a Boundary Zone 6 to Gatwick Airport ticket on top of a Zone 1-6 travelcard before with no questions asked by the onboard ticket inspector or gateline at Victoria.
 

ForTheLoveOf

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Hi,
Sorry if my title is not clear, or if this has been discussed before - I’d like to ask a question about ticket acceptance on Gatwick Express.

Today at Gatwick Airport, I was told that with a “Gatwick to Boundary Zone 6” single and a “London Victoria to London Zones 1-6” day travelcard is not allowed to travel on Gatwick Express.

The ticket staff insisted that only weekly or longer travelcard with BZ6 to GTW ticket can be used on GX, and that for day travelcard the combination could only be used on Southern or Thameslink, despite the ticket should say “Any permitted” route on it.

I was in a hurry and therefore purchased a cheaper NOT GATWICK EXP routed ticket and travelled on SN instead.

Can I ask for clarification about this? Thanks
It's complete bunkum, but I'm hardly surprised to see such utter misinformation given out by some of the unknowledgeable members of staff that check tickets for 'the red trains' ;).

There's no credible explanation why trains that happen to be painted red should suddenly be exempt from the usual rules applying to every other train, namely that a Travelcard + Boundary Zone extension is valid on a non-stop train (how could it, is someone planning on building a new station called "Boundary Zone 6"? ;))

And let's not even get started on the "Not Gatwick Express" con (I see no other suitable term for it!) :rolleyes:
 

colinz

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I have used a Boundary Zone 6 to Gatwick Airport ticket on top of a Zone 1-6 travelcard before with no questions asked by the onboard ticket inspector or gateline at Victoria.

Is it a day travelcard you were using? The ticket staff seemed to particularly discriminate the one-day ticket, saying all longer period travelcards were fine.
 

Surreytraveller

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When I used to work in the ticket office, a ticket could not be issued TO a Boundary Zone - only FROM. If a passenger wanted a ticket to the boundary, it needed to be issued to the relevant station.
I can't remember the justification - presumably because there would be an outboundry Travelcard available anyway, but no such ticket existed for the reverse direction on a one day basis?
 

Kite159

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Sounds like it was an issue at the ticket office when you went to buy your tickets?

Are the TVMs at Gatwick able to sell tickets from other destinations, like some of the TVMs at Victoria as that is one way to avoid the ticket office staff who could be slightly bias towards the "Premium" red train fresh air carrying services.

Although you might need to buy it from Boundary Zone 6 and throw the outward part away
 

island

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When I used to work in the ticket office, a ticket could not be issued TO a Boundary Zone - only FROM. If a passenger wanted a ticket to the boundary, it needed to be issued to the relevant station.
I can't remember the justification - presumably because there would be an outboundry Travelcard available anyway, but no such ticket existed for the reverse direction on a one day basis?
That was changed in The Manual in September 2011, if I remember rightly. It can now be issued either way.
 

Surreytraveller

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That was changed in The Manual in September 2011, if I remember rightly. It can now be issued either way.
Well, it is twenty years since I worked in a ticket office! There were also two different Boundary Zone fares - one for One Day Travelcards, and another for season Travelcards - I don't know whether that's still the case or not?
 

Haywain

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There were also two different Boundary Zone fares - one for One Day Travelcards, and another for season Travelcards - I don't know whether that's still the case or not?
No longer the case. I think that finished a lot earlier than tickets to Boundary Zones became available.
 

Bletchleyite

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I think it's out of date training. It used to be the case that BZ tickets could only be used on TOCs that had two stops within the Zones and so got some Travelcard revenue. When GatEx was a separate TOC they didn't so it wasn't valid.
 

Surreytraveller

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I think it's out of date training. It used to be the case that BZ tickets could only be used on TOCs that had two stops within the Zones and so got some Travelcard revenue. When GatEx was a separate TOC they didn't so it wasn't valid.
Out of date training? Or lack of training?
 

ForTheLoveOf

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I think it's out of date training. It used to be the case that BZ tickets could only be used on TOCs that had two stops within the Zones and so got some Travelcard revenue. When GatEx was a separate TOC they didn't so it wasn't valid.
That must be very substantially out of date if that is the source. I rather suspect it's simply a wholesale lack of training on anything but the ripoff Any Permitted tickets.
 

Bletchleyite

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That must be very substantially out of date if that is the source.

