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grahame
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« on: September 01, 2026, 07:14:59 » |
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Over the past 6 years, no-one has bought a rail ticket from Melksham to Brickett Wood, Bridge of Allan or Bridge of Orchy. So why are those offered as top suggestions when people are entering a station-by-name on the ticket vending machine? Where are Bristol Parkway and Brighton, which are the 26th and 42nd most popular destinations as you enter B-R-I....? Here is what I was offered (on the left) and the most popular destinations - those to or from which tickets have been sold over the past 6 years - on the right.  Sure, the offerings are alphabetic, but wouldn't this be more customer friendly if the offer order was "most popular first", and with those to which tickets have not been sold in recent memory then alphabetic below if there are still gaps? We can argue as to where Bristol Temple Meads should be listed as it's also on the front panel of ten most popular destinations. |
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Coffee Shop Admin, Chair of Melksham Transport User Group, West Wiltshire Rail User Group Committee and TravelWatch SouthWest Board Member
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bobm
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« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2026, 10:34:09 » |
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There is a similar conversation to be had about the keyboard when collecting pre-paid tickets. Most people are familiar with the "QWERTY" style keyboard so find the alphabetical version more difficult.
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IndustryInsider
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« Reply #2 on: September 01, 2026, 10:54:26 » |
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Sure, the offerings are alphabetic, but wouldn't this be more customer friendly if the offer order was "most popular first", and with those to which tickets have not been sold in recent memory then alphabetic below if there are still gaps?
I'm sure I've seen the destinations listed on some machines in terms of 'most popular' in the past? |
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To view my GWML▸ Electrification cab video 'before and after' video comparison, as well as other videos of the new layout at Reading and 'before and after' comparisons of the Cotswold Line Redoubling scheme, see: http://www.dailymotion.com/user/IndustryInsider/ |
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grahame
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« Reply #3 on: September 01, 2026, 11:01:31 » |
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There is a similar conversation to be had about the keyboard when collecting pre-paid tickets. Most people are familiar with the "QWERTY" style keyboard so find the alphabetical version more difficult.
Agreed ... and raised the "why QWERY anyway" question ... Google headlines Why It Was Created
Early models: The first typewriters had keys in a simple alphabetical order.
The problem: Fast typists pressed common letter pairs that sat close together on the machine.
The jam: The metal arms connected to the keys hit each other and stuck.
The fix: Inventor Christopher Latham Sholes separated common letter combinations to keep the metal arms from colliding and so there's an argument to be had that something different - such as alphabetic - should now be adopted, the original reason being out of date. But then this is railway. Remind me where 4'8.75" came from ... |
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Coffee Shop Admin, Chair of Melksham Transport User Group, West Wiltshire Rail User Group Committee and TravelWatch SouthWest Board Member
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grahame
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« Reply #4 on: September 01, 2026, 11:07:45 » |
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Sure, the offerings are alphabetic, but wouldn't this be more customer friendly if the offer order was "most popular first", and with those to which tickets have not been sold in recent memory then alphabetic below if there are still gaps?
I'm sure I've seen the destinations listed on some machines in terms of 'most popular' in the past? Perhaps ... there are so many different standards / machine types / TOCs▸ around. I have seen similar offerings to the Melksham machine in other places. Come the day after nationalisation, and we'll have a miracle of a uniform and logical system [for clarity, the sentence written tongue in cheek] |
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Coffee Shop Admin, Chair of Melksham Transport User Group, West Wiltshire Rail User Group Committee and TravelWatch SouthWest Board Member
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bobm
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« Reply #5 on: September 01, 2026, 11:32:39 » |
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Perhaps ... there are so many different standards / machine types / TOCs▸ around. I have seen similar offerings to the Melksham machine in other places. Come the day after nationalisation, and we'll have a miracle of a uniform and logical system [for clarity, the sentence written tongue in cheek]
..on a QWERTY keyboard.  |
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #6 on: September 01, 2026, 17:26:25 » |
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Going off at another slight tangent (and I can, because I'm an admin ), there is a human equivalent reliance on familiarity here. On a couple of occasions, I have used the ticket office at Nailsea & Backwell, on weekday mornings when it is open, on the principle, 'use it or lose it'. On both occasions, staff were very efficient. The young lady, from her accent possibly East European, so English was not her first language, had never heard of 'Melksham' or 'Kemble' - but was happy to look them up when I spelled them out for her. I got the impression she had to type in the full name on her ticket machine, rather than the three letter station codes, which I offered her as an initial suggestion. CfN▸ .  |
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William Huskisson MP▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: Stop, Look, Listen.
"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.
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1st fan
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« Reply #7 on: September 01, 2026, 19:20:53 » |
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The old ticket office at Kensington Olympia (KPA) which was the old Motorail one from back in the days of old was staffed by an Ex-BR▸ bloke who was fabulous. He knew everything and was always happy to do odd tickets that others would stuggle with, or check something in the fares manual for you. It has, since becoming an TFL▸ Overground station, been closed and replaced by a portacabin type thing at the other platform entrance and a bank of ticket machines.
My gripe with GWR▸ and their ticket machines at Paddington is that they don’t accept the three letter code for a station which I habitually type in first, before realising that it isn’t showing me my destination. This is really annoying if you’ve just arrived, a little late for the train you’re hoping to get. Also don’t understand why they took the ticket machine(s) away from the Taxi Rank at Paddington. Last time I was there there were HEX ones but not GWR ones, it may have been temporary ans they may have been put back subsequently. Still bloody annoying though.
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #8 on: September 01, 2026, 19:44:30 » |
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Many years ago (well, twenty, give or take one) we had a similar expert, Dave, in the morning ticket office at Nailsea & Backwell. That was in the days of Wessex Trains (pah!  ), but he was absolutely brilliant: what he didn't know about railway ticketing wouldn't even use up the back of a postage stamp. CfN▸ . |
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William Huskisson MP▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: Stop, Look, Listen.
"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.
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infoman
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« Reply #9 on: September 03, 2026, 07:15:35 » |
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Going slightly off topic,Trip advisor do the forums in alphabetical order,
just wish they would change it so if your in the U.K. its at the top, at the present time the United Kingdom is at the bottom.
Further off topic e-bay use to have a system where you could push up your views on items you were selling.
But now views are counted as one user per item you are selling.
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grahame
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« Reply #10 on: September 03, 2026, 08:10:29 » |
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Going slightly off topic,Trip advisor do the forums in alphabetical order,
just wish they would change it so if your in the U.K. its at the top, at the present time the United Kingdom is at the bottom.
Further off topic e-bay use to have a system where you could push up your views on items you were selling.
But now views are counted as one user per item you are selling.
Largely agreed - but these are tricky calls for the software developer at times. People like a consistency rather than a menu that keeps changing around - I've been dealing with concerns on a Facebook group (not public transport) in recent days where a quiz night and a show from last year turned up high on the display because someone liked / commented on old posts. Nearly had someone turn up for an event 365 days ago. I would often like more control over the order I am offered things - but then I get frustrated by the way things move around in other places and that's sometimes because I have too much data / too many options. I don't know what the solution is. |
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Coffee Shop Admin, Chair of Melksham Transport User Group, West Wiltshire Rail User Group Committee and TravelWatch SouthWest Board Member
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