FCC ticket machines: buying from different origin 'is possible'

[oversteer]

IPFAS have today confirmed to me that the ticket machines at St Pancras will sell a ticket from a different origin station than St Pancras.

From the photos they have sent they used the ones adjacent to platforms A/B, which I tested a few weeks back and did not find any option that would clearly suggest starting elsewhere was an option on any of the menus or pages.


So, I don't really have anything invested in proving either way, but others may in future. Has anyone here actually managed to buy a ticket with a different origin without having to use TOD etc? Care to let me in on the secret?

 

[ATW Alex 101]

The card only TVM at Aston in the shelter on the Birmingham platform will sell tickets from a different origin to anywhere else, I had to put my finger through the screen though, it needs replacing.

I think all TVMs should have this, giving them more options is an great idea as they are quite limited and that's why I avoid them where I can. They should also do journey itineraries.

 

[jon0844]

TVM software should be given a major overhaul to make it both more advanced in functionality, and more simple for novices. Both can be achieved with good design and usability testing.

 

[maniacmartin]

IPFAS have today confirmed to me that the ticket machines at St Pancras will sell a ticket from a different origin station than St Pancras.

I have just visited St Pancras to test this claim, and on the FCC TVMs near platform A/B as well as the EMT TVMs I could not locate this feature that IPFAS claim exists.

Can you please upload the photos, because either the feature doesn't exist or it's very well hidden. I couldn't find it despite being a seasoned TVM user and looking everywhere for it - it's certainly not in the same place as on Southern and London Midland TVMs.

 

[oversteer]

They sent me these two photos as well as a picture of one of the EMT TVMs, I am not sure whether the photo actually does show a changed origin station!

The TravelWatch response is:

I can advise you that two members of the Casework team travelled to St Pancras to test the machines. They confirmed that you can indeed purchase tickets from the FCC machines with a different origin station. They were also successful in selecting tickets with Elstee as the origin station, and this is supported by the reports produced by IPFAS. I have attached some photos showing a single ticket being selected with West Hampstead as the origin station.

I do agree with you maniacmartin as I thought I tried every option and couldn't find a way to specify a different origin station, and I consider myself savvy enough with them..

Bit concerning if this "the official line"

 

[Hadders]

I would say that the photo of the screen shows a ticket being selected for a journey from St Pancras (you can just see this in the top left hand corner) to West Hampstead.

The fare shown is £4.50 for a 1st Anytime Single. This is the fare between St Pancras and West Hampstead.

One would hope that LTW and IPFAS know what they're talking about...

 

[maniacmartin]

£4.50 is the price of an Adult 1st class single from St Pancras to West Hampstead, as the TVM says. There are no tickets priced £4.50 from Elstree to West Hampstead. The photo "evidence" doesn't prove what they claim at all.

London Travelwatch and IPFAS are either incredibly stupid or outright liars, or possibly both.

 

[gordonthemoron]

TVM software should be given a major overhaul to make it both more advanced in functionality, and more simple for novices. Both can be achieved with good design and usability testing.

TVMs should just front end the website

 

[jon0844]

That could work, and would mean some more people being familar with the layout.. but even the website booking systems are often far from perfect - and can be quite slow to use (even with a fast connection).

I'd propose a totally new look, with the initial screen usually tickets for today / tomorrow (but only after a certain time, which is dumb and what about future bookings? / collect pre-booked being changed to offer a 'wizard' that runs you through options, an 'advanced' option for regulars, and collecting pre-booked tickets.

From there, you can now be a lot smarter than having loads of boxes around the screen. You should also be able to make amendments and changes without having to go back loads of pages or even have to abort and start over.

Get some decent web and mobile app designers in, then conduct usability tests (people being monitored and watched using eye tracking - the only way to properly see how people engage with any user interface) to tweak things until it's perfect.

The current systems look like someone had the remit to just make something that works.

 

[sheff1]

The photo quite clearly shows a ticket from St Pancras to West Hampstead.

And to think, London TravelWatch have been touted as being more knowledgeable than Passenger Focus !

 

[AlterEgo]

The photo quite clearly shows a ticket from St Pancras to West Hampstead.

And to think, London TravelWatch have been touted as being more knowledgeable than Passenger Focus !

I agree. That's a ticket *to* West Hampstead.

Does make you wonder.

 

[trevmonk]

It's happened! Well at least on the FCC machines at St Albans. I just went to collect a ticket for tomorrow and noticed a new button "Tickets from another station" which leads to a full a-z search for any origin followed by another a-z search for the destination. I picked West Byfleet to Portsmouth Harbour at random to check that it works for non-FCC routes and sure enough it came up with a full range of fares and went to the payment screen when a fare was selected.

