Arriva Trains Wales single ticket validity

[mp01]

Dear knowledgeable ones...

My daughter wants to make a trip which starts in one south Wales valley, involves spending much of the day in Cardiff, and then ending at a station in a different valley. My reading of the National Rail Conditions of Carriage is that it's OK to buy a single from the start station to the end station, and to break the journey as long as it's at a legitimate station. The Conditions don't seem to specify that the break of journey can't be for 6 hours. Please could someone confirm that this interpretation is right, and that the barriers at either Central or Queen St won't retain her ticket. Or if my understanding is wrong, is there a cheaper way of doing this trip by rail than buying two single tickets?

Thanks!

Mark

 

[ainsworth74]

What ticket exactly (i.e. which two stations and what type of ticket) is she proposing to use? In general Break of Journey is fine along the lines you're describing but to be sure we'd need to know the exact type of ticket as conditions do vary. As long as the destination on the ticket isn't the station at which you're using the barriers it shouldn't be eaten but if you're concerned by this then the best bet is to use a manual barrier.

 

[mp01]

It would be an Anytime Day Single (adult) from Pontypridd (or somewhere nearby) to Brithdir (or somewhere nearby).

 

[headshot119]

Queen Street is currently without ticket barriers at the moment as part of the refurbishment, there are just staff on manual checking duties.

Cardiff Central you can always use the wide aisle gate on the left as you are leaving the platform side where a member of staff is always stood.

 

[ASharpe]

On an Anytime (Day) ticket you can break your journey as many times as you want and for any period of time (while the ticket is still valid).

Ticket barriers might not be programmed to allow it but a member of staff should let you though without question.

 

[John @ home]

Yes, the £5.50 Anytime Day Single Pontypridd - Brithdir route Any Permitted ticket is valid for break of journey at any intermediate station, including Cardiff Central and/or Cardiff Queen St. The break(s) of journey may be of any duration within the validity of the ticket.

Doubling back [1] through Cardiff Queen St is allowed, among other reasons, because the only Routeing Point for Brithdir is Cardiff Central, so travel is allowed by a mapped route Pontypridd - Cardiff Central (the Routeing Guide does not distinguish between the routes via Ninian Park and via Queen St) followed by the shortest route Cardiff Central - Brithdir (via Queen St).

[1] Doubling back is passing through the same station more than once on a single leg of a journey.

 

[mp01]

Thanks for all your helpful replies.

 

[Quakers Yard]

Ive done ysm to qyd before and watched a whole days cricket in between no problems at all.
Changed at queen st for the intervening 8 hrs or so.

 

[Llanigraham]

Ive done ysm to qyd before and watched a whole days cricket in between no problems at all.
Changed at queen st for the intervening 8 hrs or so.

YSM?
QYD?

Not everyone knows what these acronyms are!!

 

[Quakers Yard]

Ystrad Mynach to Quakers Yard...4.5 miles apart

 

[mp01]

As it happens, the chap on the gate at Queen St took my daughter's ticket off her. Unfortunately she wasn't confident enough to challenge him, so ended up having to buy an additional single anyway. It's not a lot of money, but would there be any point trying to get a refund from ATW?

 

[ASharpe]

Absolutely,

Include the date and time of the incident along with copies of the return part of the ticket and the new ticket purchased.

Tickets that have further validity should never be collected. (And in my opinion none should be.)

 

[455driver]

If she just handed the ticket to him without saying anything what is he supposed to do?
They don't have time to check every ticket handed to them.
She should have SHOWN the ticket (but kept hold of it) and said she was breaking her journey for a little while.
Hardly the staffs fault.

 

[GatwickDepress]

If she just handed the ticket to him without saying anything what is he supposed to do?
They don't have time to check every ticket handed to them.
She should have SHOWN the ticket (but kept hold of it) and said she was breaking her journey for a little while.
Hardly the staffs fault.

I suppose he could have checked to see if the destination wasn't the same as the station she was at (takes less than a second), and ask if she was breaking her journey.

Some people aren't confident enough to state they're going to break their journey or keep hold of their ticket when someone's taking them.

Doesn't make it the staff members fault though, it's no-one's fault; one of those things that just happens.

 

[yorkie]

As it happens, the chap on the gate at Queen St took my daughter's ticket off her.

You mean the ticket barrier didn't accept the ticket, so she showed the ticket, and the inspector stopped her and removed it from her?

Or did she actually hand him the ticket?

Unfortunately she wasn't confident enough to challenge him, so ended up having to buy an additional single anyway. It's not a lot of money, but would there be any point trying to get a refund from ATW?

If she was merely showing it, and he took it off her and was intimidating about it, yes complain.

If she actually handed the ticket to the inspector (why?) and didn't ask for it back, then she needs to be more assertive in future, and a complaint after the event would be productive in my opinion.

If an inspector is handed a ticket, I wouldn't expect them to give it back, but if an inspector is shown a ticket (held in your hands) then if they did take it off you I'd fully expect them to give it back without prompting, but if they didn't, simply asking for it back should resolve that.

Is there proof the ticket was purchased? If it wasn't bought online, and if it was paid for by cash, then it would look a very fishy claim to me!

 

[IanD]

YSM?
QYD?

Not everyone knows what these acronyms are!!

They are not acronyms, they are abbreviations! Still extremely irritating when people use them instead of station names with no explanation.

 

[Greenback]

They are not acronyms, they are abbreviations! Still extremely irritating when people use them instead of station names with no explanation.

Indeed it is. I would ask all members to make sure that they explain what the abbreviations mean before using them. This usually means typing the station out in full followed by the abbreviation in brackets. After that the abbreviations can be used freely in that post.

 

[headshot119]

You mean the ticket barrier didn't accept the ticket, so she showed the ticket, and the inspector stopped her and removed it from her?

Or did she actually hand him the ticket?
If she was merely showing it, and he took it off her and was intimidating about it, yes complain.

If she actually handed the ticket to the inspector (why?) and didn't ask for it back, then she needs to be more assertive in future, and a complaint after the event would be productive in my opinion.

If an inspector is handed a ticket, I wouldn't expect them to give it back, but if an inspector is shown a ticket (held in your hands) then if they did take it off you I'd fully expect them to give it back without prompting, but if they didn't, simply asking for it back should resolve that.

Is there proof the ticket was purchased? If it wasn't bought online, and if it was paid for by cash, then it would look a very fishy claim to me!

At the moment Cardiff Queen Street doesn't have working ticket barriers because of the refurbishment that is taking place. ATW are providing staff who seem to have next to no knowledge of ticketing to operate as a manual gateline.

They have a habit of taking tickets out of your hand and not giving them back. Though I do agree the OPs daughter ? Should have asked for it back.

I've actually just come through Queen Street about 20 minutes ago and got my Cardiff Central - Cathays single taken off of me, I asked for it back and then got asked for the other half of it :roll:

 

[IanD]

We don't know how old the OPs daughter is or what her character is so how can we advise that she should be more assertive.

What we could advise is that the person manning the barrier should be checking the tickets. If "They don't have time to check every ticket handed to them" then what is the point in having them there at all?