Guard scribbles on train ticket - Rejected at barriers

[island]

Zifas are great, as long as the TM uses the correct Headcode. We came back from Glasgow on Monday and the VT one had the correct code but FGW's stamp was nothing like the train we were on- they stamped 1X83 when we were on 1C87!

There are only 10 characters for each position so the stamper might not have had the desired letter. No excuse for 3 instead of 7 though.

 

[trainophile]

Probably because some idiot has complained about the floor being covered with millions of orange didcots.

Even ten years on, those little orange dots still remind me of thyroid pills we had to give to our cat, which we used to find spat out all over the house .

Is the OP sure its the pen mark which is effecting the ticket and not something in their pocket effecting the magnetic strip?

Would the strip on a debit card cause this, if the ticket was kept in the same wallet?

 

[Tracky]

Arriva Trains Wales guards have been issued with new ziffa stompers which date and hole the tickets. There is also a 5 character end for a route code. Head codes can't be used as all 5 spaces are numeric.

 

[island]

Would the strip on a debit card cause this, if the ticket was kept in the same wallet?

No. Nor will an average magnet. There is this myth going around that phones and so on cause tickets to demagnetize. Mythbusters knocked this one out some time ago.

 

[Saint Sophie]

Thanks for the replies everyone

It seems it might not be the scribble that causes the rejection. The other day, I used my ticket through four barriers - getting into the Underground at Paddington, leaving the Underground at Liverpool St, getting to the platform at Liverpool Street and leaving Harlow Town station. It was a Carmarthen to Harlow Town ticket, and the ticket was successful at all barriers apart from the barrier at Liverpool Street, where I was trying to get onto the platform to get on my train to Harlow. I showed the guard and he looked puzzled because he said he didn't know where Carmarthen was, and hadn't heard of it

Some days it's successful in every barrier, other days it's rejected at every single one. I try and keep my tickets away from my mobile phone, so I don't know what's causing it really.

I think the error code is 09, but I can't confirm for absolute certainty.

 

[island]

09 means the ticket couldn't be read by the barrier.

 

[Saint Sophie]

09 means the ticket couldn't be read by the barrier.

That's strange. I've never had problems getting through when I speak to the guard thankfully, although the one I mentioned the other day looked puzzled, and I think the only reason he let me through was because there was a big crowd behind me

At least it means the ticket was valid anyhow

 

[island]

Yeah, possibly the particular gate or gateline is being maintained badly and needs the reader heads cleaned.

 

[PermitToTravel]

There is a maltese cross † preceding the route (second field on the last line), which should tell the gateline assistant that the ticket is valid via London and is definitely valid from an appropriate London Terminal to the printed destination. It is a serious staff training issue if one of them is not aware of this.

 

[hassaanhc]

Once I had a Z1-6 travelcard that worked at Woolwich Arsenal, Tower Hill, East Ham and Stratford but not Victoria, which was in between the first two. That was probably because they'd set restrictions on railcard discounted tickets as the person at the barriers asked for my railcard (which was no issue )

Last week I had a Victoria-Barnham Advance for the 1902 departure but at around 1825 I wanted to go onto the booked platform (18 according to RTT) and take a seat, only to find my ticket rejected (I'd only just collected it less than 10 minutes earlier). The person there said I had to wait until my train was advertised (probably because of an earlier train to Barnham still being in the platform) so fair enough. Now when the train did arrive in the platform at 1849 (not advertised yet) I went up and tried again, but once again it was rejected so showed the ticket again and said the ticket didn't work. This time I was let through, got a 3 minute head-start compared to everyone else

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Being my usual pedantic self (coupled to also being a 68 years old grumpy old man), I have just seen this thread for the first time and read through it and notice that some forum members use the word "biro" rather than the correct terminology of "ball-point pen"...:roll:

Perhaps I should try to establish a precedent by calling an overly-pedantic forum posting a "Sidorczuk".....

 

[Welshman]

even ten years on, those little orange dots still remind me of thyroid pills we had to give to our cat, which we used to find spat out all over the house .

 

[AndyPJG]

Being my usual pedantic self (coupled to also being a 68 years old grumpy old man), I have just seen this thread for the first time and read through it and notice that some forum members use the word "biro" rather than the correct terminology of "ball-point pen"...:roll:

Perhaps I should try to establish a precedent by calling an overly-pedantic forum posting a "Sidorczuk".....

and do you use a 'hoover', 'Hoover' or 'vacuum-cleaner'?

 

[Welshman]

Arriva Trains Wales guards have been issued with new ziffa stompers which date and hole the tickets. There is also a 5 character end for a route code. Head codes can't be used as all 5 spaces are numeric.

Apparently these have yet to be given to all conductors, for on my journey from North Wales to Manchester last Friday, my ticket in both directions was subjected to the ball-point pen scribble!

