I bought a platform ticket at Leeds today to meet my wife off her train. At the gateline I was asked which platform I was going to. I asked why it mattered and was told they check this with platform tickets. I've never come across this before, including at Leeds, and indeed it seems a pointless challenge as, not only does the ticket allow the holder to visit multiple platforms, if anyone was so minded they could simply name any random platform. Has anyone else encountered this?
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Platform ticket challenge at Leeds
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10 pence
No, they never do at Leeds
bb21
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No, I have not heard that happen before.
Given the potential for misuse, I can imagine why they did that. It may catch some unprepared/unsophisticated fare dodgers out. As long as you have a reasonable answer then I wouldn't expect any issue.
Robertj21a
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Chap at the Leeds barrier recently said that they were very erratic and he thought they were being replaced.
Robertj21a
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The train may well be changed to a different platform anyway !
This is certainly true, from what I've observed.
Teflon Lettuce
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I didn't even know they still existed... thought platform tickets had ended years ago. 10p is certainly a bargain... I'm sure they cost that much when I was a kid 40 yrs ago!
gtis
Member
I am sure I can remember them being 1 old penny
Neil
Neil
DarloRich
Veteran Member
Why pay for a ticket? Just ask the gate line to let you through. I have never been refused.
matt_world2004
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Platform tickets are £1 on the tube at that price its nearly the cost of an off peak journey.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
Not really... if caught, that’s a guaranteed RoRA prosecution as the intent is obvious.
That assumes they would actually attempt to show a platform ticket when challenged and not just say "I got on at (any unbarred or unstaffed station) mate". I think you'll find regular fare dodgers are not so naive.
Thing is though intellegence can be passed so easily now that if they're not caught the first two times they will be at some point if they're regular offenders and this is their strategy to travel. People soon get noticed and it gets passed back and before you know it these people become known. And the consequences of getting caught doing such a thing never mind caught more than once could land them in serious bother And who wants a criminal record due to being unwilling to pay your fare before traveling?
What will happen is at some point t they'll be challenged on a train or at a barrier. Station staff will be aware of the person and what they look like. They attempt to travel again and are asked what ticket they have. If they had a platform ticket again and boarded a train staff would tell the onboard staff. And it goes from there and they're going to get into serious trouble as well as becoming known fairly quickly by railway personnel.
Just believe what goes around comes around and people who may do such a thing won't do it just once. They will do it regularly and will end up in deep trouble pretty soon.
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I would hope that to be true, but in reality things just don't work the way they should. Some people will always work around the system, even when it should be obvious that they are trying it on. I can imagine scenarios where people could regularly use platform tickets for cheap travel, using some story to justify being a regular buyer of them (I'd give examples but you don't know who might be lurking, so don't want to give any potential dodgers ideas!).
But perhaps a simple solution exists, where available platform tickets are based on a deposit scheme. So you buy one for say £5.10, then when you have finished and are departing you simply return said ticket to the office & get your deposit minus the £0.10 for the actual cost. This should deter many from using them for cheap travel, especially where average singles are less.
So why not say "hello" rather than ask a seemingly pointless question?
Like others I thought platform tickets were a thing of the past, I've always been allowed through any ticket gates if meeting someone or seeing them off.
If only that were so, I suspect the same dodgers get away with it again and again and again!
Ah, yes........
When you could spend an hour on the platform, buy a three-piece suit from Burton's, go to the pictures, buy a packet of Woodbines, eat fish and chips out of newspaper for supper, catch the last bus home and still have change from half-a-crown.
Kite159
Veteran Member
Cheaper than buying a single to the nearest/cheapest station (Cottingley?) to get though the barriers etc. Barriers are only good as saying your ticket is valid at that station, not what service you will board.
(Other examples is Lime Street - Edge Hill, New Street - Duddeston/Five Ways)
What's the alternative, a £10 deposit?
Whattraintoday
Member
Of course, the gum in the gears of changing anything to do with the ticket barriers at Leeds is the mixed jurisdiction - NR run the station, Northern run the ticket barriers and every man & his dog seem to provide ticketing facilities*.
*Hmm, it's almost like there's a commission for selling tickets...
*Hmm, it's almost like there's a commission for selling tickets...
Springs Branch
Established Member
How does one go about buying a platform ticket at a station like Leeds? Do you need to queue at a ticket counter and hand over your 10p to a human, or is it an option available on the ticket machines?
Alteran Ancient
Member
You have to ask at the ticket office. Most manned stations will give you one if you ask for them, however, some TOCs like SWR have a policy where they'll refuse to issue them, citing "potential for misuse". I had this issue at Waterloo last year where I wanted one for Waterloo East, but the SWR TO refused to give me one, because "it isn't our station" and "we don't give them out any more because you'll just use it for fare evasion". After speaking with the SE guys at the gateline, they let me straight through.
Other operators like SE don't seem to have a problem issuing them - if you make it clear you're after one to see-off or meet someone, or you're a trainspotter, they're normally happy to give you one for the low price of 10p. I'm known at my local station (not sure if that's a good thing), so they'll wave me through the barriers if I ask.
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