Perhaps that's why FCC have started selling Super Off Peak tickets from London as well as to London, realising that they were going to be available from any TVM with the new 'any origin' selection available. I'll have a look at the St Pancras machines next time I'm there.

 

[SWT_USER]

Wonder if tickets from Kentish Town to London will suddenly become a lot more popular...

 

[jon0844]

Forget doughnutting, thanks to the minimum charge on a railcard in the week, I'll be getting a ticket for further up the line from now on simply because it's the same £13 fee!

 

[philjo]

I managed to do this earlier this week - bought a ticket starting from Potters Bar using the TVM at Welwyn Garden City.
It looks like it can only be done on the newer curvy machines - there is a buy from another station button at the bottom of the screen. the older box-style TVMs did not appear to have this option (or it is well disguised!)

 

[Hadders]

I visited Stevenage station today to collect some tickets for forthcoming trips and had a play around with the TVM's there.

There are two types of FCC TVM at Stevenage:

- the main bank of 4 (I think these are S&B as they're the taller squarer type) - these don't have a 'purchase tickets from another station' option.

- shorter version (of which there are two machines) with a larger screen which has a qwerty style keyboard on the screen (sorry I don't know the make of these). These do sell tickets from another station but bizarrely they don't offer Boundary Zone tickets (I know the TVM's at Brighton do BZ tickets as I have purchased from there).

I needed to purchase a plusbus ticket from the counter (one of my forthcoming trips is for work and our corporate travel people have no idea what a plusbus ticket is!). No problems buying the plusbus ticket but I mentioned the buy tickets from another station option on the TVM to the clerk but he didn't even know that this was possible.

 

[causton]

I used the feature at Kings Cross. Unfortunately most of the TVMs are of the S&B? type and do not have the facility. The two by the p9-11 gateline are enabled and by choosing the Tickets from another station button I saw the "popular destinations" which were Boundary Zones... odd that Hadders could not find them at Stevenage as they looked like the only reason the function had been used at Kings Cross!

 

[Hadders]

I searched under the A-Z finder rather than 'popular destinations'. I'll check when I next visit.

 

[bicbasher]

- shorter version (of which there are two machines) with a larger screen which has a qwerty style keyboard on the screen (sorry I don't know the make of these). These do sell tickets from another station but bizarrely they don't offer Boundary Zone tickets (I know the TVM's at Brighton do BZ tickets as I have purchased from there).

Probably Shere FASTticket which Southern and the majority of LO stations use.

 

[oversteer]

Recall that the original issue was not being able to purchase a Boundary Zone 6 to destination - the ticket office being closed, am I right in assuming FCCs policy will be:

- the passenger must buy from one of the machines which sells tickets starting elsewhere, AND
- the passenger must buy a ticket from the last Z6 station (Elstree)

Otherwise they will PF the traveller..

 

[jon0844]

I noticed last night that King's Cross does indeed offer up boundary zone extensions as soon as you select to buy a ticket from another station.

You still can't do it from St Pancras though*, so if the ticket office is shut I wonder if FCC would expect you to talk over to King's Cross and buy one from a TVM there?

At other stations, like Hatfield, you are simply asked to enter the starting station by doing a search. And when you select a station for your origin, you aren't presented with any common tickets (say a Travelcard) so must then manually search for your destination or know how to search for a Travelcard, ticket to a london zone etc.

* I have to say that I didn't try the EMT machines in case they do?

 

[sheff1]

I noticed last night that King's Cross does indeed offer up boundary zone extensions as soon as you select to buy a ticket from another station.

Thanks for that - it might come in very useful.

You still can't do it from St Pancras though*, so if the ticket office is shut I wonder if FCC would expect you to talk over to King's Cross and buy one from a TVM there?

When this was raised before I believe the answer was that a passenger is not obliged to walk to a different station, no matter how close.

If they had time though, it would probably be in their best interests to do so.

 

[Hadders]

I travelled from Stevenage to London today so I took the chance to clarify the position.

At Stevenage the TVM's definitely won't sell a Boundary Zone ticket.

At Kings Cross the TVM's near the gate line at platforms 9-11 do sell BZ tickets but only for zones 2,4 and 6! Not much use if you need a BZ3 or BZ5 ticket. If you do a station search on no BZ tickets show, they only come up when you select 'Buy from another station'.

Incidentally, the TVM's which sell tickets from another station at KGX and SVG are of different designs.

 

[jon0844]

FCC uses uses two different machine manufacturers and both have the new feature at Hatfield so I guess it's just a case of updating them at each location.

 

[sheff1]

Thanks for that - it might come in very useful.

And it did come in useful yesterday, when I bought a ticket with origin South Hampstead.

Thanks again for flagging this up .... now all I need is for such machines at Sheffield !