Odd one this morning on my commute (5/12), wondered what the correct policy should have been.
Was waiting at East Croydon for the 08.28 service to Victoria. I was early.
A Gatwick Express train comes through platform 1 at about 8.25 and the usual “stand clear, train not stopping announcement plays”.
However, the train does slow down and stop. Must be waiting for a signal I thought. Then the doors open.
So I and a few others hopped on. Doors close, we wait, I expect an announcement telling us to get off again, but no, doors open again, quite a few more people get on.
There is then an announcement saying “we shouldn’t have stopped here, if you wanted Clapham junction, we’re not stopping there so get off now”.
I was pleased as I was running late and I thought this would save a few minutes.
However as I got off the train I realised I’d need to touch out at the Gatwick express barriers - which would charge me (I assume) full GX incomplete fare from Gatwick to Victoria.
I approached a member of staff and asked him to open the gate so I could touch out at the normal readers, but he was confused (not surprising really!) and said I couldn’t have come from EC as this was the Gatwick express! I said it couldn’t be a GX train as it stopped at EC! I think he was considering not backing down but I was then joined by a few other people who backed me up that we had indeed got on at EC and he, slightly bemused did open the gate and off we went.
I was just wondering who was correct here. It was *supposed* to be a Gatwick Express service, so I could see the logic of saying as I hopped on it then I would have to pay the GX fare, but as I’d only travelled from EC why should I have had to pay from Gatwick.
Could he have argued that my “ticket” wasn’t valid and given us all penalty fares?
What about all the many others who got on at EC and just touched out without realising they were using the special GX barriers? Would they all have been charged for an incomplete journey from Gatwick, or as they touched in at East Croydon would the system have worked it out?
There was no announcement on the train so if the GX barriers charged everyone the higher amount then GX have made a pretty penny out of this mistake!
The imp in me wonders if this “mistake” was actually a cunning way to pay for the GX Christmas party .
For me at least common sense prevailed, but am curious!
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Doesn’t look like my emojis worked, my suggestion about the Christmas party was, of course, just a festive joke!
Was waiting at East Croydon for the 08.28 service to Victoria. I was early.
A Gatwick Express train comes through platform 1 at about 8.25 and the usual “stand clear, train not stopping announcement plays”.
However, the train does slow down and stop. Must be waiting for a signal I thought. Then the doors open.
So I and a few others hopped on. Doors close, we wait, I expect an announcement telling us to get off again, but no, doors open again, quite a few more people get on.
There is then an announcement saying “we shouldn’t have stopped here, if you wanted Clapham junction, we’re not stopping there so get off now”.
I was pleased as I was running late and I thought this would save a few minutes.
However as I got off the train I realised I’d need to touch out at the Gatwick express barriers - which would charge me (I assume) full GX incomplete fare from Gatwick to Victoria.
I approached a member of staff and asked him to open the gate so I could touch out at the normal readers, but he was confused (not surprising really!) and said I couldn’t have come from EC as this was the Gatwick express! I said it couldn’t be a GX train as it stopped at EC! I think he was considering not backing down but I was then joined by a few other people who backed me up that we had indeed got on at EC and he, slightly bemused did open the gate and off we went.
I was just wondering who was correct here. It was *supposed* to be a Gatwick Express service, so I could see the logic of saying as I hopped on it then I would have to pay the GX fare, but as I’d only travelled from EC why should I have had to pay from Gatwick.
Could he have argued that my “ticket” wasn’t valid and given us all penalty fares?
What about all the many others who got on at EC and just touched out without realising they were using the special GX barriers? Would they all have been charged for an incomplete journey from Gatwick, or as they touched in at East Croydon would the system have worked it out?
There was no announcement on the train so if the GX barriers charged everyone the higher amount then GX have made a pretty penny out of this mistake!
The imp in me wonders if this “mistake” was actually a cunning way to pay for the GX Christmas party .
For me at least common sense prevailed, but am curious!
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Doesn’t look like my emojis worked, my suggestion about the Christmas party was, of course, just a festive joke!
