Great Western Coffee Shop

I have been traveling fairly frequently recently and I have noticed how a ticket inspection is something that I find myself not expecting anymore.

I never seem to end up with a Ticket Examiner in front set of a 10 car train, nor does the train manager ever seem to check tickets, especially in first class.

Is it just me or is anyone else noticing this?

We may habitually expect to have our tickets checked on each journey - and indeed that gives us a chance to interact with a member of staff to make enquiries / ask questions.   However, it may be a habit we can break (and w should not feel cheated if our ticket is not checked on the journey.

Looking at my "local" IET run ... Bristol, Bath Spa, Chippenham, Didcot, Reading and (for the most part) Paddington are all gated. So ticket checks there.   For sure, such a system is fuzzy around the edges when you look at connections made inside the gated areas, and lack of checking that people who have gone though the gates are in the right part of the train ... but most people are basically honest, and the occasional extra check in those fuzzy areas is probably far more financially sensible that a routine extra check on people who have for the most part been checked anyway.

Been checked recently on North Downs Line, and Reading - Paddington "stopper". Rarely done on Hungerford - Reading on Saturdays, when I get the impression that a lot of the youngsters don't bother with tickets, but possibly a bit intimidating for a lone member of staff.

I have noticed this also.  However for the first time in months my ticket was checked on the Worcester to Paddington (via Cheltenham) this morning. 

My ticket too was checked by the guard on the North Downs on Sunday. It was also checked tonight and last night on my SWR suburban train by revenue inspectors. First time in ages on both those lines. Must be a blitz going on.

There must a a blitz! The 1051 and 1742 had ticket checks on today!

A major issue in loss of revenue is between Stroud and Stonehouse. A group of 15 teenagers who had not purchased tickets at Stroud were questioned by the TM and decided to verbally abuse the member of staff. He really could not do much as the journey is only four minutes and He felt intimidated.

If the FSL (Front Set Lead) - ie the competent person in charge of the front 5 cars of a 5+5 IET - is a Customer Host, then they are not ticket trained so you won't be checked, but if the FSL is a TE (Ticket Examiner), then obviously they are and probably will.

GWR have not caught on yet (or just don't care), though the TMs have, that anyone who doesn't want to pay boards the front 5 trains - in some cases getting free 1st class upgrades.

And in regards to ticketing disputes, the company does not back any guard in any action that will delay the train over ticketing issues, so most guards now can't give a flying one.

Please tell me if I'm missing something obvious here and/or being a bit too radical, but if there is (for example) a "FSL" who isn't capable of selling tickets and his/her colleague at the back is able to do so...…………...couldn't they just swap from time to time during the journey?  ???

Politics I expect!

It’s to do with door operation, the doors need.The doors need to be shut from the rear section of the train. Also, excluding Bath Spa, SDO on 800s are the front carriages rather than the rear, so they have to shit the doors from the very rear unlocked coach on the platform. Let’s say you have FSL Customer Host and you are on the stopping Bristol London train. The guard has to be in the rear at the starting destination, and you are not going to check tickets in 10 minutes. At bath you can not see the whole platform therefore you have to dispatch from the 3rd/4th to last set of doors. Then onto Chippenham where the rear door is locked out of use, so another dispatch from the rear. Swindon to Didcot, if you have a ten car IET then the rear door will be locked out of use.

(well I got a bit focused didn’t I  :D

 they have to do what to the doors from the very rear unlocked coach on the platform?  ;)

Good moaning .

The contrast between local "west services" and HSSs is noticeable.  Almost always checked on the former and never on the latter.  Is GWR not able to manage/incentivise its staff to do their jobs? 

Well, my experience of HSS in the 'West' is that ticket checks are always very frequent, and usually after every stop.  Based on my observations of travelling at least once or twice a month.

The other problem with swapping between units is the FSL has to close down their catering provision for each change, then basically ends up twiddling their thumbs for whilst in the other unit.

Train Manager was very busy yesterday on the Bristol train, sat down in first class with a cup of tea! Yes he was on duty, yes it was a 10 car IET and no there were no ticket examiners on board!

I think I have confused you with my incorrect terminology.  By "west" I meant the local services around Bristol (as opposed to Thames valley).  Ticket almost always checked on these trains by lively engaged staff.  The HSS services I used are Bath-London and occasionally Cardiff-London and these services are almost always unchecked.  West of Tauton, I have insufficient data to comment on high or low speed services. 

Is this in First or Standard? My experience is First is regularly checked, and rightly so, and Standard not as much especially with most IC stations having gatelines.

Which shows the fallacy of the attitude that many TMs have, given there are hundreds of ways to get on the train without passing through a gateline.

Have noticed that recently ticket examinations are on the up on services out of London. I guess TMs no longer have to worry about releasing the doors, making announcements (walking to the buffet for it), SDO etc.

There were hordes of them at Reading this morning on both gate lines.

My ticket was checked yesterday mid afternoon from London before Reading even though it left from a barriered platform (on a Cardiff service).

Just before leaving there had been an incessantly long announcement about not using Advance tickets that were for another service; I say that as the Train Manager was went through three times, wording it a slightly different way each time, including the need for a matching seat reservation. I note in passing that the carriage I was in wasn't even a quarter full.