Every Tube ticket office to close

[RJ]

They did in 2007 on the plans to close 40.
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You could visit West Hampstead(LU) ,Finchley Road, Lambeth North or Elephant & Castle's ticket office. Check opening hours before you go of course!

You can't add a railcard discount to an oyster online.

I went to West Hampstead LU and the member of staff in the booking hall couldn't help. Thanks for the alternative suggestions - seems like it will be a wild goose chase. It would be nice if we had the option to do it online given the very hit and miss staffing at stations.
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Oyster Ticket Stops can load Railcard discounts to Oyster cards, in theory.

Is this definitely the case? The ones I've been to say they can't do it.

 

[infobleep]

Oyster Ticket Stops can load Railcard discounts to Oyster cards, in theory.

I did not know that. That's really handy. I will use that when I'm next in London and I require such a thing.

 

[bluegoblin7]

Not from the MASSIVE queues I saw at Victoria LU the other day. It was like the bad old days at Heathrow. A wonderful welcome to the capital. What planet are you guys on?

My comments refer only to King's Cross St. Pancras as I have first-hand knowledge of that location. I assumed this would be clear from comments further up the thread; apologies if this was not the case.
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Please don't forget that not all staff support the changes and decisions being made. Just because staff try their hardest and muddle through with the tools they have been given, doesn't mean they're happy with it. Some are though; just trying to highlight that it's not all smelling of roses staff side.

+1 to this. My previous comments aren't intended to paint an "all is rosy" picture but rather to challenge the views of the initial poster that KXX wasn't coping.

I think that this post sums up the general viewpoint, though, and I feel no need to comment on this thread further.

 

[TEW]

Was the Oyster registered? Because the Railcard can't be added unless the registration flag is set. This can be set on the machines as well as at the booking office.

The card was registered. The staff seemed to know how to set the railcard discount on the machine, but the machine simply refused to do it.

 

[island]

Is this definitely the case? The ones I've been to say they can't do it.

Yes. See page 14 of https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/requ...3/6359 Agent Manual 2nd January 2010.doc.html (the Oyster Ticket Stop agent manual).

However, this all presupposes the agent knows or can be arsed to look up how to do it on their terminal. In practice, they don't know how to do anything besides sell Oyster PAYG credit and Travelcards.

 

[jon0844]

I went to Stratford to add a rail voucher onto an oyster. The office has already shut. long queues at the machines with staff failing to help many people quickly. And of course I was unable to add my voucher to the oyster.

The queues for the NR ticket offices were crazily long - it seemed some were mistakingly going there thinking it was also a tube office.

I always thought the set up rather odd at Stratford, in that you have the windows looking the same, and the signs above being the same, so people presumably had to queue up to be told they were in the wrong queue.

How annoyed would you be if you wasted all your time in the wrong queue because, well, how could you know?

(This is on the Westfield exit side, and I can't remember how things are set up on the other side).

I assume the AGA window now gets ALL the LUL enquiries.

 

[hassaanhc]

I always thought the set up rather odd at Stratford, in that you have the windows looking the same, and the signs above being the same, so people presumably had to queue up to be told they were in the wrong queue.

How annoyed would you be if you wasted all your time in the wrong queue because, well, how could you know?

(This is on the Westfield exit side, and I can't remember how things are set up on the other side).

I assume the AGA window now gets ALL the LUL enquiries.

All there is is a window sticker with the relevant logos (LUL, DLR, LO roundels plus the National Rail sign on one of them).

 

[Be3G]

Yes. See page 14 of https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/requ...3/6359 Agent Manual 2nd January 2010.doc.html (the Oyster Ticket Stop agent manual).

However, this all presupposes the agent knows or can be arsed to look up how to do it on their terminal. In practice, they don't know how to do anything besides sell Oyster PAYG credit and Travelcards.

This doesn't work with online-issued 16–25 railcards (and I assume others as well), unless there's been a software update for the ticket stop Oyster machines since I last attempted it. The problem is that the railcard number is a long string containing letters rather than just a five-digit number as printed on traditional railcards.