Yes, it was years ago that that applied - I recall you couldn't use them on VTWC, GNER (yes, that far back) or FGW (when Thames Trains was a separate TOC) either. VTXC (as was) actually did have two stops in the Zones at that point (Clapham Jn and Kensington Olympia) so you could on there.

It could also be confusion (due to poor training, probably) about the old rule that you couldn't buy them *to* BZ6, and a ticket to a station on the Zone 6 boundary would of course only be valid on a non-stop train in 19 (c) days if one ticket was a season ticket. (The other exceptions didn't apply as for zonal tickets both had to be zonal back then).
 

Dhassell

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Is it a day travelcard you were using? The ticket staff seemed to particularly discriminate the one-day ticket, saying all longer period travelcards were fine.
It was a day travelcard used when I did it.
 

Peter Mugridge

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If you ask to buy a return to Gatwick from the dedicated Gatwick Express ticket office at Victoria, and show them a Travelcard, they will give you a BZ6 - Gatwick return without being prompted.
 

Hadders

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I doubt very much if it's anything to do with any old rules. It's simply lack of proper training and staff making up their own rules.
 

Samuel88

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I'm not sure that you're all giving the right advice as Freedom Passes are point blank not valid on the Gatwick Express even with a boundary zone ticket, so surely the rules are the same with a travelcard?
 

yorkie

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Hi,
Sorry if my title is not clear, or if this has been discussed before - I’d like to ask a question about ticket acceptance on Gatwick Express.

Today at Gatwick Airport, I was told that with a “Gatwick to Boundary Zone 6” single and a “London Victoria to London Zones 1-6” day travelcard is not allowed to travel on Gatwick Express.

The ticket staff insisted that only weekly or longer travelcard with BZ6 to GTW ticket can be used on GX, and that for day travelcard the combination could only be used on Southern or Thameslink, despite the ticket should say “Any permitted” route on it.
GTR staff who told you this are incorrect. A Boundary Zone 6 extension + Travelcard is valid on all of the company's trains along this route; the main point of BZ extension tickets is that the train does not have to call anywhere!
 

colinz

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Sounds like it was an issue at the ticket office when you went to buy your tickets?

Are the TVMs at Gatwick able to sell tickets from other destinations, like some of the TVMs at Victoria as that is one way to avoid the ticket office staff who could be slightly bias towards the "Premium" red train fresh air carrying services.

Although you might need to buy it from Boundary Zone 6 and throw the outward part away

I tried to buy the tickets from the TVMs first but could not find any “stations” starting with “Boundary”. However I only search for destination not origin and that might be the problem.
 

Hadders

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I'm not sure that you're all giving the right advice as Freedom Passes are point blank not valid on the Gatwick Express even with a boundary zone ticket, so surely the rules are the same with a travelcard?

A Travelcard (day or season) in combination with a Boundary Zone ticket is perfectly valid on GTR's Gatwick Express branded trains.

Freedom Passes haven't been mentioned in this thread, we're talking about Travelcards.
 

Samuel88

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A Travelcard (day or season) in combination with a Boundary Zone ticket is perfectly valid on GTR's Gatwick Express branded trains.

Freedom Passes haven't been mentioned in this thread, we're talking about Travelcards.
I realise that, but freedom passes have the same validity as z1-6 travelcards
 

maniacmartin

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I tried to buy the tickets from the TVMs first but could not find any “stations” starting with “Boundary”. However I only search for destination not origin and that might be the problem.

In most GTR S&B machines you need to search for 'London Boundary of Zone 6'
 

Hadders

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I realise that, but freedom passes have the same validity as z1-6 travelcards

At the risk of going off topic there are differences. For example a Freedom Pass is valid on TfL Rail to Shenfield but a Zones 1-6 Travelcard isn’t.

This isn’t relevant to the discussion in this thread though. A Travelcard and Boundary Zone ticket is perfectly valid on Gatwick Express branded trains.
 

colinz

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In most GTR S&B machines you need to search for 'London Boundary of Zone 6'
Thanks for that. I’ve just checked this at another GTR station and recalled that there server might be down therefore full selection of destinations were not available then...
 

Iggy12a

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The TVMs at Gatwick only sell tickets from the boundary of zone x to Gatwick or indeed anywhere; they are not set to sell tickets from Gatwick to a boundary.
I have tried raising this as a query with Customer services but received a 'waffley' email response from someone who did not seem to understand my point.
 
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