Caledonian Sleeper now only providing e-tickets if you book direct through their website

[Mainline421]

Just a heads up, contrary to their T&Cs, 'Guest Charter' and Delivery page Caledonain Sleeper are now only offering etickets when you book direct. No option is given during the booking process and afterwards you're just emailed an eticket. Called them today and they said they no longer offer collection at station but they did (reluctantly) agree to post my tickets (though I suspect they may just post an eticket). Ticket offices still do real tickets of course and some WebTIS sites can book seats to Inverness and Aberdeen. Not the biggest issue in the world admittedly but still rather inconvenient, especially as every time I've used the sleeper my phone has ran out of charge.

 

[reb0118]

Could you not print off a hard copy as a fall back?

 

[Wallsendmag]

A sign of things to come.

 

[Joe Paxton]

A sign of things to come.

I wonder if any online retailer continue to offer TOD collection when e-tickets are an option for that flow...?

If they do then I guess it might come at a cost.

(Like others, I'm wary of relying on my mobile to show a ticket... and I'm sure almost everyone will be familiar with the joy of a fight with a printer, which normally happens at the most opportune moments!)

 

[Bletchleyite]

(Like others, I'm wary of relying on my mobile to show a ticket... and I'm sure almost everyone will be familiar with the joy of a fight with a printer, which normally happens at the most opportune moments!)

I'd agree with such wariness with an app (m-tickets are a terrible idea), but e-tickets are just a PDF with not an awful lot to go wrong, and you can always print it out if you want, as well as, if you're really stuck, asking to borrow a device from someone else and logging into your e-mail account to retrieve it. Perhaps guards should allow this with their own company phones (assuming they have them) in extremis.

 

[gray1404]

This is yet another move my CS to be anti customer and charge like they are running a travelling 5 star hotel yet in reality deliver a third class service. If Serco really wanted to offer such a service then they should have applied as an open access operator and left someone else to run the franchise operation they clearly forget they are obliged to run.

My personal view is that electronic tickets should be issued as PDF's as there are too many complications with apps and the requirement to activate tickets. These can be shown on any device or a print off (the customer chooses) The handheld scanning device for the QR code (or unique number in the event it won't scan) showing previous scans in an attempt to identify any misuse. I would also hold the view that once issued with such a ticket it should also be possible for it to be printed either at a booking office or TVM if a customer is worried they won't have enough battery on their device/hasn't been able to print the PDF off.

 

[Bletchleyite]

My personal view is that electronic tickets should be issued as PDF's as there are too many complications with apps and the requirement to activate tickets.

Is that not what they are doing? E-tickets are PDFs (unless you're GWR for some stupid reason) and do not require activation (even if you are GWR[1]).

M-tickets cannot go away soon enough.

[1] A quirk of this is that if you buy a ticket on LNR's app it appears in the app as an M-ticket and you get e-mailed an E-ticket PDF, you can use either or both as you wish as it's the same barcode.

 

[Journeyman]

I bought one yesterday. It's a PDF attachment to an email. No special kit required, no app required, it will display on practically any device, even something very old and basic, and they state when booking that printouts can be used.

Don't see any problem here, to be honest.

I'm tempted to use my e-reader to display it, which has battery life you can measure in months rather than hours.

 

[Bletchleyite]

That's the whole point of an e-ticket - you can display it on literally anything you like provided the barcode can be scanned. (Though I wouldn't fancy manhandling a laptop onto a ticket barrier scanner )

 

[alistairlees]

To clarify: all Cal Sleeper tickets come in two eTicket forms.

The first is the PDF, as mentioned previously, which can either be printed or displayed on your phone or tablet (or any other device that can display PDFs). Being a PDF this is operating system agnostic, and will work equally well on iOS, Android or Windows, for instance.

The second is a pkpass file. This is an Apple format, and is what is used for tickets / passes etc placed in “Wallet”, formerly “Apple Wallet”. It’s a handy place to keep these sorts of thing, if you like that (I find it easy to use for both rail and air tickets, amongst other things). Pkpass can’t be displayed on Android unless you download an app to display it.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Bangs head against wall

 

[Hadders]

I used a Cross Country eticket a couple of weeks ago as they were running a 20% off promotion.

