Allegations by GTR that ticket was previously used

[jon0844]

In another case, a forum member had the contents of his ticket wallet confiscated by Southern Rail (now GTR) RPIs because he was using the new style tickets when they were not issued in the South and they hadn't seen them before, so assumed they were fake tickets.

ATOC/RDG must shoulder some of the blame for this. It's quite astounding that we have many different formats for the same ticket now.

Those issued at a ticket office, of which many now have Aztec codes and the layout has been modified to fit.

Those issued on older TVM software, of the type that most staff (and passengers) understand.

The new type from TVMs, which have changed a few times since their introduction, meaning that the literature I got on the new format isn't even correct any more.

Staff should be more aware than customers, but I have a little sympathy when there's so little information out there.

 

[embers25]

ATOC/RDG must shoulder some of the blame for this. It's quite astounding that we have many different formats for the same ticket now.

At the weekend I bought a ticket from East Midlands Trains online and picked up the ticket from a GWR machine and I got a new style Advance ticket but the reservation was on a separate ticket, but again in the new style. I thought the whole point of the new cramped unreadable style was to allow space for reservations on one ticket. I was only 1 reservation so there was plenty of space to fit it on and previously when picking up identical tickets bought from TPE at the same GWR station, the reservation has been included on the ticket! Even the guard seemed pretty baffled so I agree with Jon that the system doesn't help it's staff but equally GTR RPI's do seem to interpret the rules very differently to every other RPI!

 

[sarahj]

ATOC/RDG must shoulder some of the blame for this. It's quite astounding that we have many different formats for the same ticket now.

Those issued at a ticket office, of which many now have Aztec codes and the layout has been modified to fit.

Those issued on older TVM software, of the type that most staff (and passengers) understand.

The new type from TVMs, which have changed a few times since their introduction, meaning that the literature I got on the new format isn't even correct any more.

Staff should be more aware than customers, but I have a little sympathy when there's so little information out there.

There is also the new style of tickets from the new portable ticket machines that guards now carry. Mind the printers are so poor that the other day a punter in a hurry left with a strip of 8 half printed tickets. (2 mins to sell on my train, and his card went through, so the refund the ticket would have taken too much time)

 

[thedbdiboy]

ATOC/RDG must shoulder some of the blame for this. It's quite astounding that we have many different formats for the same ticket now.

Those issued at a ticket office, of which many now have Aztec codes and the layout has been modified to fit.

Those issued on older TVM software, of the type that most staff (and passengers) understand.

The new type from TVMs, which have changed a few times since their introduction, meaning that the literature I got on the new format isn't even correct any more.

Staff should be more aware than customers, but I have a little sympathy when there's so little information out there.

Unfortunately ATOC/RDG does not have direct control over this, the problem lies in the structure of ticketing procurement at privatisation. The only way to ensure a uniform ticket in the current structure would be never to move away from the 1980s APTIS version which is no longer fit for purpose.

However, I do have to remind anyone that complains about the prevalence of different designs that until the mid 1980s there were many different ticket styles and types from paper tickets to all sorts of shapes and size of machine issued tickets, so its nothing new

 

[jon0844]

Shame 'we' didn't learn from the previous problems to stop it happening again!

 

[Joe Paxton]

Unfortunately ATOC/RDG does not have direct control over this, the problem lies in the structure of ticketing procurement at privatisation. The only way to ensure a uniform ticket in the current structure would be never to move away from the 1980s APTIS version which is no longer fit for purpose.

Hmm, sorry but that just comes across as a bit of a cop out I'm afraid.

ATOC specified the parameters that Ticketing Issuing Systems had to adhere to.