Had an interesting encounter with a familiar Grant Palmer driver on the Jo recently.
Ticketer electronic ticket machines (ETMs) still aren't configured for Leagrave PlusBus eTicket validation; he refused similar tickets after failed scans on two previous occasions (for Luton / Luton Airport Parkway) so I opened with the email from GP customer services this time. After having a good look at it and my day ticket he let me on (third time lucky); during the journey we talked at length on the ePlusBus-not-scanning issue and among his rationale for previous refusals was drivers being taught that failed scans must always be refused and he’d not seen any notices on PlusBus eTicket acceptance. Nothing I didn't expect given my conversation with another GP driver about this somewhat recently.
Further into the discussion it transpired he was familiar with the magstripe PlusBus tickets and he basically suggested that I get one to replace the eTicket on my phone until the ETMs were enabled to validate them. He then phoned his supervisor at a bus stop to inform him of the email's contents and get backing for his suggestion (not sure if he was successful in achieving the latter); I also spoke to the supervisor and he agreed my ticket was valid.
Afterward the driver asked if I was heading to Luton railway station and I confirmed that I was. On arrival he decided my ticket should be changed there and then... Yeah, that was not on my PlusBus bingo card. Even amongst other drivers who need persuasion to accept ePlusBus by visual inspection after a failed scan this method of validation seems anathema to him; that said I had time to spare and he genuinely wanted to help me solve my 'problem' (from his POV), so I followed him to the ticket office to see how things would pan out.
He wasn't successful. The ticket seller informed him she could not change the format of a ticket purchased online from another retailer and he asked her how I was supposed to manage with a barcode ticket Ticketer ETMs didn't recognise. A few minutes into the back-and-forth between those two I said I was done travelling for the day and he asked me what I’d do with it next week; I showed him the date and he finally realised it was not a season ticket.
He gave me a slip with his driver ID in case I needed assistance in future and I thanked him for his time. Once he left I stayed a few minutes longer to chat with the ticket seller about ePlusBus (we were both well aware its validity is not dependent on Ticketer scans) and shared a good chuckle over the intervention, well-meaning as it was.
Ticketer electronic ticket machines (ETMs) still aren't configured for Leagrave PlusBus eTicket validation; he refused similar tickets after failed scans on two previous occasions (for Luton / Luton Airport Parkway) so I opened with the email from GP customer services this time. After having a good look at it and my day ticket he let me on (third time lucky); during the journey we talked at length on the ePlusBus-not-scanning issue and among his rationale for previous refusals was drivers being taught that failed scans must always be refused and he’d not seen any notices on PlusBus eTicket acceptance. Nothing I didn't expect given my conversation with another GP driver about this somewhat recently.
Further into the discussion it transpired he was familiar with the magstripe PlusBus tickets and he basically suggested that I get one to replace the eTicket on my phone until the ETMs were enabled to validate them. He then phoned his supervisor at a bus stop to inform him of the email's contents and get backing for his suggestion (not sure if he was successful in achieving the latter); I also spoke to the supervisor and he agreed my ticket was valid.
Afterward the driver asked if I was heading to Luton railway station and I confirmed that I was. On arrival he decided my ticket should be changed there and then... Yeah, that was not on my PlusBus bingo card. Even amongst other drivers who need persuasion to accept ePlusBus by visual inspection after a failed scan this method of validation seems anathema to him; that said I had time to spare and he genuinely wanted to help me solve my 'problem' (from his POV), so I followed him to the ticket office to see how things would pan out.
He wasn't successful. The ticket seller informed him she could not change the format of a ticket purchased online from another retailer and he asked her how I was supposed to manage with a barcode ticket Ticketer ETMs didn't recognise. A few minutes into the back-and-forth between those two I said I was done travelling for the day and he asked me what I’d do with it next week; I showed him the date and he finally realised it was not a season ticket.
He gave me a slip with his driver ID in case I needed assistance in future and I thanked him for his time. Once he left I stayed a few minutes longer to chat with the ticket seller about ePlusBus (we were both well aware its validity is not dependent on Ticketer scans) and shared a good chuckle over the intervention, well-meaning as it was.