Thanks for the suggestion. However, I decided to write back without the desire to invoke the services of any third parties. The ball is in their court. The nature of the dispute is somewhat unique as I'm a passenger type that perhaps the industry hasn't encountered in any degree of volume until now. You have those who buy their cheapest and simplest appropriate ticket for their journey, you have your fare evaders, then you have me - someone who pays the cheapest permissible fare identified, regardless of the level of complexity.
With respect to compensation - I have spent an inordinate amount of my time dealing with the aftermath of the actions of staff who believe I'm wrong - and also had to bite my lip whilst enduring some shocking levels of customer service. It is the case that all notices I've had have been cancelled and/or refunded as appropriate, but that's not what this is about. Whilst I do seek to recoup my administrative costs, I'm more interested in seeing improvements that will lead to a better experience for staff and passengers alike than seeking recompense for damages.
Things have calmed down significantly on the trains and I have people to thank for that - namely the person at EMT who has believed in me and taken the time to thoroughly investigate what it is I'm doing, rather than being dismissive. Then there are those with the knowledge at ATOC who I have been led to believe have provided EMT with sound advice on my ticketing arrangements. Since January, quite a few staff have recognised my name as it's usually printed on the ticket and also on my railcard. Last week, I came across a TM who I'd seen before. I said hi and we got talking for quite some time. I hadn't told her my name on the previous occasion as she gave me the benefit of the doubt, but apparently I am famous among the traincrew at her depot and there are mixed views on what I do. From my perspective, I treat all of them the equally in terms of willingly explaining why my tickets are valid. The reactions vary, which is something I have no control over. If they have a misconception over the rules and wish to penalise me on that basis, all there is for me to do is put across my point of view and hope they listen! It's not about being a knowitall or smoke screening fare evasion as some appear to believe.
Re: payment methods. I've cashed the Traveller's Cheque and will get rid of the £2.30 Postal Order when I can. I do still have National Transport Tokens and Rail Travel Vouchers in my inventory.
I've been on both sides of the fence with regards to revenue protection and it was somewhat surreal to be appealing several PFN/UFNs issued against me when I've been registered as RP staff with both IRCAS and the RPSS! Still, the experience allows me to empathise with both staff and passengers who are involved in ticketing disputes. In the short term, I would like to see a move towards encouraging the use of the TIR instead of the UFN in cases where there is a dispute over validity. This allows the TOC to investigate and follow up the matter as appropriate. It also relieves pressure on those support services so they can deal with actual fare evasion cases. In the longer term, I would like to see a help desk type function implemented, so train crew who no longer have paper manuals have access to an expert with the ability to determine validity quickly, with the TIR being the backup option. Such a person could hold various other responsibilities to earn their salary. I genuinely believe there are more efficient ways of dealing with ticketing disputes and let's face it, perhaps more mind should be paid to the category of passenger that I fall into, what with the media coverage rail fares and split ticketing are getting.
There was a minor hiccup the other day when using the outward portion of an Orrell Park to Rugeley Trent Valley "Online Only SVR" to get to London. It was printed out on the 6th February (before the closure of the London loophole.) As such, there was a ToD reference and my name on the ticket. The TM claimed she had never seen such a ticket before and asked where Orrell Park was. When I told her I thought it was between Walton and Maghull, she took the ticket and disappeared, without issuing any paperwork or indicating what was going to happen next - I never saw her again and consequently, had problems at the gateline at St Pancras. Not wishing to go on a wild goose chase looking for supervisors and the TM, I phoned up the HQ to request assistance getting through the barriers. It was sorted promptly so I'm not going to bother complaining about that. That said, I will feed back as I would like to see correct procedures being followed where it comes to withdrawing tickets, as it saves problems for the passenger and other staff down the line who then have to deal with the problem.
With respect to the ticketing front - ATOC and EMT collaboratively have come close to shutting down all of my existing arrangements. A few of them were annihilated with the recent removal of the West Hampstead doubleback easement and EMT's decision to get rid of many Not Via London routed fares. I understand Rugby to Derby via Bedford will be invalidated in due course so enjoy it whilst you can. I'm yet to buy a through flexible ticket for the actual journey I make between St Pancras and the East Midlands. To be honest, I don't envisage this happening for the remaining time I have commuting between the two places. A change in circumstances means I will soon be looking for new tickets to buy.
The less said about the Rugeley to Wigan fare, the better! This was flagged up for various reasons - the price of the tickets, my somewhat haphazard decision to use Bootle Stations instead of other shacks and one RPI's determination to pin something on me. In all fairness, unless you're familiar with the concept of bizarre routes being permitted by the NRG, you're not giving to give someone using a Rugeley to Wigan ticket between London and Sheffield the time of day, so kudos to EMT for having this investigated. I just wish I was a fly on the wall at the moment it was confirmed to them that I was right to use those tickets. I doubt I'll find tickets as cheap as those for my commute - £14.25 for an Off Peak Return by any train after 09:00 was a bargain.
Some of you may have noticed that I've removed my custom user title. I should also remark that I will cease blogging about certain aspects of my travel experiences but I thank those that have been following for their interest!
. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the gateline assistant was promptly told to open the gate and let me through without further delay.
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