On board message - pointless?

[VauxhallandI]

I noticed a message tonight on the on board system that read:

Please ensure you have the correct ticket for your journey

This is Abellio Anglian where you cannot purchase on board.

What's the point?

 

[najaB]

What's the point?

I'm assuming so that you can alight at the next station and attempt to purchase, rather than waiting until you get to your destination and get caught out.

 

[VauxhallandI]

I'm assuming so that you can alight at the next station and attempt to purchase, rather than waiting until you get to your destination and get caught out.

Sounds rather generous for a TOC!

I suppose the gate line would be happy to let you through to buy said ticket.

 

[J-2739]

I'm assuming so that you can alight at the next station and attempt to purchase, rather than waiting until you get to your destination and get caught out.

Yeah, until you find out that the guards roam free before the next stop...

 

[Llanigraham]

I noticed a message tonight on the on board system that read:

Please ensure you have the correct ticket for your journey

This is Abellio Anglian where you cannot purchase on board.

What's the point?

The point is that some people might have got on with the wrong ticket. That could be because their ticket is time barred for certain trains, or even that they might not be on the right train.

 

[grumblingalong]

The message "please ensure you have the correct ticket for your journey" is displayed as it is on many Abellio Greater Anglia (not Abellio Anglian) units I believe to assist revenue teams when working on board the trains and also to further embed that the unit is operating on a penalty fares route.

 

[farci]

I noticed a message tonight on the on board system that read:
Please ensure you have the correct ticket for your journey
This is Abellio Anglian where you cannot purchase on board.
What's the point?

This joins a long line of pointless or ill thought-out signs. For instance (something like) 'Valid tickets and travel passes accepted'. Must get my 'invalid' pass out of my wallet!

Duh!

 

[Clip]

This joins a long line of pointless or ill thought-out signs. For instance (something like) 'Valid tickets and travel passes accepted'. Must get my 'invalid' pass out of my wallet!

Duh!

I understand your flippancy when making such a post but you would be surprised how many people do get on trains with an invalid ticket - thats the whole point of the message as Llanigraham pointed out a few posts before yours.

 

[3141]

It would seem more sensible for the message to say:-

You must have a valid ticket before you start your journey. You cannot buy a ticket on this train.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

It would seem more sensible for the message to say:-

You must have a valid ticket before you start your journey. You cannot buy a ticket on this train.

I can't remember the exact wording, but GWR use a similar message on the South Wales to London trains. I think that it's quite effective.

 

[route:oxford]

You cannot buy a ticket on this train.

That wouldn't be true though in so many different ways.

You could quite easily by an m-ticket on the train for a start.

 

[LexyBoy]

You could quite easily by an m-ticket on the train for a start.

Not one that would be valid for that journey though.

 

[route:oxford]

Not one that would be valid for that journey though.

Again not true.

If I've got a season ticket from A to B, but my journey today is from A to C why shouldn't I buy a digital ticket from B to C whilst I'm on board the service as it progresses from A to B enroute to C?

All part of the complex world when the digital economy interfaces with 19th century mindset.

 

[LexyBoy]

Fair point!

 

[Deepgreen]

I can't remember the exact wording, but GWR use a similar message on the South Wales to London trains. I think that it's quite effective.

GWR's North Downs line recorded announcement when approaching Redhill is, among others; "Please have your tickets and travel documents ready" (my bold) - another of the plethora of needlessly wordy announcements that the railway seems to be favouring.

 

[BanburyBlue]

On Chiltern trains out of Marylebone, you often get the announcement along the lines of "this is the xx.xx service to Birmingham Snow Hill, calling at....".

Quite often this announcement comes just as the train has departed - when it's too late. Can never work out why they don't say this as the train is idling at the platform for 10 minutes.

 

[damo44]

Not one that would be valid for that journey though.

I don't think I've bought an mticket, is this a ticket loaded on your mobile phone?

Why can't you biy a ticket which is valid for the journey you have already started - is it only for Advance tickets?

 

[najaB]

I don't think I've bought an mticket, is this a ticket loaded on your mobile phone?

Correct. Usually delivered to an app.

Why can't you biy a ticket which is valid for the journey you have already started - is it only for Advance tickets?

Because the T&Cs of most m-tickets require them to be activated *before* boarding your train. This is to prevent the 'pay when challenged' brigade from not buying a ticket until they spot a ticket examiner/RPI.

