Ticket Machines - machines missing or broken, and penalty fare implications (merged topics)

[whole diary]

[Jim]

I like the way there's a huge sign at Trowbridge that says "Tickets over the Bridge" (or words to that effect) just a few yards from the only ticket machine.  If I were a newcomer to Trowbridge, followed the directions, failed to find anywhere to buy my ticket would they still penalise me?

More than likely

[Jim]

Guess what, it is still not working & I am guessing that PF^▸ (Penalty Fare)'s are now inforce

[tramway]

Only machine at Filton is on platform 1 and wearing a very nice black plastic bag.

Some engineers were playing with it a couple of weeks ago, but nothing since. Were are all just waiting for the locals to start playing with it. 

There is nothing left of the plastic carrier bag which was the only protection for the trailing cable which was installed for the second Trowbridge machine, and the armoured cable is slowly being unravelled.

[Jim]

Only machine at Filton is on platform 1 and wearing a very nice black plastic bag.

Some engineers were playing with it a couple of weeks ago, but nothing since. Were are all just waiting for the locals to start playing with it. 

There is nothing left of the plastic carrier bag which was the only protection for the trailing cable which was installed for the second Trowbridge machine, and the armoured cable is slowly being unravelled.

Kept forgetting to check wether the bag was still there! This PF^▸ (Penalty Fare) stuff has gone up the creek so to speak, allready!

[MikeGTN]

Highbridge and Burnham appeared to be working last Friday evening. Interested to see if it's still working after a weekend of attention by the locals!

[Jim]

O NO! They have installed a new machine under the P1 Waiting area, which..Wait for it...WORKS!

Well done FGW^▸ (First Great Western), but passengers can still play the 'bone idol' passenger I guess because the P2 1 does not work still!

Under the waiting area on P1 though, I would like to see how long that lasts

[Jim]

Both working now, however you can't get the SWT^▸ (South West Trains) Super Off Peak RTNS! Out of intrest (1 for Whistleblower) can you do them on the onboard machines?

[Timmer]

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk.railway/browse_thread/thread/8e55de5045c49437?hl=en

Posted on ukrailway this morning. This coming after The Times highlighting SWTs^▸ (South West Trains) clamp down. Anyone else able to report similar experiences?

The bolshy station staff at Bath have obviously got tired of selling
tickets to honest travellers from intermediate stations to Weston
Super Mare.

If the local automatic ticket machine is out of order (which they are
regularly, thanks to the braindead morons that pass for teenagers
these days), then a potential traveller cannot purchase a ticket. So,
what usually happens? We board the train and wait to buy our ticket
from the guard. If the guard does not turn up? We get off at Bath and
buy the ticket there.

Not any more. Several travellers have been told in no uncertain terms,
that if we board a train without a ticket for any reason whatsoever,
we will be counted as criminals/fare dodgers and legal action will be
taken.

I cannot think of another policy (short of physical abuse by railway
staff) that is more guaranteed to make the residents of North Somerset
take to the roads, and never travel by train ever again.

Well done FGW^▸ (First Great Western). You have cured your over-crowding problem.

ENDS

[Scooby]

Well this is tripe as if the machine is out of order then the station has no ticket issuing facilities in which case you are perfectly entitled to board a train without a ticket. Then if you dont see a guard if the trains full and standing or they are work shy etc your first oppurtunity is on arrival at your destination.

Just out of interest am fairly sure no penalty fares have been issued within the recently extended penalty fare zone??

[Jim]

If the ticket machine isn't working, you can buy your ticket on train or failing that at your destination station, (however surley you should try & find the guard, he isn't that hard to find, as he is the 1 with a ticket machine round his neck!)  In theory without being PF^▸ (Penalty Fare)'d, HOWEVER if you wish to excess your ticket (as 1 example in the times stated) then NCoC state you must excess before boarding the train & they can charge the full fare, as technically you don't have a valid ticket

[grahame]

Theory and practise are somewhat different at times ... I could point back to similar incidents reported to me at first hand in the past, and indeed one personal experience.

I know that I, for one, would think twice before travelling without a ticket even it was within the rules for me so to do.   From Melksham, if I don't see a member of the train crew within the first five minutes, I seek them out before Trowbridge / Chippenham, and (as on one occasion) when joining a train which is in the penalty zone but has no working machine, I will approach the conductor as I join and point this out to him / her, asking him / her to issue a ticket as soon as station duties have been completed.

[Timmer]

Two concerns that I have, one is if you get a guard who is having a bad day and refuses to believe your excuse that the ticket machine isnt working. Second is you turn up and the machine says 'cash only, no cards'. Say you are travelling quite a distance and don't have much cash on you and want to pay by card. I am all for revenue protection and all I ask for is a bit of flexability from the train company when someone is genuinely endeavouring to purchase a ticket but the ticket machine either isn't working or is only partcially working. They are after all there to provide a service and they have the means in the form of a ticket machine either on the train or at the destination to collect the fare.

I guess all this heavy handed approach to fares is increasing by companies like FGW^▸ (First Great Western) and SWT^▸ (South West Trains) because of the huge premiums that they are having to pay during the life of their franchises. Like I said, I am a strong supporter of going after those who don't pay for their journey but don't put fear into those who do but arent always able to due to a problem with the ticket machine or long queues at the ticket office.

[Scooby]

Bodmin Parkway in Cornwalls TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) suffered damage by people trying to break in. They failed just leaving scars to the base of the machine. But fear not, they returned and instead of damaging it, they took the whole bloody thing! They may survive around Bristol, but Bodmins has been stolen!!

[Jim]

Bodmin Parkway in Cornwalls TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) suffered damage by people trying to break in. They failed just leaving scars to the base of the machine. But fear not, they returned and instead of damaging it, they took the whole bloody thing! They may survive around Bristol, but Bodmins has been stolen!!

The whole thing! 

[Timmer]

Bodmin Parkway in Cornwalls TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) suffered damage by people trying to break in. They failed just leaving scars to the base of the machine. But fear not, they returned and instead of damaging it, they took the whole bloody thing! They may survive around Bristol, but Bodmins has been stolen!!

The lengths people will go to just for a few quid. I take it the guard will happily issue tickets to passengers when they say "couldn't buy a ticket at the station cos the machine has been nicked".

Better check to see if it's appeared on ebay!