Dorking Deepdene new ticket machines

[infobleep]

I see there are new ticket machines at Dorking Deepdene. Not sure how long they have been there.

For one of them on the side towards Redhill I passed the buy tickets button and it said Out of Service. Please go to the ticket office. Placed out of service by operator.

For those than don't know, Dorking Deepdene has no ticket office. Dorking Main though is a 5 minite walk away, longer if your not sure where you are going. That has a ticket office.

However I went past the new ticket machine on the Reading direction side, that ticket machine was working.

I can't remember if this is a penalty fare station off hand but I don't they were expecting someone to go to Dorking Main to collect a ticket. Irs probably a generic message for all machines everywhere.

A useful update would be for the machine to know multiple machines exist and to have an additional note about the other machine. Also another note about the guard as there is no ticket office.

Clearly if the machine wasn't connected to the network correctly then it might not know if the other machine is working. However at least referencing it might be good.

I've attached two photos. One of the faultly machine and one of the working one.

They do seem a good idea on the whole I thought. What do others think?

 

[Haywain]

It will be a generic message and changing it as you suggest would require customisation for each machine/station according to local circumstances. As that would be costly and complex I wouldn't expect it to happen.

 

[infobleep]

It will be a generic message and changing it as you suggest would require customisation for each machine/station according to local circumstances. As that would be costly and complex I wouldn't expect it to happen.

Surely it would be that costly would it? They must know where each machine is in order to maintain them so why not add to that list whether the station has a ticket office.

Then it's a case of does this machine is exits at a station with a ticket office? No then display this message. If it does display this message.

I have written such queries myself. I've written even more complex ones where you don't know what someone might put in before the query is run. So someone wnters train station name. Until enwtwees you don't know what they would put. In this case the information is known.

Although it may incorrect at times, National Rail Enquiries tells you if a station has a ticket office. That isn't seen as costly to do or if it is costly, it's still something they feel they should do.

 

[talldave]

TOCs can't even configure the ticket aspects of TVMs correctly so they're surely incapable of doing anything more advanced?

[For example, Southeastern configuring Gold Card discounts to be available from 9:31 instead of 9:30.]

A compromise would be for the generic message to refer to "another machine or ticket office".

My somewhat cynical theory is that TOC management swan around on free passes so never have to grapple with their own ticket purchasing nightmares.

 

[Haywain]

A compromise would be for the generic message to refer to "another machine or ticket office".

A much more sensible suggestion, and one that shouldn't incur much cost. Now for the will to do it, which is likely to be the will of both the TOC(s) and the supplier.

 

[swt_passenger]

Does it really need any detailed message at all? Wouldn’t most people check other machines as a matter of course? And then the ticket office if there was one?

 

[infobleep]

Does it really need any detailed message at all? Wouldn’t most people check other machines as a matter of course? And then the ticket office if there was one?

The other machine is the other side of the road bridge so you wouldn't see it. I didn't even know there was another machine. Its not obvious as you can't see it without going passed it.