They could print onto CCSTs so there are no barcodes to scan?It’s not just modifying the gates that’s the problem - LU has identified the barcode scanning is too slow and the throughput will be insufficient without expanding gatelines.
They could print onto CCSTs so there are no barcodes to scan?It’s not just modifying the gates that’s the problem - LU has identified the barcode scanning is too slow and the throughput will be insufficient without expanding gatelines.
And do you actually believe that issue will be fixed before the axe comes down on many ticket offices? Because I don't! Yes the issues are somewhat separate but one needs to be sorted first!Once all tickets are made available as e-tickets, we'll be in a much better position.
Thanks for the reminder, not that I'm going to France in the near future!Not quite correct, FIP75 is available for active FIP card holders in adjacent countries. For example we get 75% off in France and Belgium.
If you cant buy what you need before you board , then you buy on board or at destination. Its up to the TOCS if they choose to close ticket offices before those facilities are in place.And do you actually believe that issue will be fixed before the axe comes down on many ticket offices? Because I don't! Yes the issues are somewhat separate but one needs to be sorted first!
Products put on the counter with a comment of enjoy your remaining work, because that view isn't customer friendly. I hope your redundancy package is good!
Maybe, but their attitude was pretty rude giving the impression that customers were an inconveience. I'm not going to name the store but they did end up in the local media some years ago for refusing entry to a customer in a wheel chair as "they would get in the way".It sounds like you created quite the little scene.
It’s a little out of line having a strop at retail staff who are likely being paid a pittance, will be unable to answer back and certainly won’t have made the decision.
In any case, it may well be that the organisation has calculated that the cost of handling cash exceeds the value of the business lost. They’ll therefore be happy not to entertain your custom!
And do you actually believe that issue will be fixed before the axe comes down on many ticket offices? Because I don't! Yes the issues are somewhat separate but one needs to be sorted first!
Ticket offices have been closing for decades, this is just going to be continuation of that process at a faster pace, in the same way that banks, post offices and insurance brokers have been closing their smaller branches.
I gather that the people who are vehemently against ticket offices closing are probably the same people who would be in opposition to the above too.
We don't hear about J. Public and the problem they had at Little Snoring Central. Lots of little incidents like that at Stations, Banks and PO's that just go unnoticed. Quietly, people just abandon whatever it is they are trying to do and no-one ever knows about it......
Can non-booking office station staff and traincrew strike on the basis of changes to the conditions of the booking clerk grade? I wouldn't have thought traincrew would be in the same bargaining unit, and perhaps not the station staff either. You'd only really need to cover dispatchers at locations where they are compulsory, and it won't be a long drawn-out strike either as clerical and management grades will be trained and drafted in along with agency staff to cover dispatch as soon as it seems likely to be drawn out again. Booking clerks striking will barely be noticed. Station staff are on meagre salaries compared to traincrew so won't be able to hold out as long as them either.I expect if this is proceeded with that the strikes will be intensified, perhaps even an all-out strike. In fact, an all-out strike might be the only way that the wretched situation on the railways, which has now been going on for a year, can be resolved one way or the other.
They would have to go to a different station with a ticket office to get a season ticket photocard, they cannot get this at a station without a ticket office. The railway industry really should be able to provide photocards without the need to visit a station with a ticket office. It should be possible to do this online with an online photo and completely avoid the need to visit a railway station with a ticket office.The bit I don’t get about arguments like this, or the season ticket photocard one, is that there are already around a thousand stations on the network today without a ticket office. The passengers using these seem to manage ok.
The programme is not going to close every ticket office. Nor is it going to happen immediately. Ticket offices have been closing for decades, this is just going to be continuation of that process at a faster pace, in the same way that banks, post offices and insurance brokers have been closing their smaller branches.
Oh no doubt. I’m really upset because the operator wouldn’t place a long distance call for me, nor could I send a telegram to answer this post.
Except we do - as dozens of the above posts show.
What we don’t hear about are the many hundred times more people who happily go about ordering e-tickets, buying postage on line, doing car tax on the Gobernment website, buying plane tickets on an app, etc etc because they find it easier (because, in general, it is).
What journey are you making for £148 and is there a reason it couldn't have been bought online?Today I bought two tickets at the ticket office at Bristol Parkway, one for £148. I am sceptical about ticket office staff being redeployed to work elsewhere in stations. There are already substantially more staff outside ticket offices in this country than in many European countries, Germany and Switzerland, for instance. Most of the already existing platform staff at stations fulfil only a limited function. I expect if this is proceeded with that the strikes will be intensified, perhaps even an all-out strike. In fact, an all-out strike might be the only way that the wretched situation on the railways, which has now been going on for a year, can be resolved one way or the other.
No-one is going to be prevented from using cash in the forseeable future; it will remain a valid payment method. It is becoming increasingly niche though.It is not for you or anybody else to prohibit other people from using cash. While I mainly use cards since the pandemic, recently I was in a restaurant when their electronic system crashed and the only way I could pay was cash.
They would have to go to a different station with a ticket office to get a season ticket photocard, they cannot get this at a station without a ticket office. The railway industry really should be able to provide photocards without the need to visit a station with a ticket office. It should be possible to do this online with an online photo and completely avoid the need to visit a railway station with a ticket office.
It was suggested unstaffed stations could still have disabled toilets using RADAR keys. I pointed out how that might not be possible, even if RADAR keys. That's my point.I don't get your point? If a station was completely destaffed, that position clearly wouldn't be tenable.
