Advance ticket stock returning?

[WillPS]

Agreed. The only problem I can see is that it probably wont eradicate the use of standard stock on AP tickets (especially in the interim, could be years before all TVMs are set up correctly), and then customers may complain that they thought it was a normal ticket because it was on normal stock.

Not a valid argument but one I can see occurring.

 

[Flamingo]

I'm sure that most travellers picked at random from the street will be pleased that it will then be one ticket that they have to worry about rather than ticket + reservation coupon.

Not the ones that try and tell me that they lost the reservation ("but I'm booked on this train, honest").
Also, it would save time when doing ticket checks as I wouldn't have to wait for a large number of people to produce the reservation and/or ticket.

 

[MikeWh]

If these do come in, with the trains listed on the back, it would make life SOOOOO much easier!

Please let it be true!

As long as the only trains listed are those for which reservations have been made. It will be very unhelpful if it also lists connections, particularly if it tries to include Underground by suggesting departure at the time of arrival of the previous train and arrival at the time of departure of the next train. That will just be a recipe for bemused passengers wasting staff time and getting overly stressed so they decide not to travel by train any more.

 

[Solent&Wessex]

Not the ones that try and tell me that they lost the reservation ("but I'm booked on this train, honest").
.

I catch this lot out now. 90% of all Advance tickets have a reservation reference number on the front i.e. JK123456. They say they have lost the reservation (but strangely managed not to loose any of the many other coupons), so I obtain reference number, ring the retail control and ask them to tap the reservation reference number into Journey Planner and hey presto, they tell me the details. Then about 90% of the time I return to the passenger with the bad news...

That will just be a recipe for bemused passengers wasting staff time .

You don't need complicated tickets to do that!


On a serious note, I think it will be a superb idea and I hope it is introduced quickly. It can be relatively easily introduced for station issues, and also for online issues that are sent in the post. They only problem initially, as pointed out, would be for TVMs at stations.

 

[Greeby]

If these do come in, with the trains listed on the back, it would make life SOOOOO much easier!

Please let it be true!

Not if you're in a Tribute-using booking office. Which I grant is a dinosaur system these days, but we're stuck with it.

If changes aren't made to Tribute/Swecoin printing, the following problems would occur:

We'd be constantly having to remove the main feed to hand-load the stock. Which will lead to a lot of auto non-issues when people forget to put the main feed back.

Not to mention that if reservation tickets still issue, then what's the point in spending out for dedicated stock?

 

[wibble]

Earlier this week, the latest edition of the Manual became viewable. I noticed in the section which displays ticket stock types that a new page for Advance Purchase stock (RSP7599/201, to the same design as the old Aptis type) had been added.

Anyone out in booking office-land heard anything more about this?

It's probably an error in the NFM. I can't see anyone wanting to go back to semi-manual ticket issuing when ticketing systems can already do the whole process!

 

[First class]

It's probably an error in the NFM. I can't see anyone wanting to go back to semi-manual ticket issuing when ticketing systems can already do the whole process!

It's not an error, it has a new 1MAG code which the old stuff didn't have, therefore the specimen is a thermal ticket.

 

[codenamecuebal]

It's not an error, it has a new 1MAG code which the old stuff didn't have, therefore the specimen is a thermal ticket.

What does 1MAG and other assorted MAG's mean?

 

[Solent&Wessex]

What does 1MAG and other assorted MAG's mean?

It refers to the batch / lot number of the ticket stock, and who printed it.

Tickets used to say BB on the back as the printers Bemrose Booth had the contract to print tickets. The contract recently changed to a new firm, whose name I forget, but the MAG is for them. New, recently printed ticket stock, from the new contract will have MAG codes rather than BB codes.

 

[codenamecuebal]

It refers to the batch / lot number of the ticket stock, and who printed it.

Tickets used to say BB on the back as the printers Bemrose Booth had the contract to print tickets. The contract recently changed to a new firm, whose name I forget, but the MAG is for them. New, recently printed ticket stock, from the new contract will have MAG codes rather than BB codes.

Ah, good stuff. Looked out some old tickets and they say BB on 10 ones and MAG on later ones

 

[wibble]

The contract recently changed to a new firm, whose name I forget, but the MAG is for them.

It's Magnadata.

--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

It's not an error, it has a new 1MAG code which the old stuff didn't have, therefore the specimen is a thermal ticket.

Actually, it is an error. The Advance Purchase stock isn't coming back. The proof was probably created as part of the handover from BemroseBooth to Magnadata. The AP ticket stock has pre-printed text on it (e.g. origin, destination etc) and has a section on the reverse for writing in the reservation details. Why would the industry revery back to a semi-manual method of issuing Advance tickets when the process has already been fully automated?

 

[transportphoto]

Sorry for the thread bump.


Out of curiosity, is BB / BBP still a ticket manufacturer as I have some more recent tickets with BB and BBP on rather than MAG ?

TP

 

[bnm]

Sorry for the thread bump.


Out of curiosity, is BB / BBP still a ticket manufacturer as I have some more recent tickets with BB and BBP on rather than MAG ?

TP

I suspect that's merely a case of existing stock still in circulation. I believe Magnadata now have the exclusive contract.

 

[WillPS]

I saw some deep-blue tickets in the card holder thing at Chesterfield station, but I guess they could have been old stock or more likely Season stock?

 

[transportphoto]

I suspect that's merely a case of existing stock still in circulation. I believe Magnadata now have the exclusive contract.

Thats strange because two of them are either with the 'TrainTracker' ad on the back or are '/TFL' with the TFL roundel on the front which AFAIAA are two of the more recent designs. :?

TP

 

[bnm]

BemroseBooth went into administration in June 2010. The administrators continued running some parts of the business including the existing ATOC contract.

Magnadata were awarded the new ATOC contract in August 2010. That contract began on 17th December 2010, so BB were still producing ticket stock for ATOC until that date.

As I said, there is probably BB stock still in circulation. Most recent BB tickets of mine I can find are from July 27th this year. An Avantix issued ticket from on board a CrossCountry service and a TOD from a Virgin TVM at Birmingham New Street.

Bemrose Booth are still trading and supplying tickets to the travel industry. One example I have from recent travels is a Manchester Metrolink ticket.