Printing tickets at home/e-tickets

[Bristol Rover]

I know some lines do/did offer this (e.g. Chiltern), but why has so little progress been made over the last few years?

My local TOCs here in Bristol are XC and FGW. I believe Crosscountry allow you to print advance tickets, but why not anytime tickets? First Great Western don't offer any printing?

It might sound like a minor point, but it is one of the reasons I don't use the trains as often as I would like. I always aim to get to the Temple Meads 20 minutes before departure of my intended train, as there is often a very long queue at the ticket office/fast ticket machines and I don't wish to risk missing my train. When there isn't a queue, this is time wasted, but I can't take that chance.

By the time I've walked to the station and queued, I've added an hour to my journey, and lazily, faced with this scenario, I usually drive. If I could print my ticket at home, I'd doubtless use the train more often.

The other reason is the aggro I often get when boarding at Parson Street and then connecting at Temple Meads. When I arrive at Temple Meads without a ticket (as the conductors often don't come round with only 2 stops to go), I invariably get treated like a fare dodger. I've also had an incident in the past where I've had to board a connecting train without a ticket (Parson Street train was late, only just made a Birmingham train), and then again been told I shouldn't be travelling without a ticket (despite explaining the circumstances), and that I should delay my journey in order to buy a ticket.

All unnecessary aggravation that could be avoided with the facility to print tickets at home or have them as an e-ticket.

Why hasn't the industry embraced this technology?

 

[gordonthemoron]

Outwith advance tickets validated by ID, I can't see print at home working unless guards/RPI have barcode scanners attached to a central database to prevent reuse of tickets (like DB do in Germany)

 

[WelshBluebird]

The other reason is the aggro I often get when boarding at Parson Street and then connecting at Temple Meads. When I arrive at Temple Meads without a ticket (as the conductors often don't come round with only 2 stops to go), I invariably get treated like a fare dodger.

To be fair, I often travel from Oldfield Park or Keynsham, and like you very rarely end up buying a ticket on the train as the guards usually do not come around. I have never had any issues while having to buy a ticket at Bristol Temple Meads in those situations.

 

[tony_mac]

I believe Crosscountry allow you to print advance tickets, but why not anytime tickets?

As has been said, because they could easily be reused and their is currently no system in place to deal with that.

However, I don't think Temple Meads is representative of the rest of the country. I don't think I've ever waited more than 5 minutes anywhere else.

(BTW, are you aware of the ticket machines in the car park? I assume people know about them by now, but they were quite new and queueless the last time I was there.)

 

[D6975]

As has been said, because they could easily be reused and their is currently no system in place to deal with that.

However, I don't think Temple Meads is representative of the rest of the country. I don't think I've ever waited more than 5 minutes anywhere else.

(BTW, are you aware of the ticket machines in the car park? I assume people know about them by now, but they were quite new and queueless the last time I was there.)

They've been there long enough to be changed to card only following a spate of attacks by people trying to break into them to get the cash out.
They've been there at least 18 months to my knowledge and they are frequently queueless as you say, even at busy times.

I usually pick tickets up several days before travelling anyway, I do most of my 'normal' travel on advances.

 

[yorkie]

All unnecessary aggravation that could be avoided with the facility to print tickets at home or have them as an e-ticket.

I avoid unnecessary aggravation by avoiding e-tickets.

Have you seen the threads about the various problems people have had?

If you lose your credit/debit card, you may be asked to buy a completely new ticket!

I urge everyone to avoid e-tickets or m-tickets.

 

[swcovas]

I have lived in Portugal since 1993 and since before I arrived it was possible to buy tickets using a normal debit card at any ATM for any Inter City train complete with seat reservation. Booking online at home has also been in operation for at least 5 years, maybe longer.

It has often perplexed me why the UK has not been able to get its act together and provide this facility.

 

[Tetchytyke]

The restrictions on e-tickets or m-tickets are very severe, if you don't bring the specific ID you stated when booking then your ticket is invalid. So if you get your card nicked, or the number changes, you're screwed.

The ID has to be there, really, to protect the passenger if their ticket is stolen.

If you book weeks in advance, you could get them posted to you. EastCoast only charge me a quid to do it, and that's what I normally do.

 

[tractakid]

There are booking engines that don't charge for posting. Recently I tried Northern and had free delivery. In case it makes a difference these were advance tickets from an origin station that has ToD facilities.

 

[yorkie]

If you book weeks in advance, you could get them posted to you. EastCoast only charge me a quid to do it, and that's what I normally do.

EC don't charge if the origin does not have a (TOD-enabled) ticket machine, so there's no charge if booking from somewhere like Poppleton, but a postage charge would be made if the journey was booked from York.

If there are multiple tickets, it looks at the origin station for the earliest scheduled departure time.

 

[sheff1]

Outwith advance tickets validated by ID, I can't see print at home working unless guards/RPI have barcode scanners attached to a central database to prevent reuse of tickets (like DB do in Germany)

I have often used the print at home tickets in Germany and wondered why the ticket checkers in this country do not have the same technology.

I can only conclude that everyone is waiting for the mythical smartcard which will solve all GB rail ticketing issues at a stroke

 

[Eagle]

I have often used the print at home tickets in Germany and wondered why the ticket checkers in this country do not have the same technology.

Probably because it's hard to get all the different TOCs to agree on a national e-ticketing system and database. Obviously not a problem in Germany.

 

[sheff1]

I avoid unnecessary aggravation by avoiding e-tickets.

If you lose your credit/debit card, you may be asked to buy a completely new ticket!

If you lose the paper tickets which have been posted out to you, you will almost certainly be asked to buy new tickets !

Probably because it's hard to get all the different TOCs to agree on a national e-ticketing system and database. Obviously not a problem in Germany.

Obviously not, even though they have at least as many different operators as us, all of whom accept the print at home tickets. The answer here would be for DfT to mandate a national system - but, as I say, all their hopes seem to be with the smartcard.

 

[Haywain]

The answer here would be for DfT to mandate a national system - but, as I say, all their hopes seem to be with the smartcard.

If the DfT foot the bill completely, there will be no argument. Otherwise getting 22/24 TOCs with different length franchises and different priorities to agree to split the bill might happen just before Hell freezes over.