Ticket barriers - Glasgow Central

[mfc3024]

I'd just like to make an observation about the ticket barriers at Glasgow Central when I arrived this morning on the XC from Dunbar on Platform 4 at 8.27.

The barriers were continually rejecting most tickets from passengers and then the staff member was jumping between five gates to let people through after looking the each of the rejected tickets. This obviously caused frustration for passengers as queues were building up and it would be equally annoying for the staff member.

I appreciate that there may have been a fault with one gate but not five and I have seen this level of ticket rejection frequently happen before at Glasgow Central, mainly at the barriers at the exit from the low level platforms.

Are these sorts of barriers ultra sensitive? Obviously they have a job to do and would reject invalid tickets, but why are they rejecting also so many valid tickets? (I'm making an assumption here that the rejected tickets were actually valid as the staff member was letting passengers through).

I have previously seen the barriers just being left open at Platform 4 in order to let passengers through quickly - usually the train goes in to Platform 2 which has no barriers, plus passengers are checked at Motherwell (where the bulk of the passengers board) though I am not sure about Waverley, Haymarket or Dunbar.

 

[crispy1978]

I've had problems in April when travelling to and from Ayr with the barriers not accepting my ticket from York to Ayr...

 

[yorkie]

Are these sorts of barriers ultra sensitive? Obviously they have a job to do and would reject invalid tickets

Some gatelines accept invalid tickets, but you're right, it's usually the other way round.

but why are they rejecting also so many valid tickets?

Because the DfT is obsessed with the installation of ticket barriers and makes it a requirement in most new franchise agreements to have them, but there do not appear to be requirements for them to be adequately staffed or properly programmed. :roll:

Even if they are well programmed, they will still reject some valid tickets, because the routeing rules are too complex for a ticket barrier to determine with certainty if a ticket is valid.

 

[gunn13]

The tickets which seem to cause the most problems here are tickets printed from Avantix machines. Season tickets and SPT Zonecards are quite troublesome too. My guess is that it is, in part, down to the magnetic coding on the tickets not being done properly at the time of printing.
But, actually, even more frustrating is that I have witnessed the barriers accept tickets that are not valid! That is surely down to the programming of the barriers.

They really need to sort it out as even my staff smartcard gets rejected on occasion.

 

[Goatboy]

I've had problems in April when travelling to and from Ayr with the barriers not accepting my ticket from York to Ayr...

No problems going through the barriers at Glasgow Central a few weeks ago with a ticket from Devon to Belfast NI.

 

[ValleyLines142]

This happens at Cardiff also, usually when Revenue Protection Inspectors are present.

 

[michael769]

Because the DfT is obsessed with the installation of ticket barriers and makes it a requirement in most new franchise agreements to have them, but there do not appear to be requirements for them to be adequately staffed or properly programmed. :roll:

Nothing to do with the DfT. The barriers in Glasgow are entirely down to Transport Scotland.

 

[mfc3024]

Thanks for the replies.

 

[High Dyke]

Seen it happen before at Norwich. A number of passengers tried various gates, but all were denied. in the end it was easier to open the gates and leave 'em like that.

 

[Sleepy]

:roll: Usual problem at Norwich is people trying to put reservations in instead of actual ticket (and people going outside for a smoke when coming in off branch lines).
Saying that even TOC staff passes will not work in barriers !!

 

[Deeps]

:roll: Usual problem .............. is people trying to put reservations in instead of actual ticket

The barrier at Plymouth wouldn't let me out the other day, the member of staff at the barrier did after "looking" at my ticket. As I walked out of the station I was looking at my ticket to see if there was anything amiss - there was ! It was the reservation.
The barrier worked properly, the human didn't....

 

[reb0118]

The barrier worked properly, the human didn't....

This is quite a common problem. Many folk try to put their return portion into the barrier on their outward journey. It doesn't work. They then present it to the member of the gateline staff who, after glancing at it, retains it. Passenger then discovers that they have no valid return portion ~ usually on my train when I've asked to see it!....

Oooops!.............

 

[Urban Gateline]

This is quite a common problem. Many folk try to put their return portion into the barrier on their outward journey. It doesn't work. They then present it to the member of the gateline staff who, after glancing at it, retains it. Passenger then discovers that they have no valid return portion ~ usually on my train when I've asked to see it!....

Oooops!.............

Then on top of that, some Gatelines will retain the return portion even if it is in the opposite direction. (e.g. at Clapham Junction a Clapham Junction to Guildford is retained if put into an exit barrier!) This causes what you mentioned too, sometimes the passenger notices and then I have to go digging in the ticket bin for their return part!

 

[dcsprior]

Even if they are well programmed, they will still reject some valid tickets, because the routeing rules are too complex for a ticket barrier to determine with certainty if a ticket is valid.

But, actually, even more frustrating is that I have witnessed the barriers accept tickets that are not valid! That is surely down to the programming of the barriers.

I wouldn't say that this is frustrating. If a barrier can't tell one way or another whether a ticket is valid, then it either has to err on the side of letting some invalid tickets through, or blocking some valid ones. I would say the first option is far better customer service.

It is very annoying when you have bought a perfectly valid ticket to then be delayed at the barrier while someone re-checks it because of (in layman's terms) a faulty barrier.

Of course, if the business rules are too complex to make a IT system which can handle them correctly, then perhaps the business rules should be changed.

BTW I'm not talking about a ticket which cannot even be read, as allowing all of these through would cause an obvious security hole.