When your ticket becomes soggy and electronic ticket barriers

[bAzTNM]

Yeah, so I nearly had this happen to me a few days ago.

Absolutely pouring down here in Glasgow and my ticket got absolutely soaking wet. Luckily I didn't have to go to a station that has those electronic barriers. Basically, I just want to ask, what happens if you've got a soaking wet ticket and it goes through the barrier machine? Would the ticket mob issue you with a dryer ticket? Thanks there.

 

[valenta]

Yeah, so I nearly had this happen to me a few days ago.

Absolutely pouring down here in Glasgow and my ticket got absolutely soaking wet. Luckily I didn't have to go to a station that has those electronic barriers. Basically, I just want to ask, what happens if you've got a soaking wet ticket and it goes through the barrier machine? Would the ticket mob issue you with a dryer ticket? Thanks there.

A bit confused about what you implying that it doesn't go through the barriers, as I don't think they would issue you with a new ticket after passing through the barriers.
But if you meant that the barriers reject your ticket because it is soggy, I think that the station supervisors have a special card type device (sorry for not being technical) that enables the barriers to open.

 

[codenamecuebal]

But if you meant that the barriers reject your ticket because it is soggy, I think that the station supervisors have a special card type device (sorry for not being technical) that enables the barriers to open.

They have a key, which just gets inserted into the side of the barrier to open it

 

[WestCoast]

They have a key, which just gets inserted into the side of the barrier to open it

On some models of gate, they have a contactless card pass (Oyster-style) which they touch on a reader.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I'm not sure why you would put a soaking ticket into a barrier. Why not just show it to the gateline crew?

 

[codenamecuebal]

On some models of gate, they have a contactless card pass (Oyster-style) which they touch on a reader.

Ah, in glasgow we use Cubic gates with no readers

 

[Flying Snail]

Putting a soaked ticket into a barrier doesn't really sound like the smartest thing to do.

Much easier to explain to the staff that your ticket is wet than to try to stuff a soggy piece of card into a slot and then explain to staff why their barrier is gummed up.

Having said that current thermal ticket stock is relatively water resistant, it would need sustained soaking to cause enough damage to make them unsuitable to be put in readers. Unless you are walking about in a downpour with the ticket in your hand I don't see how you could get your ticket soaked through.

 

[valenta]

Putting a soaked ticket into a barrier doesn't really sound like the smartest thing to do.

Much easier to explain to the staff that your ticket is wet than to try to stuff a soggy piece of card into a slot and then explain to staff why their barrier is gummed up.

Having said that current thermal ticket stock is relatively water resistant, it would need sustained soaking to cause enough damage to make them unsuitable to be put in readers. Unless you are walking about in a downpour with the ticket in your hand I don't see how you could get your ticket soaked through.

The ticket barriers had a close shave at Newcastle on Saturday. Heavy rain had caused numerous leaks throughout the station, the biggest of which next to the main entrance to the bridge and ticket barriers, from what I could see the rain was not hitting the barriers.

 

[317666]

Once I managed to spill a cup of tea all over my ticket, which then became stuck inside my ticket wallet. Had to leave it in there until after I'd left my destination station, then try and take it out of my wallet...

 

[Intermodal]

Once I managed to spill a cup of tea all over my ticket, which then became stuck inside my ticket wallet. Had to leave it in there until after I'd left my destination station, then try and take it out of my wallet...

Too much sugar in that tea!

 

[island]

Ah, in glasgow we use Cubic gates with no readers

Some of those actually do have readers but they aren't obvious. Others are unlocked using an old-fashioned key, and others again have magstripe passes the same shape and size as paper tickets.

 

[Lampshade]

On an extremely wet day in April 2009 I dropped my ticket at Manchester Oxford Road, it got soaked through. I just showed it to the gateline assistant and he let me through, accidents happen.

 

[4SRKT]

It doesn't have to be soaked for the barriers at Leeds not to accept it. The tiniest bit of damp, or crease, is enough to have the ticket whizzing in and out several times before the gate rejects it, and you have to go and find one of the bored looking attendants to wave you through. They never look at the ticket in these circumstances: they know as well as anyone how useless the barriers are so just wave you through in a resigned fashion. It's just crap, total crap. Who manufactured these gates? If they had such rubbish on the London Underground there'd be total chaos in the rush hour.

 

[class377man]

On some models of gate, they have a contactless card pass (Oyster-style) which they touch on a reader.

Was at the barriers at Victoria once, the member staff on the gateline appeared to have a paper travelcard which he just repeatedly put through the barrier to let people through

 

[transportphoto]

Was at the barriers at Victoria once, the member staff on the gateline appeared to have a paper travelcard which he just repeatedly put through the barrier to let people through

Thats a gate pass, a travelcard would keep on being rejected due to pass back

 

[WestCoast]

Was at the barriers at Victoria once, the member staff on the gateline appeared to have a paper travelcard which he just repeatedly put through the barrier to let people through

Often I've seen paper gate-passes but never a travelcard! I thought they had a passback alert on these gates? It's actually the Northern gates where they have a contactless card...

 

[codenamecuebal]

i did a small test by crumping up, eating and then flattening out my ticket. Shoved it in the gate and it stalled for half a second, got sucked in and then popped out, and the gate opened. Maybe different if it's soggy.

 

[class377man]

Thats a gate pass, a travelcard would keep on being rejected due to pass back

Ah right. It looked like a Travelcard, with the date printed in large font in the middle.

I wonder why he didn't have a key?

 

[island]

I imagine gate passes are less of a liability if lost

 

[Mojo]

Who manufactured these gates? If they had such rubbish on the London Underground there'd be total chaos in the rush hour.

The gates at Leeds are made by Scheidt & Bachmann who also make those awful TVMs with stock on a roll and only one printer.

 

[Clip]

Ah right. It looked like a Travelcard, with the date printed in large font in the middle.

I wonder why he didn't have a key?

Using the key is a much slower process

 

[Eagle]

I did a small test by crumpling up, eating and then flattening out my ticket.

I hope you mean "chewing"... if you actually ingested your ticket that could have gotten a lot more disgusting :-x. Plus you'd be done for losing your ticket.

 

[IanXC]

I hope you mean "chewing"... if you actually ingested your ticket that could have gotten a lot more disgusting :-x. Plus you'd be done for losing your ticket.

Perhaps a byelaw would be relevant here:

6 (4) No person shall soil any part of the railway

Best not be Merseyrail eh?!

 

[David Goddard]

Once I managed to spill a cup of tea all over my ticket, which then became stuck inside my ticket wallet. Had to leave it in there until after I'd left my destination station, then try and take it out of my wallet...

You have to blame the TOC when their barrier itself is the casue of spilling the tea. Saw this at Waterloo once:
With shopping in one hand and tea in another, the attendant refused to open the manual gate. On attempting to put ticket in, retreive it and get through the narrow gap, aforementioned cup of tea got spilt all over ticket, barrier, shopping, customer and shiny floor surface, making it even more slippery.


Solution:

Approach barrier slowly and put cup of tea on the barrier bulkhead.
Take ticket out of wallet and put into slot.
Move cup of tea to mid position of barrier.
Retrieve ticket from barrier and walk through.
Replace ticket into wallet and put away.
Turn round, collect cup of tea, turn around again and walk to platform.
Look on in agony as train has just departed because of the delay to journey caused by ticket barriers.