Buying TfGM Wayfarers at Ticket Machines

[Llandudno]

Can TfGM Wayfarer Tickets be bought at station vending machines within the area of availability?
Now that ticket machines have been installed at a number of Northern stations, if you can’t buy this ticket from a machine, are you allowed to buy one from the guard, especially if you are boarding a train from a penalty fare station?

 

[Bungle965]

I don't believe that they will sell you it.
If you are in a penalty fare area the best thing to do is to get a promise to pay notice and get it either off the guard or at your final destination.
Sam

 

[Mathew S]

Last I enquired of Northern (a few months ago) the answer was no. They said they were expecting it to be added - along with TrainCards and County Cards - in a software update.
Get a Promise to Pay, and get one from the guard. Just to be safe, I would make sure you pay the guard in cash, if you can.

 

[Llandudno]

What is a promise to pay voucher/ticket, are these free?
Seems odd that you need to pay cash to the guard, I thought the train companies were trying to encourage pre-payment and electronic payment?

 

[Bungle965]

Last I enquired of Northern (a few months ago) the answer was no. They said they were expecting it to be added - along with TrainCards and County Cards - in a software update.
Get a Promise to Pay, and get one from the guard. Just to be safe, I would make sure you pay the guard in cash, if you can.

There is no obligation for the OP to pay cash to the guard.
He can pay by card or cash if he wishes.

What is a promise to pay voucher/ticket, are these free?
Seems odd that you need to pay cash to the guard, I thought the train companies were trying to encourage pre-payment and electronic payment?

Yes, at penalty fare stations you are able to get a promise to pay from the machines, it's quite convoluted to get one unfortunately. On the screen it should give you a promise to pay option, press it and it will explain what one is and then give you the normal interface where you are able to choose which station you would want to go to.
Now because you are wanting a Wayfarer none of those stations really apply to you so click a random station it doesn't really matter which one, and then on the payment screen it will give you an option to get a promise to pay ticket.
Press that and one will print off.
Exchange that for your Wayfarer at the earliest opportunity, whether that is from the guard or from a gateline.
Note that this only applies to penalty fare areas, if where you are starting your journey is not in the Penalty Fare area and does not have a open ticket office, simply jump on the train and pay again at the earliest opportunity.
Sam

 

[Mathew S]

What is a promise to pay voucher/ticket, are these free?
Seems odd that you need to pay cash to the guard, I thought the train companies were trying to encourage pre-payment and electronic payment?

Most Northern ticket machines at smaller stations don't take cash payments. If there's no ticket office, that means customers who don't have a card are not able to buy a ticket. This is the case at some Penalty Fare stations.
Thus, customers who wish to pay in cash are required to get a Promise to Pay voucher from the ticket machine (for free) then exchange this, and the relevant fare in cash, for a ticket at the first opportunity. Usually this will be the guard on the train, but maybe at a ticket office at an intermediate station or their destination.
To get a Promise to Pay, you go through the purchase process from the machine, but choose Cash as the payment method; it will then issue the Promise to Pay voucher.

 

[Mathew S]

There is no obligation for the OP to pay cash to the guard.
He can pay by card or cash if he wishes.

I know he can, and you know he can, but for the sake of avoiding any disagreement with Northern about whether you can pay for a ticket with a card if you've got a Promise to Pay... I'd still be carrying the cash, personally.

 

[Puffing Devil]

If it's easier, you can buy the Wayfarer at Paypoint Shops on the day and up to 3 days before you travel.

 

[Springs Branch]

If it's easier, you can buy the Wayfarer at Paypoint Shops on the day and up to 3 days before you travel.

That's certainly true in theory, but the last time I tried to buy a GM Wayfarer at a Paypoint shop on the outskirts of Wigan, the operator had never heard of the ticket and could not find it on his console, despite spending a little time looking - causing a queue of grumpy morning customers behind me in the process.

f you'll be relying on getting the Wayfarer from a Paypoint location (I wanted to avoid paying a separate bus fare into Wigan town centre at the start of my day out), then it may be best to check that the retailer knows what it is, or whether the ticket has some code which you can quote to be entered into the Paypoint machine.

 

[PermitToTravel]

There's no code, they have to scroll through the menus to find it

 

[Llandudno]

Thanks for all your responses!
It seems odd in this digital age that:
TVMs can’t sell TfGM Wayfarers
No click and collect facility at station ticket machines
The Northern (or any other train operator app) does not sell Wayfarers
There isn’t a Paypoint Code for Wayfarers
TfGM don’t offer the facility to print at home
Sheffield Station won’t sell you one

I am sure there are more examples of sales prevention!

 

[Starmill]

You cna buy these tickets at some Virgin Trains ticket machines.

 

[Flying Snail]

Thanks for all your responses!
It seems odd in this digital age that:
TVMs can’t sell TfGM Wayfarers
No click and collect facility at station ticket machines
The Northern (or any other train operator app) does not sell Wayfarers
There isn’t a Paypoint Code for Wayfarers
TfGM don’t offer the facility to print at home
Sheffield Station won’t sell you one

I am sure there are more examples of sales prevention!

And all that is before you get to the issue of bus drivers refusing them because they are "rail tickets".

At least the old scratchcards could be pre-bought and dated on the day and were widely accepted.

None of this crap is progress.

As I have previously said there should be a national standard smartcard that can be used to store and validate all rail and multi-modal tickets with a requirement that all bus operators provide the machines to validate it alongside the concessionary passes.

 

[Puffing Devil]

The smartcard infrastructure you propose would be hugeley expensive, though I agree a national rail smartcard standard should be agreed.

The scratchcards limited the retail channels as they had a cash value and needed to be accounted for and protected in the same way.

In theory, a PayPoint ticket should make the availability of the product much wider. As you've found, there are issues both buying and using with operators unfamiliar with the product.

 

[Mathew S]

The smartcard infrastructure you propose would be hugeley expensive, though I agree a national rail smartcard standard should be agreed.

The scratchcards limited the retail channels as they had a cash value and needed to be accounted for and protected in the same way.

In theory, a PayPoint ticket should make the availability of the product much wider. As you've found, there are issues both buying and using with operators unfamiliar with the product.

The more I consider it, the more I think smart cards are redundant (even though they've yet to be introduced properly). NFC / contactless in bank cards and phones could surely eliminate the need for a separate, Oyster style, smartcard altogether.
But that's a discussion for another thread.