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Purchase of tickets with cash or Voucher TFW

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1955LR

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11 Dec 2019
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Last year I travelled from Newtown (NWT) to Fairbourne (FRB) and wanted to pay with Voucher I had from Delay repay.
I arrived in plenty of time for the train and found the booking office was permanently closed. Boarded the train and asked the staff for a ticket . I was advised due to the Covid restrictions none were being issued on the train and was advised I should have bought one before boarding. When I asked how I was supposed to do that I had a shrug of the shoulders!
As it happened there was an about 8 mins stop at Machynlleth so I obtained a ticket there, as it was the first place available . As I understand the regulations from reading many posts on this forum I acted correctly
There is at the moment no facilities at either Newtown or Fairbourne and just checking on TFW website it advises for Newtown:-
The ticket office is closed permanently.
To purchase a ticket, download our app TfW Rail or buy online at tfwrail.wales

There is no mention of paying cash or using a Voucher , am I expected to go to a different station with a booking office to obtain a ticket or are TFW being somewhat economical with the information about methods of payment ?
 
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Watershed

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Last year I travelled from Newtown (NWT) to Fairbourne (FRB) and wanted to pay with Voucher I had from Delay repay.
I arrived in plenty of time for the train and found the booking office was permanently closed. Boarded the train and ask the staff for a ticket . I was advised due to the Covid restrictions none were being issued on the train and was advised I should have bought one before boarding. When I asked how I was supposed to do that I had a shrug of the shoulders!
As it happened there was an about 8 mins stop at Machynlleth so I obtained a ticket there, as it was the first place available . As I understand the regulations from reading many posts on this forum I acted correctly
There is at the moment no facilities at either Newtown or Fairbourne and just checking on TFW website it advises for Newtown:-
The ticket office is closed permanently.
To purchase a ticket, download our app TfW Rail or buy online at tfwrail.wales

There is no mention of paying cash or using a Voucher , am I expected to go to a different station with a booking office to obtain a ticket or are TFW being somewhat economical with the information about methods of payment ?
You must pay at the first reasonable opportunity.

If there is no ticket office or ticket machine at your origin station, clearly you cannot be expected to buy a ticket before boarding (notwithstanding the fact that some people have the ability to, and choose to, buy one online).

If tickets are not being sold onboard, you must simply pay at whatever the next opportunity to pay is.

It is not mandatory to get off the train at an intermediate station to buy a ticket - there is a risk you will miss getting back on the train before it leaves, if there is a queue or some other delay. But you are certainly not doing anything wrong if you do so.

It may be that the train company does not present you with any opportunity to pay during your journey. In that case, whilst you do still theoretically owe the fare, I am not aware of any TOC that expects you to send a cheque to customer services!

In this particular case, it doesn't make any difference whether you want to pay by cash, voucher, or card - none of those methods of payment can be used to buy a ticket at Newtown station! But in the case where you board at a station with a ticket machine which only accepts card payment, you would still be entitled to buy on board.
 

1955LR

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11 Dec 2019
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241
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Hereford
I only ask as I plan to make a similar Journeys if/when the current travel restrictions are eased and have a number of Vouchers to use and can see myself in similar situations again as I often use BUK( no facilities) or LEO ( limited opening times) or NWT if travelling on the Cambrian Coast.
 

221129

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Sunny Scotland
I only ask as I plan to make a similar Journeys if/when the current travel restrictions are eased and have a number of Vouchers to use and can see myself in similar situations again as I often use BUK( no facilities) or LEO ( limited opening times) or NWT if travelling on the Cambrian Coast.
If the available facilities at your starting station do not accept your preferred payment method, then you can buy at the next available opportunity, be that on board or at your destination.
 

HSP 2

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4 Dec 2019
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11B
If there is a TVM at the starting station would it not be prudent to get a promise to pay voucher from the machine as you want to pay using RTVs.
 

Watershed

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If there is a TVM at the starting station would it not be prudent to get a promise to pay voucher from the machine as you want to pay using RTVs.
This is a facility only available from Northern TVMs as far as I am aware. Some other TOCs have Permit to Travel machines but they are few and far between nowadays.
 

Starmill

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Bolton
If there is a TVM at the starting station would it not be prudent to get a promise to pay voucher from the machine as you want to pay using RTVs.
Promise to Pay permits are also only suitable for fares paid entirely in cash, or so you agree when using the Northern machine.

'Promise to Pay' was a specific concept introduced by Northern. Nothing comparable is described anywhere else, except for Permits to Travel as mentioned above, which are described in the NRCoT, but are fundamentally different because they have to be bought.
 
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