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Govia get Thameslink Franchise

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swt_passenger

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Were people with season tickets contacted to let them know a new company would be taking over their season tickets?

Why would they need to? There's a rick of making a mountain out of a molehill here, a number of franchise changeovers have occurred already, I don't recall there ever being any issues with either ordinary ticket validity or season ticket validity.

There are legal undertakings about seasons (some sort of season ticket bond) in the franchise agreements incoming franchisees sign up to, they can't run off with the cash, as it were...
 
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thelem

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Bit odd that once they reach 2.5% [ticketless travel] they will apparently not try any harder to get it down further, and it doesn't seem like a very tough target they've set (or had set for them).

Depends how they are planning to reduce ticketless travel. If they're just going to install barriers at more stations then the might as well do that as soon as possible, and they wouldn't expect ticketless travel to reduce any further once the barriers were all installed.

How do you measure ticketless travel anyway?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
A longer version of the text in the charter makes clear it is just the difference that is refunded

The wording you quoted is about when there is no first class accommodation on the train, not when all the seats in first class are occupied.
 

Bishopstone

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A longer version of the text in the charter makes clear it is just the difference that is refunded

The paragraph you have quoted covers a different scenario: where a train without first class (eg class 313) is used on a service advertised as conveying it, or where first class is declassified by control.

The sentence on the GTR website specifically refers to trains with first class accommodation, but where all seats are taken. That's my reading of it, anyway, but they will need to clarify or face a deluge of claims once people get wise to it.
 

infobleep

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Why would they need to? There's a rick of making a mountain out of a molehill here, a number of franchise changeovers have occurred already, I don't recall there ever being any issues with either ordinary ticket validity or season ticket validity.

There are legal undertakings about seasons (some sort of season ticket bond) in the franchise agreements incoming franchisees sign up to, they can't run off with the cash, as it were...
Well some passengers might be rather sensitive about their privacy and sharing of their addresses. Personally it wouldn't bother me but someone people are over sensitive about big brother.
 

user15681

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Also, their targets for ticketless travel:

Our targets for ticketless travel

September 2014 to September 2015 2.8%

September 2015 to September 2016 2.6%

September 2016 to September 2017 2.5%

September 2017 to September 2018 2.5%

September 2018 to September 2019 2.5%

September 2019 to September 2020 2.5%

September 2020 to September 2021 2.5%

Bit odd that once they reach 2.5% they will apparently not try any harder to get it down further, and it doesn't seem like a very tough target they've set (or had set for them).

Apologies for the late reply, but I've seen different figures to those (will try finding them now), with the target down to 2.0% I think. Where were those numbers listed?
 

GatwickDepress

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Apologies for the late reply, but I've seen different figures to those (will try finding them now), with the target down to 2.0% I think. Where were those numbers listed?
It's on Page 13 of the Connections bi-annual customer report. Probably elsewhere on the site too, but that's where I saw them.
 
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jon0844

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Apologies for the late reply, but I've seen different figures to those (will try finding them now), with the target down to 2.0% I think. Where were those numbers listed?

In the first issue of their magazine given out to everyone.

I suppose to get things down further, you need to step up onboard checks (to look for other offences like people travelling beyond their ticket validity, or doughnutting) and that the gates are in operation all the time - and without easy ways to avoid them (going in/out at another part of the station, or obvious weak spots where people can jump walls etc).

Even Hatfield, with high fencing like a fortress has areas where street furniture and other things to hold on to has people jumping over. Gates don't catch them, although I suggested many times to FCC that a simple solution was anti-climb paint. Cheap and effective, as that stuff doesn't come off. Suddenly some scrote leaping the fence and ruining their clothes and shoes might think twice.

Will Govia consider these things, or just hope gates are the perfect solution and by not checking much further, you can claim anything you want as if you don't know someone doesn't have a valid ticket, you don't need to record them in any figures.
 
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user15681

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It's on Page 13 of the Connections bi-annual customer report. Probably elsewhere on the site too, but that's where I saw them.

Ah, thanks!

The Passenger Charter has the figures I saw...

TL and GN Passenger Charter said:
September 2014 to September 2015 2.8%
September 2015 to September 2016 2.6%
September 2016 to September 2017 2.4%
September 2017 to September 2018 2.3%
September 2018 to September 2019 2.2%
September 2018 to September 2019 2.2%
September 2020 to September 2021 2.1%

Not sure which are correct.

The Charter gives an additional way to achieve their targets, though, by "Employing additional passenger hosts to patrol trains". Could be that the passenger hosts weren't finalised before Connections was printed and their introduction has allowed revised targets - although that's just my speculation.
 

jon0844

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Govia obviously not proof reading anything they produce in the rush to get things ready then?

So many errors on the website, and now in their first magazine/report.

Add in tickets from Brighton marked 'Gt Northern only' and I really do hope they get their s*** together in the coming weeks, or we're going to have major fun come the timetable change.. and God help us next July when everything merges.
 

