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What functions cannot be performed by Ticket Vending Machines, and why?
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Bletchleyite
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Northern's sell all of them.
Mcr Warrior
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Can TVM's do change of route excesses?
trainJam
Member
If there is a way, then I have not found it on WMT ones.
Excess fares are valid only with ticket number XXXXX, so what I am thinking is add a way to buy excess fares by entering this number into the TVM. If the problem is that people will enter the wrong number, then I would point out that for season tickets one must enter the photocard number, which is longer.
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That's good news then.
Haywain
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dk1
Veteran Member
PRIV fares cannot be purchased or viewed. Not always a bad thing as on train staff often refuse to sell to staff anyway.
GreatWesterner
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Issue barcode tickets to a mobile app or Google/Apple Wallet
Refund a ticket
Change a journey
Claim compensation
Leave feedback
Request assistance
Book a standalone reservation
Book a cycle space
Just whack a version of a TOC retail website on the machine - job done.
Refund a ticket
Change a journey
Claim compensation
Leave feedback
Request assistance
Book a standalone reservation
Book a cycle space
Just whack a version of a TOC retail website on the machine - job done.
Haywain
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People really don't want to be logging into their account at a public machine, and the time they will take will mean that nobody else wants them doing that either.
GreatWesterner
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Use biometrics for quick login or use guest checkout where just an email address is required.
Haywain
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As stated, almost nobody wants TVMs that are more complex and detain customers for longer periods.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
My personal view is that all railway sales channels should be able to do all functions on all bookings in the long term (perhaps as part of moving to true e-ticketing rather than the present system). While changing a ticket or upgrading to 1st wouldn't be a main TVM function, they should certainly be able to do it, particularly with booking offices planned to close. An e-ticket scanner should allow the ticket to be identified without a need to faff about entering login details.
GreatWesterner
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I agree.
Using a website (which may be familiar already) will reduce complexity as there is much more focus on the user experience (versus TVMs).
If customers spend thirty more seconds ensuring they purchase the right ticket for them then how is this a negative?
TVM usage will never return to pre-COVID levels.
I agree.
Using a website (which may be familiar already) will reduce complexity as there is much more focus on the user experience (versus TVMs).
If customers spend thirty more seconds ensuring they purchase the right ticket for them then how is this a negative?
TVM usage will never return to pre-COVID levels.
Haywain
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It's a negative for the people behind them waiting to use the machine.
No, it won't. And that's because people are increasingly using apps (and websites) instead, so there's really not much point in adding the functionality to a device that people don't want to use for anything other than a quick and simple ticket purchase.
Kite159
Veteran Member
The SWR ones do, although limited to on the day only, so useless if you are parking up overnight on a weekend trip where the only option is jumping through the many many hoops to pay by phone.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Worse than that exists. Aylesbury Vale Parkway is free on Sundays, as a result no sales point (other than possibly the booking office which doesn't open on Sundays) can sell car park tickets for departing Sunday and going back Monday. The only suggestion Chiltern's Twitter was able to give me was to buy one first thing Monday as nobody would check at breakfast time, but it's ANPR so unless it'd only be checked on exit that seems not to work either. I set my alarm and bought one at exactly midnight on RingGo and a ticket didn't result, but that really is a silly omission.
The TVM at Kidsgrove (operated by EMR) doesn't sell rovers. It also states it sells super off peak tickets but doesn't offer the 'LNWR only' super off peak to London or other destinations en-route, only the 'LNWR only' off peak version or the much more expensive 'any operator' version, so you pay more that what you need to unless the (limited hours) ticket office is open or you buy ahead on line. The TVM is frequently out of order or malfunctions in some other way and no amount of regularly reporting it to EMR seems to resolve it for very long. Not good if you opt to buy on line and collect on same day departure. Having said that, you can buy tickets ahead or (I believe) for travel from other stations.
Thanks for the comments re my query on TVMs selling car-park tickets; seems any improvements in TVMs should include means of buying car-park tickets as well!
Fenchurch SP
Member
The Dagenham Dock machine won't sell you a ticket when there are engineering works. There are no replacement buses, just acceptance on the local buses so you can't choose an itinerary because there is nothing timetabled.