 

[damo44]

This is to prevent the 'pay when challenged' brigade from not buying a ticket until they spot a ticket examiner/RPI.

Yes, thanks, that makes sense. I assume that you do something in the app to activate the ticket and that timestamps it.

No need to answer that, I'll go and read some more about this type of ticket

 

[3141]

All right, change the second sentence of my suggested announcement to:-

You cannot buy a ticket from the staff on this train.

That takes care of the mticket issue (something I hadn't heard of before), whether or not you can buy one valid for the journey once you're on board.

The point of my suggestion was to put the message in simple words and to try to make it accurate for the situation in which people will read it. The person who put together the message quoted by the OP hadn't done that.

 

[route:oxford]

All right, change the second sentence of my suggested announcement to:-

You cannot buy a ticket from the staff on this train.

"Cannot" and "Please" are words that should be avoided in formal notices. "Cannot" is rarely true (my old English teacher was quite forthright in this and suggested that "can't" or "cannot" is only ever used by the ignorant and dishonest) and "please" is clearly an invitation for you to make an elective decision and can never be an instruction.

That takes care of the mticket issue (something I hadn't heard of before), whether or not you can buy one valid for the journey once you're on board.

The point of my suggestion was to put the message in simple words and to try to make it accurate for the situation in which people will read it. The person who put together the message quoted by the OP hadn't done that.

The most straightforward message would be:-

"If you are travelling without a valid ticket, you must ask a member of AGA staff for a penalty fare"

 

[krus_aragon]

"please" is clearly an invitation for you to make an elective decision and can never be an instruction.

Hence ATW's “If you are leaving the train, please ensure you have all your belongings...” announcement; many people choose to forget things on the train

 

[AlterEgo]

The most straightforward message would be:-

"If you are travelling without a valid ticket, you must ask a member of AGA staff for a penalty fare"

Except it wouldn't be, because if your ticket is not valid due to a time or geographical reason, you cannot be penalty fared!

 

[Groningen]

If you are already on the train and it has departed the station, than there is no way back. In the Netherlands most people travel in the weekend with an all travelticket for the whole of the network. So often it is not a problem when you that the wrong train.

 

[route:oxford]

Except it wouldn't be, because if your ticket is not valid due to a time or geographical reason, you cannot be penalty fared!

The staff can always refuse to issue one.

What are the parameters for time and geography?

I can't imagine, for example, a 10 year old ticket from Stirling to BofA in my wallet would exempt me from a penalty fare in AGAland.

 

[pemma]

Sounds rather generous for a TOC!

A couple of years ago there was a ticket inspection on an off-peak Manchester to London service between Stockport and Stoke. One man hadn't purchased a ticket and was travelling from Manchester to London and was told he would have to buy the Anytime fare at something like £270. When he recovered from the shock the TM told him he'd sell him an Anytime Single to Stoke and if he got off there and went to the ticket office he'd be sold an Off-Peak ticket to London - which he did.
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Hence ATW's “If you are leaving the train, please ensure you have all your belongings...” announcement; many people choose to forget things on the train

If they make the same announcement all the time people ignore it. That's why I don't think there should be a 'mind the gap between the train and the platform' announcement at every station, only the stations where there is a bigger than usual gap.

 

[richw]

The staff can always refuse to issue one.

What are the parameters for time and geography?

I can't imagine, for example, a 10 year old ticket from Stirling to BofA in my wallet would exempt me from a penalty fare in AGAland.

Time being peak/off peak.

 

[najaB]

What are the parameters for time and geography?

I can't imagine, for example, a 10 year old ticket from Stirling to BofA in my wallet would exempt me from a penalty fare in AGAland.

All this timey wimey, wibbly, wobbly stuff.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

M Tickets can be purchased for immediate use.

 

[Master29]

This joins a long line of pointless or ill thought-out signs. For instance (something like) 'Valid tickets and travel passes accepted'. Must get my 'invalid' pass out of my wallet!

Duh!

No it`s not. It actually does make sense if you think about it.. It may seem like clarifying the bleedin` obvious to Mr Perfikt from Essix but how many times I`ve heard this and checked my ticket just to be sure and I did find my railcard out of date on one occasion. On top of that with the ridiculous range of tickets around it makes sense for people to check again so to speak.