Great Western Coffee Shop

From Journeycheck


...and then


The problem at Swindon is that one of the TVMs is behind the security shutter, so if the ticket office closes so that TVM becomes inaccessible.

This has been made worse since one of the other two TVMs has been replaced with a machine where you can only collect pre-booked tickets.

Can't help feeling the ToD machine should have been added in addition to the two "always available" TVMs rather than in place of one of them.

I wonder whether the pre-booked machine is working? And if it's not, are you OK to travel?

I was going down to get a ticket that you can't get from a TVM or pre-book so at least the information on line prevented me making a wasted journey in the rain, so sorry John R I'm not going down to check the ToD machine.   ;D

Seriously though I expect, and hope, that on-train staff are aware of the problems and so passengers should be able to buy tickets on board without penalty.

I'd imagine if you kept your reference handy the staff on board would help you. They'd only have to check journeycheck if they hadn't been told already. I think its been mentioned before to 'inform staff on the train as soon as possible' or something along those lines. 

That's all fine and dandy if travelling by FGW, but what if you have a 5 min connection at Reading or Bristol Parkway onto another operator's services? Are you supposed to miss your train to get your tickets or run the risk that the on board staff of the other TOC's service are as well informed?

I'd think one or more of the following would be able to take place:

• FGW on board staff could issue a ticket.
• The staff on the other TOC would be understanding, if said passenger had as much relevant information with them (reference number, etc.).

Of course those are ideals, I'm just an average passenger who has seen lenient staff as well as the opposite.  ::) ;D

Isn't the minimum connection time greater than that at Reading? If so, you could expect a penalty fare...

Last February, I unexpectedly had to make a journey from Chippenham to Bristol. It was a Sunday evening (or Saturday - can't remember now) and the ticket office was closed. There are TVMs, but they were not working. Okay, I thought, I'll get a ticket on the train. I did not see any staff on the train (HST). How will I get through the barriers at BRI? I guess I'll just have to explain the situation and buy a ticket there, hope they will sell me one if I go up to them and ask. But there were no staff on the platform and the barriers were all open! Very odd. Or maybe not odd - I've made quite a lot of journeys Paddington - Bristol late in the evening when the staff haven't come round to check tickets at all. Maybe they just count on the barriers at Paddington, Bath, Temple Meads? Or maybe they don't care?

Money talks.

ie the cost of employing staff is less more than ticket income likely to be collected

A couple of thoughts

Under "Cap and Collar" - previous franchise from 2005 - around 80% of 'extra' income went to the government which meant that of every ^1000 in extra fares collected at the margin of operations, only ^200 was retained and there was in effect a 400% tax on income for First.  It stifled the business case to put extra revenue protection in place, or to have a robust maintenance systems to ensure that TVMs worked 99.9% rather than 98% of the time.
Once that system was (thank goodness) replaced, it's taken a while to recruit extra staff, train them, have them in place - and on ticket machines / parts, things take incredibly long ... you can't just buy an "Avantix" off the shelf, and have you noticed that the new TVM at Melksham a taken 6 months longer than promised, and still isn't there.

Looking at staff, you've got staff sickness to consider too, and again having people around just in case a colleague is ill is expensive - more than the fares taken.   With barriers at all London - Bristol stations on the direct normal route except Chippenham, lighter checks at Chippenham should be OK, though that system isn't as robust as I describe for a variety of reasons that frequent posters will realise.

But for on the community end of things, we share elements of the frustration based on the need for income for First, and for good passenger numbers and ticket sales numbers, in order to ensure that future services meet the needs of people travelling.  Mind, some of the figures are a bit (or much) higher than was expected and in places there are growth pains ... I can name you some stations where you can't but tickets out of hours (or at all), you're unlikely to see the conductor in the few minutes to the next similar station as you may be standing in a train that's got several coaches.

No, I didn't know about the 'Cap and Collar' system. I'm not too hot on financing and economics generally, but with that proviso, it does sound somewhat perverse. Anyway, my point wasn't so much to criticise FGW or their staff, as to say 'this happens'. I felt a bit guilty at the time about being, albeit unintentionally, a fare dodger.  :-[

As for I don't know where you're thinking of but I certainly know some that qualify!