Experimentation using invalid tickets at gatelines

[baz962]

Anyone who reads my scribblings in trip reports probably realises that I`m out nearly every weekend, most weeks by rail. I few years ago I accidently shown a London Travel Card to exit Manchester Piccadilly station on my return, and I was waved through. On occasion after a long weekend away I often test this to the limits, mainly out of curiosity on how observant gate staff actually are, so far I`ve been waved through with a Merseyrail Day Saver, a Supertram day rover ticket, a YHA membership card and a Tesco card, maybe a should get a job as a mystery shopper??

I went on a coach holiday to Bavaria from the uk once. At one of the borders , cannot remember which , we were told to hold our passports up to the window. I held up a chocolate bar , I got through.

 

[KingJ]

That one would have been solved far more simply by adding some check digits to the account number.

As is already done today.

The idea of phone verification is to reduce fraud, not mistyped numbers. The concept being that in order to successfully make a fraudulent transfer, a fraudster would need your bank details _and_ access your phone. Similar concept to the card readers many banks have issued for years, but doing away with the need for everyone to have an extra bit of hardware by using a phone instead.

(Yes, this also has its flaws - but it raises the bar compared to today. You'll never make fraud impossible, just more difficult!)

 

[cactustwirly]

Yet another example of the railway being run on goodwill but people just moan about the prices of tickets and how everything is late.
Many gateline staff, under heavy loads, trust people have the correct tickets and wave people through. If they stopped everyone and checked properly, queues would be horrendus.

But then our lives are more difficult now because society has decided to reduce personal responsibility. Like the new rules with bank payments coming in. I just want to pay someone but soon I'm going to have to wait for some sort of passcode to my phone to confirm the payment. A great example of making things more complicated and more hassle, because the minority didn't bother to double/triple check bank details.

No it's to stop someone stealing money from your account!
The phone verification is to make sure it's actually you making the bank transfer!

 

[VT 390]

It would be nice if valid tickets actually worked in these new-fangled barriers.

At a push, I'll accept the West Midlands Day Ranger not working at Crewe (since it's on the very edge of its validity) but having it fail to operate the gates at New Street is just taking the ****.

Rovers and Rangers never work on any ticket barriers for me and a lot staff at the barriers say there not valid at all.

 

[6Gman]

I found that WM Day Rangers would let me out of New Street, but never let me back in-- and they did not work in or out at Moor Street. However, Day Rangers sold at Runcorn are now on larger-size paper stock, and don't seem to work gates anywhere.

The old Day Rangers on card used to work perhaps 60-70% of gatelines. The new bogroll version about 0%.

Very frustrating, especially when the person in front is engaged in an endless discussion with staff.

 

[6Gman]

Rovers and Rangers never work on any ticket barriers for me and a lot staff at the barriers say there not valid at all.

If staff at New Street told me a West Midlands Day Ranger wasn't valid in Birmingham I think my response would be curt.

Along the lines of "Where the ****** ***** do you think it would be valid then?"

 

[VT 390]

If staff at New Street told me a West Midlands Day Ranger wasn't valid in Birmingham I think my response would be curt.

Along the lines of "Where the ****** ***** do you think it would be valid then?"

I think the problem is that some Rover/Ranger tickets don't actually say the full name just a code such as validity: WMDR (for the West Midlands Day Ranger), I think it depends where you buy it from as to what is printed on it.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

I think the problem is that some Rover/Ranger tickets don't actually say the full name just a code such as validity: WMDR (for the West Midlands Day Ranger), I think it depends where you buy it from as to what is printed on it.

Indeed. When I bought a Freedom of Severn and Solent Rover, the ticket states that it was a FOSS Rover. To a less knowledgable member of staff (and just about the majority of the public!) that means absolutely nothing!

 

[headshot119]

If staff at New Street told me a West Midlands Day Ranger wasn't valid in Birmingham I think my response would be curt.

Along the lines of "Where the ****** ***** do you think it would be valid then?"

I was once told that a Freedom Of South Wales River wasn't valid at Cathays...

 

[a_c_skinner]

I always print a map for Rovers and Rangers. I was once asked by revenue protection at Halifax if it needed a photo card...

 

[ShwervinMervin]

I've been told to get Photo ID for an U16 staff Priv (which isn't needed) by Ontrak Pushback staff.
They really should be taught tickets etc before doing the job...

 

[Mag_seven]

I've been told to get Photo ID for an U16 staff Priv (which isn't needed) by Ontrak Pushback staff.
They really should be taught tickets etc before doing the job...

I don't need a photocard for my "retired" staff travel card, but I carry one anyway just in case. I'd rather just show it if asked rather than get involved in an argument with an ill informed member of inspecting staff.

 

[Iskra]

I went on a coach holiday to Bavaria from the uk once. At one of the borders , cannot remember which , we were told to hold our passports up to the window. I held up a chocolate bar , I got through.

On a college trip, coming back into the UK one of my mates had left his passport in the coaches' hold. Border force got on, everyone held up their passports. My mate just held up his empty hand. We were at the back so I think that somehow confused them, but we got through.

 

[sd0733]

A few years ago I was on a Priv all line rover and upon reaching Clacton there was a revenue block and was told that it was not valid there at all! Not sure what they thought it was.

 

[Chris217]

A mate of mine once used a
Wessex rover
(going back a bit lol)
Out of Liverpool Street.
When questioned by a TTI
Wessex? What's that?
My mate amusingly replied
It's not Wessex,it's
West Essex!
And he got away with it!

