Addressing Information - cost - connectivity - comfort - frequency - reliability

[whole diary]

[grahame]

I am posting in "looking forward" because I am looking forward - though much of this is the experiences of yesterday and noting what could do with attention for a better public transport offering.

It's a long piece at https://grahamellis.uk/blog1900.html and goes though the current fare offerings on the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) which could be considered to be a scam, the lack of attention to "Information - cost - connectivity - comfort - frequency - reliability" issues, and so many issues on the way home that I started with Plan A and kept swapping it for another - ending up on Plan G - but still got home only around 100 minutes after I have intended, which for a laid back day out perhaps isn't too bad?

Always looking forward, I have reached a few tentative conclusions ...

[ChrisB]

Can I recommend joining the weekly TfL^» (Transport for London - about) email that outlines all their weekend engineering work? You would have known about the line being out between (I think) Tower Hill & Edgware Road.

Also the TfL Go app which would have planned you a working route from City Thameslink to Paddington.

[grahame]

Can I recommend joining the weekly TfL^» (Transport for London - about) email that outlines all their weekend engineering work? You would have known about the line being out between (I think) Tower Hill & Edgware Road.

Also the TfL Go app which would have planned you a working route from City Thameslink to Paddington.

Good recommendations ... for many.   I was "going with the flow" by that part of the day - I often do and until I reached Holborn Viaduct [road], I didn't even have my Plan A.    I could have walked to St Pauls or Chancery Lane tubes; decision taken on spur of the moment to join the train at City and change at Farringdon.  I could also have taken the 46 bus from Barts to Paddington if I wanted a tour of north London.

[grahame]

I understand that the £14 return fare (£18 before 09:00 Monday to Friday) from Melksham to Trowbridge exists because the Melksham is a "Chippenham Group" station and Trowbridge is in the Westbury group. The fare is valid via Bath Spa.

I am told that the fare should be overridden on the front of the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) by the direct fare but due to a "database error" it's the higher fare - £14 or £18 - rather than the fare of around £6 that is offered on the single press "popular destinations" menu on the front panel; the lower price fare can be found if you know to dig in and look for it.

My GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) contact has apologised for how long he has taken to get back to me on this (I heard on 26th), but only explained (no apology) for the database error.  He tells me the database was corrected on 19th, but as of 25th when I was last at the station, the change has not percolated through.   

I raised this matter with GWR's head of revenue on Tuesday (23rd) at GWR's parliamentary reception, and he assured me that this fare was chosen for the front of the TVM as it's the one that's most sold for the journey. If he's correct in that statement, it illustrates just how many people are being what I regard as overcharged by nearly £10 for a ten minute journey.  K-chink - nice money raiser!   If he's incorrect in his statement, then can I believe anything else he tells me with an assurance.  Just occasionally, "don't know - I'll find out" would be the best answer.

I have gotten back to GWR asking them to changes the offering on the front panel to reflect the fact that most Melksham to Trowbridge passengers take the direct train ...

[ChrisB]

It should change (eventually) - at the next fares download. Not sure how often the machine connects to do that. It may be that individual machines can be manually done, but otherwise it happens en-bloc (I believe)

[grahame]

It should change (eventually) - at the next fares download. Not sure how often the machine connects to do that. It may be that individual machines can be manually done, but otherwise it happens en-bloc (I believe)

Email received at 14:35 confirming "the Melksham TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) should now be updated with an amended set of fares on the front screen."  Visited the station at 15:50 just to check before I said "thank you" ... and on the front panel it's unchanged - still selling a £14.40 off peak day return to Trowbridge.

I would have been more inclined to believe the email (and not go and check) if I had been told that it would update overnight ... and still expect it might.

[ChrisB]

And......did it?

[grahame]

And......did it?

Don't know ... about to post a new thread as to why I have not been around in person.

[grahame]

My GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) contact has apologised for how long he has taken to get back to me on this (I heard on 26th), but only explained (no apology) for the database error.  He tells me the database was corrected on 19th, but as of 25th when I was last at the station, the change has not percolated through.   

From earlier on 27th

Hello Graham,
 
I have had it confirmed by my retail colleagues that the Melksham TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) should now be updated with an amended set of fares on the front screen.  Hopefully this should mean that all of the outstanding issues are resolved, but please do get in touch if not.
 
Thanks,
Peter

From 27th (evening)

Thanks Graham,
 
I take this away and see what more can be done.  It may simply need another day or two to be fully distributed to the machine.
 
Thanks,
Peter

And still today - 31st - showing the higher fare

[ChrisB]

I think it updates normally once a week. I may be wrong.

[grahame]

I think it updates normally once a week. I may be wrong.

I am - delighted - to report that the amended set of fares as promised has now appeared on the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) at Melksham - offering newcomers sensible / best options.  Peak offerings remain to be verified, but we now have these (all return fares) changed:

Melksham to London (Paddington) reduced from a £94.90 "off peak" fare to a £71.20 "super off peak"
Melksham to Trowbridge reduced from £14.40 to £5.80
Melksham to Westbury reduced from £14.40 to £5.10

The changes have to be sensible.

There is no difference between the "off peak" and "super off peak" on the trains from Melksham into London, and on the return it only excludes two more trains on Mondays to Fridays that are not public holidays, one of which is a morning train that people are highly unlikely to be using as the return half from a Melksham purchase.  Full local publicity / writeup due.   

Selling a one-stop or two-stop direct journey (to Trowbridge or Westbury) no longer allows passengers the option of going and returning via Chippenham (change trains) and Bath Spa (change trains) by which time - even on our sparse service - the next direct train would have been overtaken.

[rogerw]

It begs the question why is the Westbury fare cheaper that the Trowbridge one? Or is this another of your famous typos 

[grahame]

It begs the question why is the Westbury fare cheaper that the Trowbridge one? Or is this another of your famous typos 

Because this is the rail industry.   Not a typo.