Forgotten to activate m-ticket

[Chouette]

I was rightly chastised by the guard today for forgetting to activate my m-ticket before boarding the train. I had absolutely no excuse, I had simply been in the middle of a phone call and forgotten.

If this happens again, and it probably will, because I'm human, and I travel by train a lot (and it isn't really viable to activate the ticket immediately I arrive at the station, because we're at the end of the line. and the train is often turned around before it gets to the terminus, if it's delayed), am I obliged to buy a paper ticket from the guard if he comes around, or would I be allowed to step off the train, activate one, and step back on?

The station was unstaffed, so I had committed no offence by boarding without a ticket.

Amusingly, he managed to cause a fair bit of concern on my part by querying whether the start and finish stations were correct. I spent several minutes seriously confused about whether or not I'd gotten on at the station I thought I'd gotten on at, despite it being the only one in town

 

[Hadders]

Te simplest way to avoid this in future is to use a paper ticket. They're even the same price!

 

[bb21]

Te simplest way to avoid this in future is to use a paper ticket. They're even the same price!

Haha indeed that is the only thing I can suggest too.

 

[Chouette]

Te simplest way to avoid this in future is to use a paper ticket. They're even the same price!

Not here they aren't, they're significantly cheaper.

Anyway, I really wasn't asking about how to avoid it, I'm well aware that paper tickets are available.

I was asking about the oddity of being in a situation where I've forfeited the right to use an m-ticket, but have no obligation to hold any ticket at all.

Edit: Therefore, if I get off before the guard comes to sell me a ticket, I have had no opportunity to buy a paper ticket, but was not allowed to pay for it by using an m-ticket once I boarded ?

 

[Hadders]

Not here they aren't, they're significantly cheaper.

Please can you elaborate. What is the journey and where are you purchasing from?

 

[Chouette]

Please can you elaborate. What is the journey and where are you purchasing from?

In this case I boarded at Merthyr Tydfil for Pentrebach, but I usually travel from Pentrebach to Cardiff Central. It's a couple of quid difference in the latter case. You get a pack of 12 tickets for the price of 10.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I had absolutely no excuse, I had simply been in the middle of a phone call and forgotten.

Mobile phones have much to answer for these days. In my day when one was away from home, one had to use the telephone boxes in order to make a telephone call and have the ability to use buttons "A" and "B". Strange to relate, in those days, one could never remember long queues outside these telephone boxes.

 

[headshot119]

In this case I boarded at Merthyr Tydfil for Pentrebach, but I usually travel from Pentrebach to Cardiff Central. It's a couple of quid difference in the latter case. You get a pack of 12 tickets for the price of 10.

Does Merthyr Tydfil not have a TVM (Ticket Vending Machine). If it's one of the standard ATW ones that takes cash and cars you've got an obligation to either have activated your M-Ticket or bought one from the machine before boarding. (Assuming you aren't paying with RTVs)

 

[Chouette]

Does Merthyr Tydfil not have a TVM (Ticket Vending Machine). If it's one of the standard ATW ones that takes cash and cars you've got an obligation to either have activated your M-Ticket or bought one from the machine before boarding. (Assuming you aren't paying with RTVs)

No, it does not. Presumably they're afraid it would be vandalised. It has a ticket office, but the hours are very short. I rarely get to see it open.

I can assure you that I was not telling porkies about the lack of opportunities to buy a ticket.

As for the telephone call, I'm involved in organising an event that's happening today and needed a last minute meeting with one of my coorganisers. This was the only opportunity that we had. I'm not in the habit of making phone calls in public, if only because it makes it much more difficult to hear, and had intended to be home by then, but since I had not made it, and there was noone else on the platform, it seemed a reasonably innocuous thing to do. I'm sorry if that bothers you.

And I'm sorry if that came out a bit snarky, I'm up much earlier than usual to catch the train to London, and yes I have already bought my tickets and made a trip to Cardiff to collect them. 5am really should not exist

 

[bkhtele]

My understanding is you must activate before you board , you could phone someone back if you are already using your phone.

 

[grumblingalong]

5am really should not exist

0500?? That's a lie in, your guard and driver will have been up a good few hours before you

 

[gray1404]

I think in future just active it before you get on the train. If your concerned about the train you intend to get being turned back early, just activte when the unit is pulling into the station, you'll have a couple of minutes to activate it there because that station is a turnaround staion right.

 

[158801]

I would say 80% of people that I come across using M-tickets have never used them before. Therefore they are not activated when I check them as they never read the small print and don't know what to do.

To make someone pay for another ticket, just because their m-ticket is not activated is harsh.

I had someone approach me before they boarded yesterday to ask how they activated it. We spent a good 10 minutes going through the screens and couldn't see the "activate now" button. It was genuine.

 

[Wallsendmag]

Don't Advance m-Tickets activate themselves on the day Travel ? It's only flexible tickets that need activating manually

 

[swt_passenger]

...You get a pack of 12 tickets for the price of 10.

Isn't this basically the same issue as buying a set of paper carnet tickets and accidentally forgetting to date one before starting the journey?

AIUI FCC (now GTR) would normally throw the book at you for this issue, ATW seem much more relaxed about it.

 

[Hadders]

I don't think ATW do paper carnet tickets. Agree if this was FCC you'd be looking at an out of court settlement or prosecution.

 

[swt_passenger]

I don't think ATW do paper carnet tickets.

Yes, I was thinking that if they did, they wouldn't be quite so accommodating, because they'd already realise that 'forgetting to validate' could easily become a bit repetitive...

 

[Minilad]

It seems to me that the more things are designed to make things easier then the harder things become

 

[Hadders]

It seems to me that the more things are designed to make things easier then the harder things become

Quite! I'm not against the use of technology but the problem we have is that each operator is doing their own thing. We have a national standard for paper tickets, which apply across all operators. We need the same for any new style ticketing solutions such as:

m-tickets
print at home tickets
smart cards etc.

It shouldn't be necessary for customers to hold multiple smart cards or download multiple apps just because they use more than one operator.

Of course, if these new style ticketing solutions are restricted to one operator then it reduces flexibility.