Which didn't prevent my leaving the stations, as my arrival at Piccadilly was greeted by a total absence of the G4S security people, and back home the gate supervisor was holding the wide gate open, allowing us all an unimpeded exit. You do wonder why they spent so much on installing them!

 

[sor]

They are actually fairly complicated little beasties so I'm not surprised they cost a bit.

I believe FGW have it in their franchise contract they have to use Zifa stampers, I personally have been issued with a bog standard stationery co hole punch but prefer to use a pen if I mark the ticket.

I know some guards have complained of repetitive strain injuries from using ticket stampers before.

I don't know if it's because they don't have enough to go around, personal preference or whatever, but quite a lot of the time on FGW (even on high speed services) the biro is the method of choice too. Plus the occasional hole punch.

And whatever ink the Zifas have still doesn't dry properly on the ticket stock used...

 

[Oswyntail]

and do you use a 'hoover', 'Hoover' or 'vacuum-cleaner'?

House maid!

 

[kieron]

They are quite complex inside. Ten characters have to be changeable, and it needs an ink pad or roller, plus incredibly high reliability and durability.

They don't sound all that much more complicated than one of these (£3.42 to a good home). As you can easily pay 10 times as much for a similar item, £100 a piece for a more specialised item which gives all that and government approval too doesn't sound too surprising.

I can't see Zifa's ever making it through a cost/benefit analysis, though.

 

[swt_passenger]

... someone could easily try to claim that a friend or child or even themselves testing a pen scribbled on it.

Yes, and you definitely win today's RailUK 'clutching at straws' prize. :roll:

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

and do you use a 'hoover', 'Hoover' or 'vacuum-cleaner'?

Not I, young scallywag. It is my good lady wife who uses the vacuum-cleaner..

 

[L&Y Robert]

and do you use a 'hoover', 'Hoover' or 'vacuum-cleaner'?

And a Kleenex?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

And a Kleenex?

Oh dear. If the English Language had the ability to talk and to view this thread, I can well imagine it uttering those famous words...

Oh infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me"...

 

[transmanche]

Oh infamy, infamy, they've all got it in for me"...

Oh I think that's worth illustrating!

[youtube]h6BJJe9JV_A[/youtube]

 

[AndrewR232]

Would an automatic ticket barrier reject a ticket with a hole punched in it?

I ask this because since barriers were installed at Glasgow Central a couple of years ago, a few ticket examiners who used to use a hole punch now mark tickets with pens.

My own guess is that they should work the barriers providing the magnetic strip is left in tact?

 

[AndyPJG]

What is wrong with using the old style clippers that make a hole in the ticket? - obviously avoiding the magnetic strip.

A couple of years ago I took my young nephew on a Javelin train on HS1 and the guard brought out a steam engine shaped stamp for his ticket. Nephew was very pleased to have it stamped with a special train stamp.

Quite possibly one of these http://www.ecrater.co.uk/p/11953447/steam-train-paper-shaper-stamp?gps=1?

I've got one that I use when stationmaster at the Gt Cockcrow Railway.

 

[island]

They don't sound all that much more complicated than one of these (£3.42 to a good home). As you can easily pay 10 times as much for a similar item, £100 a piece for a more specialised item which gives all that and government approval too doesn't sound too surprising.

I can't see Zifa's ever making it through a cost/benefit analysis, though.

The £3.42 one requires a stamp pad. Can't see a guard carrying one of them around.

 

[PermitToTravel]

Why not? It would be less ridiculous than those beastly ticket machines

 

[Tracky]

Ziffa stompers are very well made and make checking and stamping 150 tickets in 30 mins relatively simple. Ours also punch a hole so even if people try to rub the ink off, the hole is still visible.

Dating tickets is now very important as people, sadly, do try and re use them so a hole or shape just doesn't cut it.

Also, if you punch a hole in the magnetic strip, it can stop the ticket from working in gates and will stop the ticket from being read in a machine if it's user tries to claim a refund.

The holding open of wide gates is very annoying.

 

[Urban Gateline]

Would an automatic ticket barrier reject a ticket with a hole punched in it?

I ask this because since barriers were installed at Glasgow Central a couple of years ago, a few ticket examiners who used to use a hole punch now mark tickets with pens.

My own guess is that they should work the barriers providing the magnetic strip is left in tact?

Barriers should reject a ticket as unreadable if you hole-punch the mag-stripe. That's what I used to do with people who wanted to keep open tickets at the end of their Journey, two hole punches through the magstripe to prevent someone using that ticket again or marking it with a permanent marker

 

[northwichcat]

two hole punches through the magstripe to prevent someone using that ticket again

Unfair on the majority who aren't trying to defraud the TOC and may try the ticket in the barrier before having to join the queue for the ticket barrier where the staff member is located.

 

[Urban Gateline]

Unfair on the majority who aren't trying to defraud the TOC and may try the ticket in the barrier before having to join the queue for the ticket barrier where the staff member is located.

If you read my post properly you would see I mentioned this being at the END of the passengers' Journey!