 

[PermitToTravel]

Tube stations tend just to write their own station's NLC in that field; it certainly doesn't need to actually contain the railcard number.

 

[a729]

I am assuming that when your pictures were taken the VC was not yet open; it has helped a lot with many queries, particularly when the TfL Ambassadors are outside.

I believe the pictures sourced from the Every Job matter site were taken before the VIC.

We do regularly direct customers to the North & Tube ticket halls if they cannot complete their transactions on the POMs, or if it would be quicker for them to do so during times of demand (a mixture of radio communication and experience).

The obvious question is what happens when those 2 ticket offices are gone?! The VIC certainly couldn't cope with the combined demand of 3 ticket offices. Especially as it's opening hours aren't as long as the Western ticket hall was.

A very insignificant number of people purchase tram & bus tickets erroneously.

It would be interesting to hear whether the SAMF/CSAMF who have to go through the laborious process of refunding them using the TOM in the closed Western side would agree with the number being called 'insignificant'!

I am not prepared to go into further detail on an open forum (For what I hope are obvious reasons), however if anyone would like further detail please PM me and I will see what I can sort out. If, as I think, you're a member of LU staff, you'd be more than welcome to come along to KXX during one of my meal breaks and I'm happy to go through it in further detail still.

I am still intrigued though as to why you're singling out KXX when there are examples of much smaller stations that I've come across that aren't coping with the changes happening across the Combine. As I said in my initial post - yes, there are teething problems, but no, it is not (quite) chaos (yet!). It is to be expected when there are such wholesale changes taking place, after all.

Don't take it personally! KGX station had (probably still had!) the highest total volume of ticket office transactions of any station on the Underground. So one would expect the problems caused by the closures to be most evident there when the last 2 TOs close. The queues at the remaining 2 are worse than those at Victoria at times!

If you mean Camden Town I'm not surprised as they only have 1 or 2 MFMs!
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I always thought the set up rather odd at Stratford, in that you have the windows looking the same, and the signs above being the same, so people presumably had to queue up to be told they were in the wrong queue.

How annoyed would you be if you wasted all your time in the wrong queue because, well, how could you know?

(This is on the Westfield exit side, and I can't remember how things are set up on the other side).

I assume the AGA window now gets ALL the LUL enquiries.

Especially as there is only one MFM that accepts notes on the main bus station entrance!
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We're coping pretty well
..... teething problems.

Not from the MASSIVE queues I saw at Victoria LU the other day. It was like the bad old days at Heathrow. A wonderful welcome to the capital. What planet are you guys on?

One without ticket offices!

Yes I do understand that systems without ticket office staff can work perfectly well, I live in Paris most of the time. But they have simpler systems and much simpler ticketing.

Meanwhile Tfl must be laughing all the way to the bank with the number of overcharged Oyster PAYG customers just giving up when they can't get it sorted out at the station.

I imagine yet another Evening Standard article about the amount TfL raises in maximum journey fares is coming soon!
A serious problem with telling people to phone the helpline is a) the wait time for the helpline , b) the cost of phoning it ,especially if you're a tourist with a non-UK mobile and c) if your English simply isn't very good!

I went to West Hampstead LU and the member of staff in the booking hall couldn't help. Thanks for the alternative suggestions - seems like it will be a wild goose chase. It would be nice if we had the option to do it online given the very hit and miss staffing at stations.

The ticket office should be open 1015-1345 and 1500-1640 on Saturday's (unless there's a staff shortage!)

 

[island]

I've given up on the unhelpline. In the rare event I have an issue I just fill in the web form on the TfL website and it gets sorted within a few days.

 

[a729]

I did not know that. That's really handy. I will use that when I'm next in London and I require such a thing.

I wouldn't rely on it though as you're rather likely to get a puzzled look if you ask to top up your oyster and add a railcard discount at a newsagent!