Simple to use, ticket was attached in PDF format to the confirmation email. I choose to store the ticket in the 'wallet' of my phone but I could've printed a copy of the PDF or just opened the PDF directly from the email attachment on my phone. No apps or activation required.

It really is simple and nothing to worry about.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Bangs head against wall

Why? One assumes they supply both on the same email and you just choose which one you want.

 

[xotGD]

It is unacceptable that the railway industry is not obliged to provide a means to issue hard copy tickets to passengers.

This is the sort of nonsense we expect from the likes of Ryanair, not our railway.

If your only device is a desktop computer and you don't have a printer how are you supposed to take your ticket with you?

And relying on a phone not to crash or run out of charge is fraught with risk.

 

[Journeyman]

Why? One assumes they supply both on the same email and you just choose which one you want.

Yep. Supplied as two attachments, with instructions.

 

[Bletchleyite]

If your only device is a desktop computer and you don't have a printer how are you supposed to take your ticket with you?

On your phone. I doubt there are that many people who have a desktop computer AND have no printer AND don't have a mobile phone AND travel on the Sleeper AND don't know anyone with a printer.

Having a computer without a printer (or not even having a PC and just doing everything on your phone and tablet) is a millennial thing. There basically aren't any millennials who don't have a smartphone.

Having no smartphone is generally an older person thing. Older people tend to still like to write "print" letters so almost certainly have a printer to go with their traditional desktop PC to print them out.

And if they don't have Internet access, they aren't going to be purchasing tickets from a website, so that's out too!

And relying on a phone not to crash or run out of charge is fraught with risk.

Get a battery pack, they're about 20 quid and will ensure you do not run out of battery (most around that sort of price point can charge a typical smartphone fully about 3 times). And we aren't talking complex apps, we're talking PDFs. If your phone routinely crashes displaying PDFs, you probably need a new one as it's faulty.

That said, I do think it would be good if TVMs could, on entry of some details, reprint e-tickets to avoid this issue. I think there are operators worldwide who do that.

 

[Journeyman]

It is unacceptable that the railway industry is not obliged to provide a means to issue hard copy tickets to passengers.

This is the sort of nonsense we expect from the likes of Ryanair, not our railway.

If your only device is a desktop computer and you don't have a printer how are you supposed to take your ticket with you?

And relying on a phone not to crash or run out of charge is fraught with risk.

Oh, come on. I've long resisted electronic ticketing, but access to printers is available in libraries, hotels, cafes and offices all over the place, and this is app-free, device-independent and very straightforward.

Smartphone usage has gone through the roof recently. As I mentioned earlier, PDFs can also be displayed on tablets and ereaders, and that covers a huge number of people. As for printing - I've regularly needed things printed away from home. It's never taken me more than a few minutes to find somewhere that will do it. Quite apart from anything else, loads of people have access to printers at work.

The Sleeper requires a compulsory reservation and you'll need to show your ticket once. It's akin to the way airlines work, and there's no problem there.

 

[Royston Vasey]

Every continental intercity train journey I've taken for quite some time I've had a pdf to print (France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Eurostar...) Works well as they're easier to handle, can be reprinted or shown on screen if lost. I've no issue with this.

 

[Journeyman]

Every continental intercity train journey I've taken for quite some time I've had a pdf to print (France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Eurostar...) Works well as they're easier to handle, can be reprinted or shown on screen if lost. I've no issue with this.

I'd say printing or displaying a PDF requires little more than the fundamental basics in terms of skills or equipment - it's really simple stuff, and even a very old phone or computer can handle the format. Sleepers are almost always booked some time in advance, and getting documents printed really isn't hard, even if you don't have your own printer. If you have the skills and resources to make an online booking in the first place, this is extremely unlikely to cause you any problems.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I'd say printing or displaying a PDF requires little more than the fundamental basics in terms of skills or equipment - it's really simple stuff, and even a very old phone or computer can handle the format. Sleepers are almost always booked some time in advance, and getting documents printed really isn't hard, even if you don't have your own printer. If you have the skills and resources to make an online booking in the first place, this is extremely unlikely to cause you any problems.

