Crosscountry mobile tickets on SouthWest Trains

[Stargull]

I travelled Oxford - Winchester return yesterday; easy on the way out but by the time I came back there were no direct services so did the usual Winchester-Basingstoke-Reading-Oxford shuffle. To avoid queues at Oxford I'd bought a cross-country mobile ticket (valid for Any Permitted route). The inspector on the first train, a SWT service to Waterloo was very reluctant to accept it, arguing that I should have printed a ticket (impossible if the app gives you a mobile ticket) or that it was valid only on crosscountry. He eventually let me get away with it - but was he right?

 

[mikeg]

Depends on the routeing of the ticket. If it was for example 'any permitted' or a geographical restriction that you complied with it should be accepted no problem. If it specified cross-country only then no it was not valid. In absence of any route restriction the ticket should be assumed to be valid via any permitted route and indeed any company.

Unless it was an advance in which case you are tied to a specific train anyway, tickets are all routed any permitted on this flow and the ticket therefore needed to be accepted. Indeed the cross-country app will sell me a mobile ticket for the exact itinerary you described. I suggest writing to South West trains customer service and suggest that they give their staff appropriate training on m-tickets.

 

[Stargull]

It was indeed an 'any permitted' route. Since posting I found contradictory advice here: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/100261.aspx

That page says 'The fare, validity and terms and conditions of the ticket purchased remain the same as the equivalent paper ticket.' but then has a list of TOCs on which you can 'buy m-Tickets and travel on participating services' which implies that you can't travel on other companies' services.

 

[ainsworth74]

I must admit I was under the impression that XC only sold AP's for their services via m-ticket which would be booked train only.

I've done more research see my next post.

 

[ainsworth74]

I would say they were wrong to give you hassle and it should have just been accepted assuming it was an 'Any Permitted' ticket. The NRCoT state regarding e-tickets:

4.2 Some Tickets are held as an electronic record on a smartcard or electronic device, or may be transmitted to you for you to print out yourself. In such cases you will be advised of (and must comply with) the specific conditions applying to Tickets held in those formats.

So there can be specific extra conditions applied to those sorts of tickets. However, if we consult the XC website it states quite clearly (my bold):

We are now selling m-Tickets on the majority of Cross Country routes; in addition, you can use them on other train companies’ services.

So that seems fairly cut and dried to me!

 

[Wallsendmag]

Obviously it wasn't SWT yesterday There's a lot of work taking place to get universal acceptance, quite a few TOCs aren't accepting m-Tickets at the moment. I'm just updating VTEC flows to expand North, South(sort of) and East of the existing accepted area.

 

[yorkie]

...The inspector on the first train, a SWT service to Waterloo was very reluctant to accept it, arguing that I should have printed a ticket (impossible if the app gives you a mobile ticket) or that it was valid only on crosscountry....

SWR are contractually obliged to accept these fares; they can squabble with XC and the DfT if they want to, but they should not be giving customers grief.

He eventually let me get away with it - but was he right?

Nope, he was making it up and/or inadequately trained.

 

[Paul Kelly]

It seems CrossCountry are offering M-tickets on all "XC ONLY" advances and on walkup fares when they own the flow, but not on "XC &CONNECTIONS" advances, even when CrossCountry are the fare setter for a walkup flow between the same two stations. This seems a bit illogical - an example would be a journey from Basingstoke to Leamington Spa with Basingstoke - Reading on GWR and Reading - Leamington Spa on CrossCountry. CrossCountry will sell you a walkup fare as an M-ticket on this route, but if you want an advance you need to get a paper ticket!