Permit to Travel - Redbridge (RDB) to Southampton Central (SOU)

[ruiptpinto]

Hi all!

I'm new here, I'm from Portugal and I have signed up mainly because in some weeks I'll be traveling to Southern England. I'll be doing some trips by train and one in particular, the shortest one, (the one that gives name to the thread) is raising me some questions I couldn't find answers anywhere.
I'll be catching the train at Redbridge and as I found out, only a Permit to Travel machine is available at the station. So, I'll need to buy a permit from the machine and get on board the train. So far, so good. That I understand perfectly. The point is that the trip is short (6 to 7 minutes), and I don't know if in that time I'll meet the conductor.
Should I look for him when I board the train? What happens if I'm not able to meet him during the trip and get out at SOU without a proper ticket, how will I be able to pass the ticket barriers? Should I pay the full amount of the ticket for the permit or pay the least I can as I saw stated in many sites?

Many thanks for your time!
Rui Pinto

 

[MikeWh]

A permit to travel is treated as a valid ticket as long as it is converted to one at the earliest opportunity. There is no need to seek out the conductor. If you pay the full amount at Redbridge then it will be less hassle to convert to a ticket later, or just surrender at Southampton.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Unfortunately, it does not seem you can get an e-ticket or m-ticket for this journey. So, your options are either to:

a) Buy or pickup a ticket at another station which has a TVM (ticket vending machine), a ticket office, or ToD (ticket on departure) machine (there are ToD machines at around 1700 of the ~2500 total stations); or

b) Get a Permit to Travel at RDB before travelling, and swap either on the train with the conductor (if possible), or at SOU when getting off. It will be easier if you simply get a Permit to Travel of the correct value at RDB, as you can then simply redeem it and that's it, but if you are not sure of what the fare will be then you have the option to get a Permit of a lesser value, e.g. £1/£2, and then to pay the rest at SOU at the 'excess fares' window.

FYI, www.brfares.com shows the adult fares as being between £2.90 and £3.90 (without any discounts, e.g. 16-25 Railcard), depending on the time and day of travel, and whether you want a single or return.

 

[ruiptpinto]

Thanks for your answers!
Helped a lot. My main issue was what to do at Southampton if meanwhile I was not able to get a ticket. But, like you both said if I can redeem my Permit at SOU, that'll work for me.

 

[swt_passenger]

My experience of these services is that they have commercial guards who are usually fairly active in checking and selling tickets. If you do end up with a permit to travel it is fairly likely that you'll be able to upgrade onboard, if they have time.