Any "rules" on e tickets

[NeilCr]

Another of my curiosity questions

I can usually get an e ticket travelling from Ramsgate. Going to Eastbourne on Monday and only paper ticket available. No problem at all but just wondered why

Is it because it's across two Tocs?

 

[jfollows]

From where to where?

But I bet there is a cross-London component, for which e-tickets can not be used.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 5 Mar 2024 ==

Although Ramsgate-Eastbourne only seems to be “via Hastings” or “not via London” which should not prevent e-tickets, so it may just be that they’re not enabled for these tickets.

 

[NeilCr]

It's from Ramsgate via Hastings - in and out of Ashford International

I've had an e ticket to Lewisham where I had to change at London Bridge or Victoria but guess that's not strictly across London

 

[jfollows]

Definitely not via London! So I don’t know the answer, unless it’s a deliberate or mistaken omission.

Any ticket which has a maltese cross to indicate via London has to be paper currently because the Underground can’t yet read e-tickets with its gates. But Ramsgate-Eastbourne tickets aren’t via London.

 

[NeilCr]

Definitely not

 

[jfollows]

Ramsgate-Lewisham has the maltese cross for “any permitted” and “not HS1” tickets, so these would force paper tickets currently, but that’s no help for your latest one.

 

[MrJeeves]

Another of my curiosity questions

I can usually get an e ticket travelling from Ramsgate. Going to Eastbourne on Monday and only paper ticket available. No problem at all but just wondered why

Is it because it's across two Tocs?

E-Ticket availability for all retailers except Trainline is controlled directly by the train companies.

They need to enable flows (combinations of from/to and route) for E-Tickets manually in a system named RCS.

If that system says you can't sell a particular ticket as an E-Ticket, it has to be offered on paper instead (or an alternative like smartcard or m-Ticket where applicable).

Most flows which are valid across London aren't enabled (there are exceptions, such as some Thameslink tickets which are technically interavailable on the tube), and various other flows aren't, typically by accident.

(Ticket types also need to be enabled for E-Ticket fulfillment too, but this is, at least from my experience, generally less of an issue.)