Here are all of the things that i can think of that Ticket Offices can do that the TVMs can not do:
• accept cash (*)
• accept 1p coins
• accept 2p coins
• accept £50 banknotes
• accept £100 banknotes
• accept Scottish banknotes
• accept Northern Ireland banknotes
• accept Isle Of Man banknotes
• accept Guernsey banknotes
• accept Jersey banknotes
• accept Gibraltar banknotes
• accept cheques
• accept travellers cheques
• accept postal orders
• accept money orders
• accept Rail Travel Vouchers
• exchange Rail Travel Vouchers for cash
• replace lost or stolen season tickets
• replace lost or stolen Railcards
• sell Railcards
• sell tickets from another station (*)
• sell Car Park tickets (*)
• sell Rover tickets (*)
• sell Ranger tickets (*)
• sell Boundary Zone tickets (*)
• sell Weekly season tickets (*)
• sell Monthly season tickets
• sell Annual season tickets
• sell Custom Length season tickets
• sell point A to point B via Travelcard season tickets
• issue Photocards for season tickets
• issue Ticket Wallets to keep your tickets in
• sell CIV (Eurostar connection) tickets
• sell Sail Rail tickets to any station in Ireland
• sell Sail Rail tickets to any station in Northern Ireland
• sell Sail Rail tickets to the Island Of Man
• sell Sail Rail tickets to various Scottish Islands
• sell Sail Rail tickets to the Orkney Islands
• sell Sail Rail tickets to the Shetland Islands
• sell Sail Rail tickets to the Outer Hebrides
• sell Sail Rail tickets to Calais
• sell Sail Rail tickets to the Isles Of Scilly
• sell Helicopter Rail tickets to the Isles Of Scilly
• sell tickets that include various Heritage Railways
• sell Croydon Tramlink single tickets (*)
• sell London Bus And Tram Passes (*)
• sell Plus Bus tickets (*)
• sell Carnet tickets
• sell PRIV (Staff Discount) discount tickets
• sell blind person (No Railcard) discount tickets
• sell wheelchair user (No Railcard) discount tickets
• sell Hertfordshire County Council ENCTS tickets
• sell Central Bedfordshire Council ENCTS tickets
• sell Bedford Borough Council ENCTS tickets
• sell Luton Borough Council ENCTS tickets
• sell West Yorkshire Combined Authority ENCTS tickets
• sell Scottish concession tickets
• sell large group tickets
• sell group discount tickets
• issue Seat Reservations
• issue Sleeper Reservations
• issue Bicycle Reservations
• issue Wheelchair Space Reservations
• issue Excess tickets
• issue Refunds for tickets
• issue Welsh Bus Pass free tickets for railway lines
• issue Railcard discount tickets for Local Railcards
• print TOD tickets when the bank card is not held
• print TOD tickets when the TVMs do not work
• sort out issues with TVMs not printing tickets
• sort out issues with TVMs not giving change
• print out travel itinerarys
• print out train timetables
• exchange PERTIS (Permit To Travel) tickets
• exchange Promise To Pay tickets
Note: Anything marked with an (*) indicates that some TOCs offer this on their TVMs but that many TOCs and many TVMs do not offer this.
• accept cash (*)
• accept 1p coins
• accept 2p coins
• accept £50 banknotes
• accept £100 banknotes
• accept Scottish banknotes
• accept Northern Ireland banknotes
• accept Isle Of Man banknotes
• accept Guernsey banknotes
• accept Jersey banknotes
• accept Gibraltar banknotes
• accept cheques
• accept travellers cheques
• accept postal orders
• accept money orders
• accept Rail Travel Vouchers
• exchange Rail Travel Vouchers for cash
• replace lost or stolen season tickets
• replace lost or stolen Railcards
• sell Railcards
• sell tickets from another station (*)
• sell Car Park tickets (*)
• sell Rover tickets (*)
• sell Ranger tickets (*)
• sell Boundary Zone tickets (*)
• sell Weekly season tickets (*)
• sell Monthly season tickets
• sell Annual season tickets
• sell Custom Length season tickets
• sell point A to point B via Travelcard season tickets
• issue Photocards for season tickets
• issue Ticket Wallets to keep your tickets in
• sell CIV (Eurostar connection) tickets
• sell Sail Rail tickets to any station in Ireland
• sell Sail Rail tickets to any station in Northern Ireland
• sell Sail Rail tickets to the Island Of Man
• sell Sail Rail tickets to various Scottish Islands
• sell Sail Rail tickets to the Orkney Islands
• sell Sail Rail tickets to the Shetland Islands
• sell Sail Rail tickets to the Outer Hebrides
• sell Sail Rail tickets to Calais
• sell Sail Rail tickets to the Isles Of Scilly
• sell Helicopter Rail tickets to the Isles Of Scilly
• sell tickets that include various Heritage Railways
• sell Croydon Tramlink single tickets (*)
• sell London Bus And Tram Passes (*)
• sell Plus Bus tickets (*)