 

[bicbasher]

I went to Stratford to add a rail voucher onto an oyster. The office has already shut. long queues at the machines with staff failing to help many people quickly. And of course I was unable to add my voucher to the oyster.

The queues for the NR ticket offices were crazily long - it seemed some were mistakingly going there thinking it was also a tube office.

It seemed a mess all round and I couldn't do what I needed to do. This blanket policy is wrong - it may work in 75% of places but almost everywhere?

The AGA ticket office at Stratford has had a big sign about it's Oyster sales for ages. As I suspected, as soon as the NR ticket office closed, they'd go there instead.

If the rail voucher was a NR one, the AGA (soon to be MTR Crossrail) ticket office can put that on Oyster.

 

[RJ]

Yes. See page 14 of https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/requ...3/6359 Agent Manual 2nd January 2010.doc.html (the Oyster Ticket Stop agent manual).

However, this all presupposes the agent knows or can be arsed to look up how to do it on their terminal. In practice, they don't know how to do anything besides sell Oyster PAYG credit and Travelcards.

Thanks for that, my local newsagent didn't have the foggiest when I asked today. I didn't have the time to convince him otherwise.

Glad to report I had it done at Vauxhall on my way to St Pancras - the member of staff on the gateline was able to assist. My railcard expires on the 26th May 2016 - the system said this was an invalid date, so I asked for the 24th May 2016 to be put in instead, which worked. If the limitation is exactly one year, this would affect holders of 3 or 4 year railcards. Once the ticket offices go, is it policy that discounts have to be reloaded each year or is it something that will be changed?

I'd already used three buses and did Denmark Hill to Wandsworth Road on the Overground which totalled £4.80. Slightly disappointed I didn't get an automatic refund down to £4.25 (Zone 1-2 railcard cap) after having the discount loaded, but I suppose I can't have it all

 

[hassaanhc]

Thanks for that, my local newsagent didn't have the foggiest when I asked today. I didn't have the time to convince him otherwise.

Glad to report I had it done at Vauxhall on my way to St Pancras - I asked the member of staff on the gateline to assist. My railcard expires on the 26th May 2016 - the system said this was an invalid date, so I asked for the 24th May 2016 to be put in instead, which worked. If the limitation is exactly one year, presumably holders of 3 or 4 year railcards are required to have it redone each year? This wasn't the case with the ticket office.

I'm sure my Oyster card had the full 3 year railcard validity added to it at North Greenwich in November 2013. I've certainly not had to go and get it redone at any point.

 

[Be3G]

I'd already used three buses and did Denmark Hill to Wandsworth Road on the Overground which totalled £4.80. Slightly disappointed I didn't get an automatic refund down to £4.25 (Zone 1-2 railcard cap) after having the discount loaded, but I suppose I can't have it all

Unfortunately Oyster cards never, under any circumstances, reduce fares that've already been charged. One side effect of this is that, in certain situations, the cost of a journey can actually be higher than as given on the single fare finder!

 

[RJ]

I'm sure my Oyster card had the full 3 year railcard validity added to it at North Greenwich in November 2013. I've certainly not had to go and get it redone at any point.

Yes, it's fine at ticket offices - it's the self service machines that have the apparent one year limitation.

 

[hassaanhc]

Unfortunately Oyster cards never, under any circumstances, reduce fares that've already been charged. One side effect of this is that, in certain situations, the cost of a journey can actually be higher than as given on the single fare finder!

Also annoying when you've made a PAYG journey to a station to buy a travelcard for it .

Yes, it's fine at ticket offices - it's the self service machines that have the apparent one year limitation.

Oops, missed that bit in the previous post! Still, yet another retrograde step.

 

[bicbasher]

Considering only a few stations will have some form of ticket office service, such as Kings Cross, will it only be those stations who'll be able to add the full validity of a railcard to an Oyster card?

