Priv discount - online only?

[L401CJF]

Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere, I've just had an internal email regarding Priv discounts. I've not used mine for a while but looking for a bit of clarification.

Highlighted in yellow it says " All tickets must be purchased online at (RST website) before travelling. Tickets cannot be purchased at Ticket Offices or onboard trains."

Can anybody confirm whether this is infact the case? I'm a guard but on leave currently so can't have a look on a machine. I had no issues selling priv tickets onboard a few weeks ago.

I'm planning to travel with Merseyrail next week using my priv, who are ToD collection only. On the RST site when selecting ToD you have to select a station to collect from - it appears no Merseyrail stations are on this list. It says they can be collected from any station on the list. I see no reason why they wouldn't be available to collect at Hooton (the site is happy to sell me ToD tickets from Hooton to Liverpool). Any ideas if this will cause issues trying to collect them at Hooton?

I could always ask when I get to the station if they can sell me priv rate tickets (which is what I've done there many times before) but don't want to then faff around online buying tickets if they say no (to potentially find I can't collect them there!). Admittedly it's hardly an extortionate fare anyway but every little helps.

Cheers all.

 

[steamybrian]

As far as I know but others can confirm-
Priv discount tickets issued on-line only was recently brought for either newbies to the railway industry or to rail staff who did not previously qualify but were awarded the facility under recent changes to conditions of service.

 

[RHolmes]

There’s two types of PRIV

The 23/24 one with the sky blue banner is for online purchases only and can’t be used onboard or at stations, as @steamybrian mentions this is only for certain members of railways staff (such as Network Rail?)

The 23/24 one with the orange banner can be used anywhere, and is generally issued to staff working directly for TOC’s.

 

[M28361M]

I'm planning to travel with Merseyrail next week using my priv, who are ToD collection only. On the RST site when selecting ToD you have to select a station to collect from - it appears no Merseyrail stations are on this list. It says they can be collected from any station on the list. I see no reason why they wouldn't be available to collect at Hooton (the site is happy to sell me ToD tickets from Hooton to Liverpool). Any ideas if this will cause issues trying to collect them at Hooton?

I can't speak to the topic of PRIVs but any Merseyrail ticket office can print ToD bookings. See https://www.merseyrail.org/tickets-passes/ticket-information/ticket-on-departure/ - the relevant extract is below:-

It is also now possible to collect train tickets purchased through other online retailers at any staffed Merseyrail station. If you selected 'Ticket on Departure' as the delivery method when purchasing train tickets online, visit a Merseyrail station ticket office before boarding a train and staff can print out your tickets.

To collect your tickets at a staffed station you must provide your booking reference and a credit or debit card, this does not have to be the card that you purchased the ticket with originally. Both of these things are required for ticket office staff to be able to print off your tickets.

Note that in a reversal of the usual situation, TVMs at Merseyrail-operated stations cannot be used to collect tickets, you have to use the ticket office. The exception is Liverpool South Parkway, which has a Northern ticket machine (although going from previous posts on these forums, it is often out of service). This also means that the unstaffed Merseyrail stations in Cheshire (Bache, Overpool, Capenhurst and Little Sutton) cannot be used to collect ToD, despite having a ticket machine. However Hooton is staffed from first to last train, so shouldn't be a problem.

Many of the online ticket sales websites have not caught up and still don't show Merseyrail stations as options to collect tickets. However as ToD can be collected from any suitably-equipped station, that shouldn't be a problem - just pick any other station at random if you need to specify a collection location.

 

[L401CJF]

Thanks for the replies, presumably referring to the new type of card and not the one relevant to me!

Thanks again all.

 

[Somewhere]

Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere, I've just had an internal email regarding Priv discounts. I've not used mine for a while but looking for a bit of clarification.

Highlighted in yellow it says " All tickets must be purchased online at (RST website) before travelling. Tickets cannot be purchased at Ticket Offices or onboard trains."

Can anybody confirm whether this is infact the case? I'm a guard but on leave currently so can't have a look on a machine. I had no issues selling priv tickets onboard a few weeks ago.

It would be useful if you told us who you worked for. This sounds like the recently introduced Network Rail priv for non-safeguarded staff.
For everyone else it remains unchanged. There's multiple different types of Priv.
Its no wonder staff have constant hassle these days when trying to use their facilities

There’s two types of PRIV

Just two? There's far more than just two!

 

[Towers]

What on earth is the point of that?