• sell Carnet tickets
• sell PRIV (Staff Discount) discount tickets
• sell blind person (No Railcard) discount tickets
• sell wheelchair user (No Railcard) discount tickets
• sell Hertfordshire County Council ENCTS tickets
• sell Central Bedfordshire Council ENCTS tickets
• sell Bedford Borough Council ENCTS tickets
• sell Luton Borough Council ENCTS tickets
• sell West Yorkshire Combined Authority ENCTS tickets
• sell Scottish concession tickets
• sell large group tickets
• sell group discount tickets
• issue Seat Reservations
• issue Sleeper Reservations
• issue Bicycle Reservations
• issue Wheelchair Space Reservations
• issue Excess tickets
• issue Refunds for tickets
• issue Welsh Bus Pass free tickets for railway lines
• issue Railcard discount tickets for Local Railcards
• print TOD tickets when the bank card is not held
• print TOD tickets when the TVMs do not work
• sort out issues with TVMs not printing tickets
• sort out issues with TVMs not giving change
• print out travel itinerarys
• print out train timetables
• exchange PERTIS (Permit To Travel) tickets
• exchange Promise To Pay tickets
Note: Anything marked with an (*) indicates that some TOCs offer this on their TVMs but that many TOCs and many TVMs do not offer this.
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Haywain
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Very clever, if not entirely accurate. Yes, ticket offices, and in some cases other staff, can actually do an awful lot more than you have included on your list. I'm surprised you didn't mention offering drinks and food.
Gaelan
Member
- provide information, and explain routes, during disruption
- sell split tickets when requested by the customer (*)
- propose split tickets when not requested by the customer
- sell advances (*)
BlueLeanie
Member
Yes, Chiltern do.
Although I find that the touch sensitivity of Chiltern TVMs at Haddenham incredibly poor and sometimes feel if I push any harder I might crack the screen.
weastebusdepot
Member
Unless things have changed recently, you can't buy Saveaway tickets from a TVM outside of Merseyside.
If you are in the Manchester area and fancy a day out on the Wirral, a day return to Newton-le-Willows plus a one day Saveaway works out several pounds cheaper than a day return to your destination. If you start your journey from a station with a staffed ticket office you have that option, but on a TVM you don't.
If you are in the Manchester area and fancy a day out on the Wirral, a day return to Newton-le-Willows plus a one day Saveaway works out several pounds cheaper than a day return to your destination. If you start your journey from a station with a staffed ticket office you have that option, but on a TVM you don't.
I'd assume Scotrail ticket machines accept Scottish banknotes, alongside BoE ones, this is probably easier to programme a machine to know than a ticket clerk in Somerset who might not see a Scottish/NI note in years so doesn't have the first idea what they look like.
Most of the 'sell' options should be resolvable by adding them as an option, along with quite a few of the 'issue' ones, they're not intrinsically something the machines can't do., just that the operator has chosen not to activate.
Merseyrail ticketing is fairly odd though, it's over a decade since they promised contactless payg with the walrus cards, then at one point tried to claim that paying by contactless in the ticket office was the same. Still no PAYG tap in-tap out functionality for cards/phones.
Haywain
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As do LNER machines.
But are so small in volume thst the development costs could never be justified. It's true to say ticket offices can do all those things but most offices will struggle with almost all of them.
Kite159
Veteran Member
Unless its a Northern TVM which sell rovers, that assuming a saveaway is an option
trainJam
Member
If a type of ticket cannot be bought from a TVM, should there be a NRCOT condition which protects the passenger in this situation?
One idea is to buy a simpler ticket and then exchange for the more difficult ticket en route.
One idea is to buy a simpler ticket and then exchange for the more difficult ticket en route.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
This is no longer an entitlement, but should be possible if the station en-route is run by the same TOC as the TVM. I have had that done by both WMT and SWR - the original was "non issued" and a replacement issued which covered what I'd done so far and what I wanted to do.
Only possible at a booking office, though.
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