Whilst I buy most of my tickets from a TMV or online now, even Deutsche Bahn doesn't offer e-tickets for all routes. I found this surprising.Once all tickets are made available as e-tickets, we'll be in a much better position.
I agree that we currently have a mess whereby some tickets cannot be issued as e-tickets; this is wrong. The fact that ticket offices are closing isn't wrong; it's the lack of ability to get all tickets in a suitable format that is wrong.
I've been to many other countries that have been getting this right for years, and I've not had to visit a ticket office in any of the relevant countries (nor would I want to!)
I have looked at buying postage online but there is never any help on how to get the postage attached to your parcel. You can print it on paper but then you'd be wasting most if an A4 sheet.What we don’t hear about are the many hundred times more people who happily go about ordering e-tickets, buying postage on line, doing car tax on the Gobernment website, buying plane tickets on an app, etc etc because they find it easier (because, in general, it is).
In the cases like this the postage should also be refunded.Without a ticket office. Send the ticket to customer services and give a valid reason and it could take upto two weeks to get a refund.
A bit like a personalised Chipkaart.That said, if ITSO is the future for seasons a personalised ITSO card with photo orderable online or by post isn't a stretch.
Traincrew could strike on the basis that if they are medically restricted they are found station grade jobs. Obviously if these jobs no longer exist they can no longer be put in these jobs.Can non-booking office station staff and traincrew strike on the basis of changes to the conditions of the booking clerk grade? I wouldn't have thought traincrew would be in the same bargaining unit, and perhaps not the station staff either. You'd only really need to cover dispatchers at locations where they are compulsory, and it won't be a long drawn-out strike either as clerical and management grades will be trained and drafted in along with agency staff to cover dispatch as soon as it seems likely to be drawn out again. Booking clerks striking will barely be noticed. Station staff are on meagre salaries compared to traincrew so won't be able to hold out as long as them either.
Having that argument with the guard every time they get the train sounds less than fun.They are entitled to buy on board if there is no useable facility at their origin station. If there is no opportunity to buy on board, then they can pay at the next opportunity. If no opportunity exists then the journey would ultimately be complimentary
All far, far, more faff than a TVM or office, especially for those of us without printers at home.Not relevant; you can print a paper ticket and/or hold it on multiple devices and/or bring a battery pack (you could even combine these things for added redundancy)
TrainSplit issues them ToD.Is there a plan for CIV tickets?
Why would there be an argument?Having that argument with the guard every time they get the train sounds less than fun.
I don't see how this is more of a faff than a TVM or ticket office; while it is true that a small proportion of users dislike e-tickets, the vast majority of passengers choose to use e-tickets (and that goes for other applicable transport modes) where this is an option; it was all debated in previous threads, most recently:All far, far, more faff than a TVM or office, especially for those of us without printers at home.
Already happened. My LNER personalised ITSO Smartcard has my photo on it.That said, if ITSO is the future for seasons a personalised ITSO card with photo orderable online or by post isn't a stretch.
Passenger has invisible disability that prevents them for accessing the ticket machine. (Obvious example: it's on a faraway platform, and for any number of reasons it's a bad idea for them to be walking more than strictly necessary.) As such, they're entitled to board without a ticket and buy on board. It seems entirely likely that some guards/RPIs will require some convincing that their disability is real, and others will outright refuse to believe them and issue a penalty fare.Why would there be an argument?
I was responding to your workaround for battery failure: printing a ticket at home requires advance planning and a printer at home; a power bank is an extra object to purchase and remember to carry around. For reference I'm in Scotland with a digital railcard and a bad phone battery, so while I can't use an eTicket (I refuse to use mTickets, among other reasons because my preferred app won't issue them) I frequently run into issues with my battery dying before I can show the guard my railcard on the return trip home. I do own a power bank, and try to bring it with me, but often forget it, find it's not charged, or can't find it in the rush to leave home to catch a train. All surmountable issues, obviously! But more faff. But yes, sorry, probably not worth rehashing much further.I don't see how this is more of a faff than a TVM or ticket office; while it is true that a small proportion of users dislike e-tickets, the vast majority of passengers choose to use e-tickets (and that goes for other applicable transport modes) where this is an option; it was all debated in previous threads, most recently:
I thought Tfl and DfT\RDG had agreed that barcode readers will be fitted to gates at London Terminals and other high traffic transfer stations so cross London transfer flows can switch to e-tickets.It’s not just modifying the gates that’s the problem - LU has identified the barcode scanning is too slow and the throughput will be insufficient without expanding gatelines.
I thought Tfl and DfT\RDG had agreed that barcode readers will be fitted to gates at London Terminals and other high traffic transfer stations so cross London transfer flows can switch to e-tickets.
The bit I don’t get about arguments like this, or the season ticket photocard one, is that there are already around a thousand stations on the network today without a ticket office. The passengers using these seem to manage ok.
The programme is not going to close every ticket office. Nor is it going to happen immediately. Ticket offices have been closing for decades, this is just going to be continuation of that process at a faster pace, in the same way that banks, post offices and insurance brokers have been closing their smaller branches.
Making railways less user friendly for tourists, infrequent travellers, older travellers and anybody else who wants to speak to somebody knowledgeable is a huge mistake and very shortsighted. Those ticket officers could be retrained and used as staff in other parts of the station to keep there to make sure the railway is well tended to.