Bishopstone

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How do they know how many people are travelling without the right ticket, to get to the percentage of 2.5% (or whatever)?

If I get on at Newhaven Town (no gates) and get off at Seaford (no gates) ticketless, how is that recorded? Surely the percentage is total guesswork?
 

ChiefPlanner

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An enterprising Southern Station Manager - solved it at Kidbrook by liberally daubing the fences with point grease - this was in the late 1970's a few ruined suits with no comeback put the station takings up a treat. Of course , today - this would be a non-starter....
 

Deerfold

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An enterprising Southern Station Manager - solved it at Kidbrook by liberally daubing the fences with point grease - this was in the late 1970's a few ruined suits with no comeback put the station takings up a treat. Of course , today - this would be a non-starter....

Solved what?
 

ChiefPlanner

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Solved what?

Passengers getting out of the station , by avoiding the manner barrier. Bit like a journey into Garston (Liverpool) back in the day - 4/5 of us went through the barrier and 30+ over the wall.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
How do they know how many people are travelling without the right ticket, to get to the percentage of 2.5% (or whatever)?


On train surveys by large number of people - usually contracters (just ticket checking) - anyone moving down the train - or off the train is assumed to be ticketless. You would be shocked how endemic fare avoidance is on certain routes....
 

Hadders

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Sorry to go back to lack of proof reading but I was at Stevenage station earlier today where a new Great Northern poster proudly announces 'Off Peak Return to London £15.90'.

The price of an Off Peak Day return is £15.90, an Off Peak Return is £25.90. I doubt very much they're selling an SVR for the price of a CDR!
 

tsr

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On train surveys by large number of people - usually contracters (just ticket checking) - anyone moving down the train - or off the train is assumed to be ticketless. You would be shocked how endemic fare avoidance is on certain routes....

And sometimes they are then met by some nice RPIs just behind the gangway doors... ;)
 

telstarbox

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This is a comment on the Bedford Today website (which uses a picture of a CGI train leaving London Waterloo to illustrate the story).

Connie said:
I wonder if the Govia Marketing team spent long enough researching the merits of re-using the "Thameslink" name? I'm afraid the name brings back all those memories of old rattling trains running into awful Kings Cross Thameslink station with the long drag down to the Piccadilly line.
http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/news/...ra-on-thameslink-and-great-northern-1-6293092
 

radamfi

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It's on Page 13 of the Connections bi-annual customer report. Probably elsewhere on the site too, but that's where I saw them.

The most interesting thing in that document is the introduction of single-leg pricing.

Introduce single-leg pricing, reducing the price of journeys that
are peak one way and off-peak the other from 2016.

The implication here is that if you travel in off-peak in only one direction (i.e. you aren't returning at all) you will still have to pay almost as much as a return. Hopefully that won't be the case.
 

TEW

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Not impressed with what's been done to the First Class on many of the GTR trains. The old First antimacassars have been removed but not replaced. This means the marking of the First Class areas on some trains is very poor. The 377/5s in particular, where there are more signs to tell you the declassified cabin is declassified than there are to tell you the actual First Class cabin is First Class. I can see a lot of passengers getting caught out.
 

southern442

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Not impressed with what's been done to the First Class on many of the GTR trains. The old First antimacassars have been removed but not replaced. This means the marking of the First Class areas on some trains is very poor. The 377/5s in particular, where there are more signs to tell you the declassified cabin is declassified than there are to tell you the actual First Class cabin is First Class. I can see a lot of passengers getting caught out.

The 377/5s shouldn't be too bad but I can see 377/2s being a huge problem.
 

TEW

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The 377/5s shouldn't be too bad but I can see 377/2s being a huge problem.
I'm not sure. All the 377/5s had today was 3 small, not particularly obvious signs on the dividing door. By contrasts the declassified FC area still has several bright pink signs stating it is not First Class.
 

westcoaster

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I know someone asked before as I went passed luton airport parkway, the buses have had thameslink logos added to them, couldn't see the legal's.
 

swt_passenger

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The implication here is that if you travel in off-peak in only one direction (i.e. you aren't returning at all) you will still have to pay almost as much as a return. Hopefully that won't be the case.

No, I believe the intention is that an off peak single will be charged in a similar way to Oyster, exactly half the price of two offpeak singles, :D as there'll be no return fares.
 

user15681

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Big morning at one station in particular, prep already started and unit in place. Looking forward to it!
 

Hadders

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Got my free goodie bag at Stevenage station this morning!
 

jopsuk

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No, I believe the intention is that an off peak single will be charged in a similar way to Oyster, exactly half the price of two offpeak singles, :D as there'll be no return fares.

Unless the off peak singles are slashed in price, that'll mean an off peak (day? it's unclear which is meant, though on many flows on FCC there's nothing but day returns) return will be more expensive.
 
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