Buy Ranger/Rover tickets online

[gareth taylor]

I am wondering why TOCs are not selling day ranger / rovers tickets online? Only to get them at stations. Would it be a good idea if start they selling them?

 

[rail-britain]

ScotRail appears to be the only TOC that sell rovers online :
http://www.travelpass.buytickets.scotrail.co.uk/Rover/

Northern Rail did sell them briefly but stopped doing so due to abuse and fraud

SPT also sell their daytripper online :
https://kiosk.iristickets.co.uk/k?spt&daytripper

 

[transportphoto]

Some - not all - are available from some telesales, Anglia Plus Day Ranger is for sure.

 

[Mojo]

National Rail Enquiries will give you the price for a Rover when you ask it to, and allow you to select it to buy it, but when follow the links on to buy your ticket from a TOC website it says that the ticket cannot be found.

 

[transportphoto]

Slightly off topic this one, but I feel that the question to this answer is coming soon!

You can buy ANY** Rail Rover from ANY Ticket Office / Travel Centre, it doesn't matter if the purchasing location is in the validity of the rover either, the ticket should be issued no questions asked!

Also, you can buy ANY** rover from ANY Guard/TM/RPI equipped with a Avantix Mobile device were ever you are in the country, again this should be with no questions asked.

I know many people assume that the rovers are only available from locations within their validity, this is incorrect.

**With the exception of 1 or 2!

 

[rail-britain]

I know many people assume that the rovers are only available from locations within their validity, this is incorrect

Some TOCs have become aware of the abuse and fraud this presents
Hence why they are reluctant to offer these tickets online

However, if a customer bought an out of area Rover on-train, they would still need a valid ticket to travel
So as above, the customer is more than likely to purchase such a ticket through telesales or at a station

I have however seen one customer attempt to purchase a rover at a manned barrier, the customer being asked for their name so it could be applied to the ticket but refusing, then leaving the station
Again this was considered for fraud

 

[142094]

Northern Rail did sell them briefly but stopped doing so due to abuse and fraud

I always believed that Northern did not sell tickets either online or through telesales, and still don't to this day?

 

[rail-britain]

I always believed that Northern did not sell tickets either online

Northern Rail did briefly sell tickets online during 2006
However due to a dispute over revenue from thetrainline the links were removed
Ironically tickets for Northern Rail can be purchased online from other providers, and they now receive the commission

 

[142094]

Never knew that they had sold tickets themselves online. They must be one of the only TOCs not to do so.

 

[radamfi]

Some TOCs have become aware of the abuse and fraud this presents
Hence why they are reluctant to offer these tickets online

Is fraud an acceptable excuse to reduce availability of Rovers? Presumably the name could be printed on the ticket if a Rover was purchased online if that is what the worry is.

A major problem is that many Rover tickets are not even available from machines. There are ticket machines at a number of stations around Greater Manchester but I haven't been able to buy Daysavers or even a GM Rail Ranger from them, meaning a time consuming queue at the ticket office. When buying a Daysaver it is usually quicker to find the nearest bus and then go back into the station!

Needless to say, there is no problem buying regional day tickets from ticket machines in Germany.

 

[rail-britain]

Is fraud an acceptable excuse to reduce availability of Rovers? Presumably the name could be printed on the ticket if a Rover was purchased online if that is what the worry is

Tickets passing between people is a known issue

However, the greater issue is the use of rover tickets in the wrong area!
The usual abuse is to purchase a cheaper rover and use that in another part of the country, where it is not even valid
Only the most observant Ticket Examiners will notice it is not for that area

 

[cjohnson]

Is fraud an acceptable excuse to reduce availability of Rovers? Presumably the name could be printed on the ticket if a Rover was purchased online if that is what the worry is.

The Southern "Downlander" is an e-ticket which is printed at home, and you are required to give the name (and address!) of the ticket holder before purchasing and printing the ticket. You also have to say which form of ID (e.g. driving licence) you will present in conjunction for the ticket to be valid. However, having used one of these tickets the other day, my ID was not asked for on any of the 15+ occasions I was required to present my ticket!!

 

[yorkie]

Northern Rail did sell them briefly but stopped doing so due to abuse and fraud

Unlikely to be true. How would you "stop" it by making people buy it at a station or from a guard?!