Avanti - Invalid Split tickets

[John R]

I also really doubt train companies have the time to be combing through online rail forums, nor would it be a good use of their time where there are no identifying personal details.

We know for sure that prosecutions departments do read this forum. There have been several positive interventions when it's been clear that the train company was well out of order which have been resolved quickly (sometimes within hours) once someone read the thread here.

 

[yorkie]

I also really doubt train companies have the time to be combing through online rail forums, nor would it be a good use of their time where there are no identifying personal details.

Many of the members/readers of this forum work for train companies, or their suppliers.

The Avanti staff member did not scan my mobile ticket. They immediately rejected it as it prominently stated LON-MKC.

As they didn't scan your ticket, they don't have your details. If they had scanned it, then it would have potentially been possible for them to obtain the details, from the retailer.

 

[AlterEgo]

Indeed if the ticket was scanned and the staff member turned the camera on and threatened you with the police, it’s possible they could contact you down the line. But that didn’t happen.

Regrettably @WesternLancer wasn’t fearmongering there - it can and does happen.

 

[aa620]

Does the Uber app show the train as calling there?

If it does, you could make a complaint to Uber on the basis that, although you didn't obtain that itinerary, if you did a subsequent search to see if the tickets were valid on another train, and it suggested it was, then you have a case against Uber for misinformation.

However, if it was a completely different app, which you have no contract with, then it's probably best to not do anything.

I am pleased to hear you were not charged anything, and that BTP didn't see fit to attend such a petty matter. It is disappointing to see Avanti staff behave in this manner, but not surprising.

Unless you know exactly what to say, I would leave it; I do know of some people with legal knowledge who would consider submitting a complaint about their property being grabbed, and I am aware of hundreds of pounds being paid out for an incident involving Greater Anglia, but if you don't have that knowledge yourself, it's not worth pursuing that.

In future, you may wish to consider buying from the forum's ticketing site in future; while we can't compete with Uber in terms of cashback, we do provide a better product, and much better customer support!

Also, if in doubt regarding the validity of any ticket, this forum is a good place to ask.

Thanks so much Yorkie!

 

[Fawkes Cat]

Just to add to the fun, it's a different operator as well. The midweek 1846 departure from Euston is operated by West Midlands Trains, whereas the 1853 is Avanti West Coast.

It may also be worth noting for future reference that
- Euston to Rugby open returns come in two flavours: those that can be used on any company's train, and those that can only be used on LNR trains
- Euston to Milton Keynes tickets are even more messy as there seem to be tickets limited to Avanti as well as the any and LNR tickets.

And that's all before you start worrying about peak versus off-peak.

The point of this is to say that it's quite easy to casually break the rules - and as OP has found, the railway doesn't like this. To avoid trouble, it's best to check for the journey you're actually planning on making, and not for something with a similar (but different) timing.

 

[John R]

The point of this is to say that it's quite easy to casually break the rules - and as OP has found, the railway doesn't like this. To avoid trouble, it's best to check for the journey you're actually planning on making, and not for something with a similar (but different) timing.

And a good way to avoid making a mistake, if you are going to use split ticketing and are not particularly familiar with the rules, use a ticketing site that offers split ticketing, and keep to the itinerary it offers you.

As it happens this forum has an accredited ticketing site that does exactly that - details here:-

Introducing RailUK Tickets - support the forum when booking your rail tickets!

Storage is cheap. And someone spent a very long time trying to ensure that Raileasy's E-Tickets don't take up that much space :p

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[WesternLancer]

The Avanti staff member did not scan my mobile ticket. They immediately rejected it as it prominently stated LON-MKC.

I also really doubt train companies have the time to be combing through online rail forums, nor would it be a good use of their time where there are no identifying personal details.

Your first response yesterday was helpful. This one is, in my opinion, pure fear-mongering. I definitely will not be checking my Junk folder in the next few weeks, let alone months.

I’ll leave it up to you.

If they didn’t scan your ticket I can not see how you would be contacted.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 27 Apr 2025 ==

We know for sure that prosecutions departments do read this forum. There have been several positive interventions when it's been clear that the train company was well out of order which have been resolved quickly (sometimes within hours) once someone read the thread here.

Thanks for making this observation.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 27 Apr 2025 ==

Indeed if the ticket was scanned and the staff member turned the camera on and threatened you with the police, it’s possible they could contact you down the line. But that didn’t happen.

Regrettably @WesternLancer wasn’t fearmongering there - it can and does happen.

Thanks for confirming my suspicion here.

 

[Cantab26]

As a matter of interest have we ever seen a case on here of someone having had action taken against them for refusing to provide details? (Obv by the nature of that the prospects of such action being takenare reduced)

If you were Avanti and chose to pursue the case it would be easier to do that given the probable video evidence than engage in debates about pick up/ set down split ticket validity I would think. At least on the face of it.

@island has mentioned seeing one IRL

Not on this forum, but I am aware of several such prosecutions being taken IRL.

I also really doubt train companies have the time to be combing through online rail forums, nor would it be a good use of their time where there are no identifying personal details.

You will find that they do frequent these forums.

If they didn’t scan your ticket I can not see how you would be contacted.

There are a couple of other methods that could be used to trace the OP. If the OP has had previous police contact then there’s probably enough information in this thread to enable at least one of them to be used.