Ticket office rail travel voucher issue

[trainJam]

Once I tried to use a RTV - the man told me that he was closing and to pay another way. Reluctantly, I paid the entire fare by cash. He shut the window immediately after issuing the ticket. I suppose this was a slightly better or clearer outcome than the OP's situation.
I realise there has to be a cut-off point in the service (although at the time I must have found it a bit annoying).

 

[OscarH]

Not insurmountable, but it would presumably need agreement between TOCs, TIS suppliers and Rail Delivery Group

Are you sure this isn't insurmountable

 

[Wallsendmag]

Are you sure this isn't insurmountable

lol and it wouldn’t be cheap

 

[lnerazuma]

Once I tried to use a RTV - the man told me that he was closing and to pay another way. Reluctantly, I paid the entire fare by cash. He shut the window immediately after issuing the ticket. I suppose this was a slightly better or clearer outcome than the OP's situation.
I realise there has to be a cut-off point in the service (although at the time I must have found it a bit annoying).

In this case he should just let you pass the gate, and you are entitled to pay the fare by voucher at the first available opportunity (i.e. when train manager come and check ticket) according to the rule

 

[rmt4ever]

I had it at Acton Central before Christmas. It was about half hour before closing. He was literally begging me to pay card to avoid having to ‘cash up’ or whatever. I just stood my ground. He had to actually make a phone call to be able to get into the safe to get some float to give me change. It was absolutely unbelievable. He even searched his own pocket snd wallet to see if he could put together enough change from his own money, but he was quite a bit short.

is it really such a big deal to have to cash up???

 

[Red Rover]

I had it at Acton Central before Christmas. It was about half hour before closing. He was literally begging me to pay card to avoid having to ‘cash up’ or whatever. I just stood my ground. He had to actually make a phone call to be able to get into the safe to get some float to give me change. It was absolutely unbelievable. He even searched his own pocket snd wallet to see if he could put together enough change from his own money, but he was quite a bit short.

is it really such a big deal to have to cash up???

No, it’s easy, but people presume nowadays people will play ball and pay by other methods, doesn’t Acton have a tvm?

 

[rmt4ever]

No, it’s easy, but people presume nowadays people will play ball and pay by other methods, doesn’t Acton have a tvm?

I was buying a railcard (which also took ages he didn’t know how to do it at first and had to get a colleague)

 

[Red Rover]

New starter, hence the phone call about the safe. We all have to start somewhere, cash is dying though (good or bad is another discussion.

And I was involved in a discussion concerning barriers, smart cards and ticketless travel the other day, having the back room software for warrant acceptance and voucher codes on phones and via email would be a cake walk I’d imagine to that.

 

[redreni]

Completely agree. Time is built into shifts for cashing up. So for example, window closes 5pm, shift finishes 5.20pm after cashing up, potentially even later if locking up the station etc.

(There is no way the unions would allow anything else. I'm happy to stand corrected, and I know there are a variety of agreements for train crew.)

It's disheartening to stand on a picket line to fight for people's jobs when those same people can't be bothered to actually do the job everyone else is fighting to save.

Some of those people. A minority. Although I must admit I did find myself thinking along similar lines given that I did spend quite a bit of time responding to the ticket office closure consultations and even marched from the DfT to Downing Street over the issue.

I'm not exactly sure how close to closing time it was. My failed attempt to buy tickets at Farringdon lasted from 17.30 to 17.35. The advertised weekday closing time of that ticket office is 16.30 if you believe the National Rail website, or 21.00 according to this table from Thameslink's recent ticket office closure consultation: https://www.thameslinkrailway.com/-...ation-ticket-assistance-hours-information.pdf

I pass through that station regularly and it's about 50:50 whether the ticket office is open. When it is open there's invariably a queue, which means people are being inconvenienced when it is closed. Has anyone got a link to Schedule 17 TSA by any chance? If the National Rail website is showing the wrong opening hours then I'll try and get that fixed as well.

