TPE staff at Manchester Airport

[TUC]

You've not seen mainly railway agency staff (mainly gateline) in the South then who often have a hi-vis emblazoned with OnTrak or [insert agency here]

Whatever they wear, they are still operating on behalf of the TOC which has contracted with the agrncy.

 

[Horizon22]

Whatever they wear, they are still operating on behalf of the TOC which has contracted with the agrncy.

Of course, but the statement was that it should look to the outside viewer that they are one-and-the-same, which they categorically do not.

 

[urbophile]

I'll happily have a complex fares system if it gives the cheapest tickets. Most people these days find out fares by looking thrm up online. Only journalists, rail enthusiasts and IT refusniks have any real issues with multiple fares being available.

There's an argument for that if you book in advance and know which train you intend to catch. Problem with someone arriving at the airport on a possibly delayed flight, you don't want to book your connecting train in advance in case you either miss it or have to wait ages for it. A link like that from Manchester Airport to the city centre should be like a metro and allow people to travel on the first available train on any ticket.

 

[LowLevel]

TOC only tickets should be binned. They're a scam. TOC gets it's tickets to the top of the machine by being 10p cheaper. Person gets smacked again for effectively twice the fare by the guard. TOC gets a slice of that if it's any permitted through ORCATS as well.

That's without TPE's usual anti customer restriction changes a few years back which those of us who work for other companies had to bear the brunt of a load of abuse from regulars for. "What do you mean they've withdrawn the CDRs? What do you mean they've changed the off peak restrictions?".

The whole fares system is a cesspit.

 

[Taunton]

TOC only tickets should be binned. They're a scam. TOC gets it's tickets to the top of the machine by being 10p cheaper. Person gets smacked again for effectively twice the fare by the guard. TOC gets a slice of that if it's any permitted through ORCATS as well.

I do agree with this. Initially, there were no single TOC fares, they have just been introduced for commercial advantage to upstage Orcats, and are quite incompatible with open boarding. If made available it should be up to the TOC to find a way to check tickets before boarding. If that's too difficult, don't do them.

Contrary to the belief of many here, if a casual passenger sees fares for the same train offering for £10, £15 and £20, they will go for the £10 one. Doing T&Cs in railway-speak doesn't cut it. Many otherwise well-educated people I have spoken to find the ticket approach somewhat incomprehensible, and ticket machines which offer nonsenses (eg the first page of tickets to London at Worcester Shrub Hill ONLY offered me tickets on WMT via Birmingham) to be useless.

 

[realaledrinker]

Shame really, as the whole Passenger experience at Liverpool Airport is far better than Manchester Could ever do, in my opinion. Anyway, TPE seem to have abandoned MIA for the time being - Scotland being the priority yet again.

 

[realaledrinker]

Having a gloved hand put inside my waistband on more than one occasion, I beg to differ!

 

[2L70]

I do agree with this. Initially, there were no single TOC fares, they have just been introduced for commercial advantage to upstage Orcats, and are quite incompatible with open boarding. If made available it should be up to the TOC to find a way to check tickets before boarding. If that's too difficult, don't do them.

That’s the thing at MIA, when the barriers are wide open your man with the £2 Airport Chorley single jumps on the first TPE/TFW they see.

I couldnt believe it when I found there was 3 different priced singles between Grimsby and Cleethorpes. It’s Gone mad.

 

[Grumpy Git]

That’s the thing at MIA, when the barriers are wide open your man with the £2 Airport Chorley single jumps on the first TPE/TFW they see.

I couldnt believe it when I found there was 3 different priced singles between Grimsby and Cleethorpes. It’s Gone mad.

Thr whole railway fares system is nothing other than a legalised scam.

The argument about free markets and all that baloney is nothing but a smokescreen.

I've given up, i just buy a "full fat" one month open return now.

 

[yorkie]

Let's stick to the topic in hand please

The forum has plenty of spare capacity for any other topic to have a dedicated thread; feel free to create one if there isn't one already