 

[Somewhere]

What on earth is the point of that?

What's the point of what?

 

[greyman42]

What's the point of what?

Perhaps the poster means not being allowed to purchase tickets from ticket offices. If so, i would agree.

 

[Somewhere]

I think maybe the OP hasn't read the email/ misunderstood it, or whoever sent the email hasn't got a clue what they're doing.

The only Priv holders who are required to buy their tickets online are Network Rail non-safeguarded.
Others can do it, but not all Priv holders have access to online facilities, such as dependants/partners, retired and I believe TfL staff.
So could well be some muppet in a job who shouldn't be in that job sending out emails without having a clue about the implications of such emails

Perhaps the poster means not being allowed to purchase tickets from ticket offices. If so, i would agree.

How would someone purchase such a ticket, then?

 

[motherwell334]

Im not safeguarded, and work for a TOC and RSTL have set up a site to buy PRIV's online and print off as an M-ticket or to collect at the nearest station.

 

[greyman42]

How would someone purchase such a ticket, then?

Online. That is the subject of the OP. Or have i misunderstood your question?

 

[Somewhere]

Im not safeguarded, and work for a TOC and RSTL have set up a site to buy PRIV's online and print off as an M-ticket or to collect at the nearest station.

Not everyone has access to that website though. Has it been set up for your dependant(s) and partner?

 

[Haywain]

to buy PRIV's online and print off as an M-ticket

They are not M-tickets but eTickets, and they don't have to be printed, they can be displayed on a mobile phone.

Its no wonder staff have constant hassle these days when trying to use their facilities

Constant hassle? That's not been my experience or that of my acquaintances.

 

[Somewhere]

Online. That is the subject of the OP. Or have i misunderstood your question?

Not everyone has the ability to. I would say less than 50% of Priv holders have the ability to

They are not M-tickets but eTickets, and they don't have to be printed, they can be displayed on a mobile phone.


Constant hassle? That's not been my experience or that of my acquaintances.

Do you not travel in London, having to renew your Oystercard discount?

 

[Haywain]

Do you not travel in London, having to renew your Oystercard discount?

The Oyster discount being loaded for 'New Entrants' is a pain but it hardly meets the standard of constant hassle.

 

[185]

This sounds like someone at RDG sent out the rules letter for the "Network Rail Online Leisure Card" to a TOC employee who qualifies for the TOCNE Priv Card. I've only seen this happen when a partner of NR staff became TOC staff (traincrew). It's especially a problem for those whose local station is one run by Merseyrail with the TOD collection shenanigans..

 

[Krokodil]

This sounds like someone at RDG sent out the rules letter for the "Network Rail Online Leisure Card" to a TOC employee who qualifies for the TOCNE Priv Card. I've only seen this happen when a partner of NR staff became TOC staff (traincrew).

No, this was forwarded to all conductors (possibly other grades too, I don't know) by line managers. It's vaguely written and some have come away with the impression that PRIV is now online for all. If you look at the detail then it's clear that it is only a reference to the Network Rail cards.

 

[Towers]

Perhaps the poster means not being allowed to purchase tickets from ticket offices. If so, i would agree.

Indeed; yes! Seems utterly daft.

 

[L401CJF]

It would be useful if you told us who you worked for.

TFW, non-safeguarded, been there about 2 years.

I think maybe the OP hasn't read the email/ misunderstood it, or whoever sent the email hasn't got a clue what they're doing.

The email started off with "for those of you who use Priv leisure cards" so automatically assumed it was regarding our priv use. However upon closer inspection it appears to be for "online staff travel cards" which as far as I'm aware, nobody at my TOC use!

We did have a brief about their introduction for NR staff a while back, but that's for onboard checks etc.

Very confusing indeed, but makes sense now, thanks all.

 

[Peter0124]

The Network Rail PRIVs on Scotrail are quite restrictive. Online only and collected from machines as Scotrail don't do e-tickets, probably due to wanting to funnel everything through their app with the m-ticket. I wish they would integrate Scotrail's app with RailStaffTravel.

Doing spontaneous journeys (ie already being on the train and wanting to travel further) can be a pain without the usability of e-tickets, which Scotrail sadly don't do and require you to collect from a station atleast 10 minutes in advance.

It's a shame the facility is so restrictive up here.

 

[greyman42]

Not everyone has the ability to. I would say less than 50% of Priv holders have the ability to

Completely agree, i would be in that category.