 

[bcarmicle]

Has anyone got a link to Schedule 17 TSA by any chance? If the National Rail website is showing the wrong opening hours then I'll try and get that fixed as well.

https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/images/SCHEDULE 17 April 2023 - published 17.pdf - however Farringdon is not listed suggesting its opening hours are non-regulated.

 

[James H]

Having a National Rail ticket office at Farringdon is a post-privatisation innovation - previously the LU ticket office was the only one.

 

[redreni]

https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/images/SCHEDULE 17 April 2023 - published 17.pdf - however Farringdon is not listed suggesting its opening hours are non-regulated.

Thanks!

Having a National Rail ticket office at Farringdon is a post-privatisation innovation - previously the LU ticket office was the only one.

Yeah I distinctly remember about 15 years ago going directly from my old office near Exmouth Market to Gatwick Airport via Farringdon and not being sure if the London Underground ticket office would be able to issue a boundary ticket (as I held a Z1-3 season ticket on oyster at the time). Of course they could! It was a good ticket office, that.

 

[Haywain]

I'm not exactly sure how close to closing time it was.

The advertised closing time may not be the same as, or even similar to, the shift end time of the staff on duty. While they should be working for the specified time of their shift, any additional time in the advertised opening hours are down to the business.

 

[Sealink]

I suspect the truth of the matter is that the member of staff had already balanced their till and put their float back in the safe to enable a rapid departure (probably before the official end of their shift) when closing time rolled around.

Shouldn't do that when the ticket office is still open.

 

[island]

Shouldn't do that when the ticket office is still open.

If another window was open then it seems less of an issue.

Yeah I distinctly remember about 15 years ago going directly from my old office near Exmouth Market to Gatwick Airport via Farringdon and not being sure if the London Underground ticket office would be able to issue a boundary ticket (as I held a Z1-3 season ticket on oyster at the time). Of course they could! It was a good ticket office, that.

LU POMs will nowadays issue a boundary zone ticket when a season ticket on Oyster (or maybe even ITSO) is presented.

 

[trainJam]

In this case he should just let you pass the gate, and you are entitled to pay the fare by voucher at the first available opportunity (i.e. when train manager come and check ticket) according to the rule

Is this in the National Rail Conditions of Travel (condition 6?) ?
Condition 6 seems to only refer to "(card and cash)" so what about RTVs?

 

[Blindtraveler]

Farringdons useless booking office strikes again. Avoid and indeed try not to use most of the GTR operated ones within greater London in my experience, that said I've had good service in the past at East Croydon although I haven't used the office there for a while

 

[Joe Paxton]

Having a National Rail ticket office at Farringdon is a post-privatisation innovation - previously the LU ticket office was the only one.

Think a separate NR ticket office at Farringdon only dates from 2011 when the new Thameslink/Crossrail ticket hall south of Cowcross Road opened.

 

[Mojo]

This is disgusting. If a decently paid staff wasn't taking cash because he was "finishing", he could just cover the small 94p bill with his own card.

Depends on the policy of the Toc. A family member of mine works in a booking office and isn’t allowed to sell tickets to themselves or their family. Not sure of the reasoning behind this policy and also intrigued as to what would happen if I went to the station for immediate travel given most of his stations are single-manned.

 

[scrapy]

Depends on the policy of the Toc. A family member of mine works in a booking office and isn’t allowed to sell tickets to themselves or their family. Not sure of the reasoning behind this policy and also intrigued as to what would happen if I went to the station for immediate travel given most of his stations are single-manned.

I think most TOCs have that clause written into their cash regulations. Most staff either do not know about it or wouldn't bother with it. (It doesn't define who is classed as a family member either). Wouldn't surprise me if banks, building societies and post offices have similar rules. I do know a supermarket I used to work for would not let you serve a friend, colleague or family member without calling a manager/ supervisor first to witness the transaction and sign the receipt