 

[JaJaWa]

Considering only a few stations will have some form of ticket office service, such as Kings Cross, will it only be those stations who'll be able to add the full validity of a railcard to an Oyster card?

It's probably an oversight by TfL that the machines can only add 1 year.

 

[infobleep]

I wouldn't rely on it though as you're rather likely to get a puzzled look if you ask to top up your oyster and add a railcard discount at a newsagent!

What is the point of creating a service which in practice can't be used?

 

[ModernRailways]

What is the point of creating a service which in practice can't be used?

It can be used. Most ticket agents won't care for it though because it's unlikely that they make any money from it. Most will just know how to top up or issue an Oyster and not bother wanting to do anything other than that.

For those agents that do utilise it though it's a useful thing to have, and maybe in a few years will be more commonly available from agents.

 

[bicbasher]

Out of the Oyster Ticket Stops in my area that I've tried to get a TfL Bus and Tram Photocard added, only ONE will offer to add it to the card, on condition that I purchase either a bus pass or PAYG.

Otherwise I use a tube station ticket office (where I've had some issues with at some stations) or a Travel Information Centre, the latter are excellent at Victoria.

 

[bluegoblin7]

It's probably an oversight by TfL that the machines can only add 1 year.

A software drop is due that will correct this issue.

 

[JaJaWa]

Out of the Oyster Ticket Stops in my area that I've tried to get a TfL Bus and Tram Photocard added, only ONE will offer to add it to the card, on condition that I purchase either a bus pass or PAYG.

I'd tweet https://twitter.com/tflwaystopay or phone the Oyster helpline to report this.

 

[infobleep]

It can be used. Most ticket agents won't care for it though because it's unlikely that they make any money from it. Most will just know how to top up or issue an Oyster and not bother wanting to do anything other than that.

For those agents that do utilise it though it's a useful thing to have, and maybe in a few years will be more commonly available from agents.

Perhaps TFL could crate a list of agents that offer it and those that don't care for it. Then people could use it whilst not wasting their time going to places that don't offer it on practice.

 

[bicbasher]

Perhaps TFL could crate a list of agents that offer it and those that don't care for it. Then people could use it whilst not wasting their time going to places that don't offer it on practice.

It really is pot luck on which agents will add photocards to Oyster. I remember using a sub-post office which was part of a grocers who had a Oyster terminal, I had no problem getting a new photocard issued from the PO part, then when I went to the grocery part of the shop, he refused to do it!

Sadly the reality is for most shops they're only interested in selling PAYG or passes/travelcards as they're revenue making.

 

[Be3G]

Out of the Oyster Ticket Stops in my area that I've tried to get a TfL Bus and Tram Photocard added, only ONE will offer to add it to the card, on condition that I purchase either a bus pass or PAYG.

There's a ticket stop I've used in my part of the city (Enfield) which is happy to undertake tasks such as registering an Oyster and applying a Bus & Tram photocard without expectation of making a purchase. So that makes one in the whole of London…

 

[WatcherZero]

Im surprised **** hasn't hit the fan yet over the Conservatives in the London Assembly trying to end the Nominee Pass, 22,239 of them issued giving free travel to a partner or flatmate of a Tfl employee. Conservatives believe they are costing £22m a year, TfL after initially claiming they cost £0 now says they believe it costs them £7m a year. Conservatives want the pass cancelled and free travel given to firefighters instead.

 

[RJ]

Im surprised **** hasn't hit the fan yet over the Conservatives in the London Assembly trying to end the Nominee Pass, 22,239 of them issued giving free travel to a partner or flatmate of a Tfl employee. Conservatives believe they are costing £22m a year, TfL after initially claiming they cost £0 now says they believe it costs them £7m a year. Conservatives want the pass cancelled and free travel given to firefighters instead.

I read the report - the figures are dubious and can easily be picked apart. For a start, they claim the cheapest single on Oyster is a Zone 1-2 single. And they say a tram fare was £2.40, when it was £1.45 on Oyster. Very slaphdash in their methodology and reasoning.