Should tickets provide more information

[philthetube]

Note to Mods, if you feel this should be moved please do, it seem to me to just miss both the fares advice and speculative categories.

In this technological age would it not be possible to provide more information to ticket holders concerning validity.

This could be done either via a QR code and suitable reader, or by providing links on mobile tickets, It may be necessary to provide a separate app for this, I don't know.

Advantages would be to both passengers and staff.

For passengers just the ability to know what you could do with your off peak ticket would be great and for staff, (accepting that they cannot know everything) it would save much time and enable them to provide a better service.

 

[yorkie]

This is already done.

From a recent ticket I purchased:

Ticket Details:

This tcket can only be used at certain tmes, for
details ask staf or go to nre.co.uk/B1
This tcket is refundable and exchangeable for a fee
Issued subject to the Natonal Rail Conditons Of Travel and CIV
Informaton relatng to compensaton in the event of disrupton can be found here

The NRE link is a hyperlink on the e ticket.

Many paper tickets also include this; the 'new' standard has included this for about 8 years at least.

But not with QR codes as this would cause confusion with the existing Aztec codes.

 

[peters]

Tickets sold by Northern have a link to the restriction code details on the National Rail website. If you purchase via the ticket machine it also displays the restrictions on the screen before you purchase. I'm sure ticket office clerks and conductors can give you that information verbally if you ask.

 

[philthetube]

Sorry, should have said aztec codes.

That is what I was thinking but it could be taken further, for example to provide routing information, and for example the fact that off peak tickets from the south are valid at peak times through London. (Bigger benefit to staff than passengers.)

To have an easy readable system available to all, Ideally which staff were required to check before refusing a ticket would have big benefits.

For Example I have issues sometimes travelling from Burnley Manchester Rd. to London, valid via Preston Leeds or York, but often questioned at York.

If this ticket could be scanned and the evidence prevented then problem solved.

Many of the disputes which you get involved in would not happen if clear evidence of ticket validity was available to all parties at the beginning.

 

[yorkie]

The restriction code should be on the ticket, with a link to the details

As for routeing permissions, I think that is s bit tricky but the best thing to do is obtain an itinerary at the time of booking. This itinerary is evidence of your contractual entitlement to travel on the trains/route shown (as appropriate for the ticket type) and the relevant companies obligations to allow travel.

Indeed showing an itinerary (provided in conjunction with the purchase of the ticket) validates the chosen route regardless of the routeing guide or other rules relevant to routeing; for example if an error occurred.