CrossCountry explorer £10 ticket

[hughesfowler]

Afternoon all, I have just been given a question I do not know the answer to and wondered if anyone else has heard of the above.

The next text I really hate typing but a friend of a friend has just asked me to converse with a chap on train who apparently had one of the above. The guard has confiscated the ticket and given two zero fares tickets for completing the journey today and returning tomorrow , and apparently "taken some details and completed some forms."

From what little I think I know the above ticket is a x country family and friends ticket ?

Could anyone advise about this ticket .

Sorry to be so vague but its all I know about the incident.

 

[yorkie]

Never heard of it.

Can the friend of friend reveal anything about the ticket?

 

[156441]

It's a family and friends ticket for Cross country staff to give friends. Northern do a similar scheme for a fiver.

Not sure why the guard would confiscate though.

 

[hughesfowler]

It's a family and friends ticket for Cross country staff to give friends. Northern do a similar scheme for a fiver.

Not sure why the guard would confiscate though.

Unless he thought something was amiss and the traveller was not entitled to that ticket. If that was the case is the guard entitled to withdraw the ticket whilst investigations can be made.

 

[IanXC]

Never heard of it.

Can the friend of friend reveal anything about the ticket?

It exists in BR Fares, origin XCO, destination XCD.

I suppose a key question is, were the passengers on an XC service at the time?

 

[hughesfowler]

Yes they were on xc train at the time. Ticket was bought from an avantix machine from a conductor, not a xc conductor.

 

[island]

It exists in BR Fares, origin XCO, destination XCD.

Not for me it doesn't.

 

[34D]

Yes they were on xc train at the time. Ticket was bought from an avantix machine from a conductor, not a xc conductor.

Sounds like someone gave a guard some codes and said please issue this.

 

[bb21]

Not for me it doesn't.

I think Ian meant "XC O" and "XC D", which are the first parts of the pseudo-location.

The codes are QXO and QXD. Ticket detail here.

 

[GadgetMan]

Yes they were on xc train at the time. Ticket was bought from an avantix machine from a conductor, not a xc conductor.

Then they are in trouble as those tickets have to be purchased through a staff website by inputting pay numbers and individual seriel numbers. Someones been naughty and the Guard has rumbled them.

 

[bb21]

You'd think that they would realize that they would get caught since Avantix uses obviously different stock. :roll:

 

[Simon11]

You'd think that they would realize that they would get caught since Avantix uses obviously different stock. :roll:

This is known about in HQ, but any guard which decides to purchase/sell this product on an avantix will be easily found out!

 

[Paul Kelly]

XC Origin is a strange place. It has one daily train to XC Destination, conveniently timed to depart at 0930 to avoid the weekday Off-Peak restriction on the XC Explorer ticket!

 

[CyrusWuff]

XC Origin is a strange place. It has one daily train to XC Destination, conveniently timed to depart at 0930 to avoid the weekday Off-Peak restriction on the XC Explorer ticket!

A very slow train too...It takes 14 hours 29 minutes to get to XC Destination!

 

[RJ]

I know about that ticket. I can't issue it on the TiS I use, QXO to QXD draws a blank.

People like trying to be clever - I've had people come to my window trying to get me to sell a Nothern Rover and Great Escapes. Err, where are your tokens and why are you not buying them from an approved ticket office? I applaud ingenuity and legal loopholes, but not fraudulent behaviour that could get unwitting staff into trouble.

That said, ticket sellers are unlikely to be disciplined for issuing tickets like this - unless it can be proven that they were willingly selling them in full knowledge that they shouldn't have.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

Sorry to come to this so late, . . . .

. . . . . is the guard entitled to withdraw the ticket whilst investigations can be made.

Yes. An inspector or any other officer of the railways is entitled to withdraw a ticket where any irregularity is suspected (the ticket might be helpful in clarifying the circumstances).
A receipt would normally be offered to the passenger, such as a Travel Irregularity Report (TIR).

 

[185]

Was a regular occurrence at TPE with the FG Family & Friends £5 ticket.

Had the police to a few. In one instance, passenger holding the ticket admitted buying it off a bus driver for £10.

 

[156441]

Quick check. Smile. Walk on.

Clearly they have friends on the railway so why not!!

 

[maniacmartin]

It would be better if the restriction restriction text for this ticket, or for the XCT type said that it could not be issued through the normal channels. Some other fares, such as Oyster fares, are marked as such.

Does the database have a field indicating whether the ticket is available for public sale? If not, it should have.

I'm surprised the issuing guard didn't fathom that something was amiss. £10 from any XC Origin to any XC Destination sounds too good to be true!

 

[Anvil1984]

Quick check. Smile. Walk on.

Clearly they have friends on the railway so why not!!

I disagree. The terms and conditions for these schemes are quite clear on how they must be bought etc and if fraudulent travel creeps in then there's a risk these schemes could be discontinued, minority ruining it for the majority again. And how do you know they have friends on the railway? Theres plenty of ways of finding out about these tickets

 

[RJ]

Was a regular occurrence at TPE with the FG Family & Friends £5 ticket.

Had the police to a few. In one instance, passenger holding the ticket admitted buying it off a bus driver for £10.

What is wrong with people? The website clearly states "The travel offers would not be possible without the co-operation of our UK Rail and UK Bus operating companies and colleagues. Please show them due courtesy by using these travel offers properly and not seeking additional privileges."

I don't understand people who choose to take those kind of risks.

 

[Flamingo]

Quick check. Smile. Walk on.

Clearly they have friends on the railway so why not!!

You have obviously never worked a train to or from a football match full of £5 tickets and when asked who is the staff member they say "I'm a friend of ... Who told us to sit in first class and tell the guard you know me" between football chants and throwing opened beer-cans at each other.

I use these discounted tickets frequently with friends, I have seen the entitlement shrink and T&C tightened over the years because of abuse of the privilege. Why should I allow the people who have caused this to get away with it?

 

[bb21]

Quick check. Smile. Walk on.

Clearly they have friends on the railway so why not!!

... or they could have tricked an unsuspecting guard into issuing the ticket given that it is sold from an Avantix.

 

[PermitToTravel]

It would be better if the restriction restriction text for this ticket, or for the XCT type said that it could not be issued through the normal channels. Some other fares, such as Oyster fares, are marked as such.

Does the database have a field indicating whether the ticket is available for public sale? If not, it should have.

I'm surprised the issuing guard didn't fathom that something was amiss. £10 from any XC Origin to any XC Destination sounds too good to be true!

Listing it in the restriction code wouldn't help, as Avantix machines will not show this during the normal work flow of selling a ticket (I don't actually know whether they can show them at all)

 

[CockneySparrow]

I disagree. The terms and conditions for these schemes are quite clear on how they must be bought etc and if fraudulent travel creeps in then there's a risk these schemes could be discontinued, minority ruining it for the majority again. And how do you know they have friends on the railway? Theres plenty of ways of finding out about these tickets

Yes indeed as I have just found out about it reading this thread