Does anyone remember the Kelloggs
Go anywhere for a tenner promotion.
Now that was severely abused lol.
Now that's a topic worth starting he he.

 

[Blinkbonny]

I like
this blank verse
format.
I think
I'm going to use it
always.

 

[ShwervinMervin]

I'd rather just show it if asked

Of course, I just didn't have one to hand, but they were rather insistent that you needed one...

 

[SoccerHQ]

We used to have lots of fun with the gateline at New Street, more or less anything would do!

Surprised by that. When I get a daytripper ticket (covers whole WM region for public transport) the ticket usually gets rejected so have to get the gate staff to let me through. And that's obviously a valid ticket.

 

[shredder1]

Got through Manchester Piccadilly with an out of date London Travel Card last week.

 

[Killingworth]

I went on a coach holiday to Bavaria from the uk once. At one of the borders , cannot remember which , we were told to hold our passports up to the window. I held up a chocolate bar , I got through.

Tour guides have a sense of humour, and one I knew liked to see how gullible her flock were. She did trips to Spain - and sometimes Bavaria. In the early days of freedom of movement she knew passport controls had been removed but border staff were still on duty. She told her charges it was now done automatically and all they needed to do was hold their open passports up to the window. She was amazed that they all did! She may not have been the only guide to pull that one.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

on a slightly different tangent - how far have people travelled on a Permit To Travel ticket, and is there a limit on the distance you can legally go? I regularly did Kidderminster-Snow Hill on a 10p permit and bought my ‘through’ ticket on arrival at the booking office at New Street (and yes I always quoted Kidderminster as the point of departure. Never bothered to produce the Permit as it seemed to create hassle and I was hurrying for a long-distance connection!)

 

[whhistle]

No it's to stop someone stealing money from your account!
The phone verification is to make sure it's actually you making the bank transfer!

I was under the impression it was because "the people" moaned when they were tricked into making transfers to wrong people, or mis-typing account details.

If they're putting extra security on transfers to "make sure it's you", then that suggests getting into the account security is lacking. I'd prefer the iron curtain to be at log in rather than at transfer.

 

[cactustwirly]

I was under the impression it was because "the people" moaned when they were tricked into making transfers to wrong people, or mis-typing account details.

If they're putting extra security on transfers to "make sure it's you", then that suggests getting into the account security is lacking. I'd prefer the iron curtain to be at log in rather than at transfer.

The 'iron curtain' should be both, ie when you log on, and when you set up a new payee (or change reference)

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

I was under the impression it was because "the people" moaned when they were tricked into making transfers to wrong people, or mis-typing account details.

If they're putting extra security on transfers to "make sure it's you", then that suggests getting into the account security is lacking. I'd prefer the iron curtain to be at log in rather than at transfer.

There are usually two stages of security - the log in and setting up a payment to a new payee, or taking some other significant action. Several banks let you log in with just a username and a couple of passwords - but invariably you are required to produce some kind of real-time verification through being sent a text, using a card reader, using a code generator in an app etc.

 

[shredder1]

Got through with a parking ticket last weekend

 

[The Box Photter]

I always print a map for Rovers and Rangers. I was once asked by revenue protection at Halifax if it needed a photo card...

Had a few days out last year using the East Midlands Rover (3 days in 7) ticket. You're right that it didn't work in any of the barriers. Only problem was that there was nowhere on the ticket to show which days it had been used. In the olden days, the ticket was like a scratch card and you had to scratch off panels relevant to that day's date.

Had this new one checked may times, at stations and on trains operated by EMT, Virgin, WMT, Cross Country, Northern Rail, TransPennine and LNER. How did the checker know whether it was my first day, or second, or (ahem) fifth day that I'd used the ticket?

 

[VT 390]

Had a few days out last year using the East Midlands Rover (3 days in 7) ticket. You're right that it didn't work in any of the barriers. Only problem was that there was nowhere on the ticket to show which days it had been used. In the olden days, the ticket was like a scratch card and you had to scratch off panels relevant to that day's date.

Had this new one checked may times, at stations and on trains operated by EMT, Virgin, WMT, Cross Country, Northern Rail, TransPennine and LNER. How did the checker know whether it was my first day, or second, or (ahem) fifth day that I'd used the ticket?

When I got the 8 days in 15 ticket a few weeks ago it came with a second ticket with 16 day-date boxes and 8 were crossed out already and you could fill the date and month you travelled in the other 8 boxes, this is usually what happens with any rover ticket which is not valid on fixed days whenever I get a rover ticket.

 

[The Box Photter]

When I got the 8 days in 15 ticket a few weeks ago it came with a second ticket with 16 day-date boxes and 8 were crossed out already and you could fill the date and month you travelled in the other 8 boxes, this is usually what happens with any rover ticket which is not valid on fixed days whenever I get a rover ticket.

I was expecting to receive something like that too. I even asked the ticket seller if the ticket was complete and she made a phone call to check.

Maybe it was because I bought the ticket at my local station rather than one in the rover ticket area.

 

[A Challenge]

Surely you could get into trouble for not showing (even if it is as you can't as you weren't given) date boxes with a X in X rover?

 

[VT 390]

Surely you could get into trouble for not showing (even if it is as you can't as you weren't given) date boxes with a X in X rover?

This is true but most of the time when my ticket is checked I show both parts but they only ever check the mail ticket.