And if you really can't use a PDF, you can book via telesales or at a station.

 

[Journeyman]

And if you really can't use a PDF, you can book via telesales or at a station.

Yup - the small number of people likely to struggle with e-ticketing would probably not attempt to book online in the first place.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Yup - the small number of people likely to struggle with e-ticketing would probably not attempt to book online in the first place.

Agreed.

I was opposed to the likes of XC trying to force people into using m-ticketing as this was a flawed and seriously faulty system which I generally refuse to use. However e-ticketing is a good solution and TBH I suspect the way forward on most sales sites will be that will be the only option offered, or at least the ToD fee will be passed on if you choose that.

 

[Journeyman]

Agreed.

I was opposed to the likes of XC trying to force people into using m-ticketing as this was a flawed and seriously faulty system which I generally refuse to use. However e-ticketing is a good solution and TBH I suspect the way forward on most sales sites will be that will be the only option offered, or at least the ToD fee will be passed on if you choose that.

Agreed - if this required use of a smartphone and app, it would be a serious problem for plenty of people, but it uses just about the simplest, cross-platform method you'll find anywhere. There really aren't any significant barriers.

 

[father_jack]

Yup - the small number of people likely to struggle with e-ticketing would probably not attempt to book online in the first place.

I'd never agree entirely with that because for the last 15 years or so those type of people have had booking clerks at stations (whether busy or not ) to sort their online (mostly Trainline) fiascos out.....
Until now....

 

[gray1404]

This thread appears to have now gone in the direction of ticket fulfillment options in general, and not limited only to the sleeper.

I think that the TOD option should remain free of charge to passengers booking online. There is a cost involved in printing a PDF and not everyone has access to a printer before travelling. If one chooses not to print their ticket but then has to show it on a device which then requires battery throughout the journey. At present the customer can book online and print their ticket before travel and it should stay that way free of charge.

The actual costs involved in printing a ticket on ticketing stock are in real terms no more then it costs to print it at a booking office, or are we suggesting that a ticket printing fee should be added to the cost when buying in person too? After all you could give you email address in at the booking office or enter it into the ticket machine and be emailed a PDF. The fact that the railway industry has become some fragmented and retailers being charged by the TOC whose TVM prints it is an internal rail industry matter and should not be of any concern to the passenger.

Choice is the key here. For those happy and able to print or be confidant of a device with battery for the entire journey, but those who want a traditional ticket should continue to be able to have such. Passengers should not be getting charged extra for having a ticket printed at a station just because it might suit the profits of the retailer.

 

[father_jack]

Oh, come on. I've long resisted electronic ticketing, but access to printers is available in libraries, hotels, cafes and offices all .

Snipped.....
Library, yeah right find one. Hotel, maybe if you're an inmate. Cafe, erm ? Office, ok to use your boss's paper.

Real thing is 2000 at night, well look at the above options....

 

[Bletchleyite]

Real thing is 2000 at night, well look at the above options....

This forum loves playing in niches. How many people are booking for the Caledonian Sleeper at 8pm on the night of travel who aren't just going to chance their arm and turn up at the station? I'd venture almost nobody - it's typically booked well in advance like a flight, because it fills up like a flight.

I've done a walkup on the Night Riviera, but that's only because reservations are not compulsory in the seats due to significant overcapacity (the reason for that being that the seats are used as a busy local commuter train once it gets to the Westcountry).

 

[Wallsendmag]

DfT policy - ITSO for seasons and Barcode (e-Ticket/ PRT) for everything else.

 

[AlterEgo]

Every continental intercity train journey I've taken for quite some time I've had a pdf to print (France, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Eurostar...) Works well as they're easier to handle, can be reprinted or shown on screen if lost. I've no issue with this.

There’s no point in trying to discuss progress here. I could point out dozens of sleeper trains I’ve been on which don’t offer paper ticketing but it wouldn’t serve any purpose.

 

[Chrism20]

The last twice I’ve used the sleeper I didn’t even need the ticket. Once I had a printout of the booking confirmation and the second time I showed the confirmation on my phone.

They already have your name etc and generally they have used this. Not sure if they check the physical tickets in the seats as the one and only time I’ve used the seats I ended up on a bus.