How can we make ticket purchases to be guaranteed in seconds?

[miklcct]

The number of threads about prosecution after people rushing to trains without time to buy a ticket is worrying, and that's a serious problem if the flow is not e-ticket enabled.

Even if the flow is e-ticket enabled, when I tap buy as the train door closes (there have been multiple instances I just made the connection at the moment the train door started to close), the train has already run half of the journey when I get the e-ticket shown on my phone.

How can we prevent such problems happening, such that everyone rushing for trains can be sure that a ticket is held without waiting for anything? PAYG is a solution but is there anything which can be deployed nationally?

 

[zwk500]

Surely the simplest solution is to offer e tickets everywhere? Every time I've bought an e ticket it's arrived or been available on the app within a minute or so.
It would help if they were clearer that buying a day ticket with a specific itinerary does not change its usual validity. And maybe offer some tickets like anytime day returns without itineraries

 

[Bletchleyite]

Leave enough time to buy a ticket. With e-tickets that is just a few minutes.

Almost every problem you post on here is because you are trying to live your life too fast. It will put you in an early grave with stress.

 

[skyhigh]

Almost every problem you post on here is because you are trying to live your life too fast.

Exactly this. Slow down a little and the problem disappears.

 

[Dai Corner]

Who decides to catch a train seconds before it departs?

This was a thing up until about the 1980s when 'bashers' would 'fester' at strategic locations for a 'rateable' loco they 'needed for haulage' to 'produce' but surely not these days?

Translation: Railway fans would wait at strategic locations for an interesting or unusual locomotive they hadn't previously ridden behind to come along. Any tickets held were often of dubious validity but times were different and best discussed in another thread.

 

[miklcct]

Who decides to catch a train seconds before it departs?

These happens when changing between vehicles. The first vehicle can be a train, a bus, an aeroplane, or any other form of scheduled transport.

As the connection time is very tight, the journey is short, and the frequency is very low (e.g. a 2 km one stop journey on an hour frequency), the intention is to exit the station if the connection is missed.

 

[zwk500]

These happens when changing between vehicles. The first vehicle can be a train, a bus, an aeroplane, or any other form of scheduled transport.

As the connection time is very tight, the journey is short, and the frequency is very low (e.g. a 2 km one stop journey on an hour frequency), the intention is to exit the station if the connection is missed.

If you are planning to get the train, you can buy an e-ticket before you arrive at the station (e.g. when you are on the bus, or waiting for your baggage). If you miss the connection and decide not to wait you can refund the ticket. Waiting until you are at the station to purchase your ticket in case you do not make the connection is just setting yourself up to be caught out. The admin fee most TOCs charge for refunds should be dropped, as @Bletchleyite has called for multiple times.

 

[miklcct]

If you miss the connection and decide not to wait you can refund the ticket.

[quote="https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...eep-the-value-of-my-flexible-ticket.226708/]I have tried once in the past[/url] but lost my ticket value because normally a retailer charges £10 for any refund, which renders all short-distance tickets nonrefundable.

I bought the ticket while the incoming train was still on time, but congestion at the platform held the train for 2 minutes while entering the interchange station and the train in the opposite direction was gone.

 

[zwk500]

I have tried once in the past but lost my ticket value because normally a retailer charges £10 for any refund, which renders all short-distance tickets nonrefundable.

As I said, part of the solution is getting rid of the admin fee. For reservable trains I can understand a £5 charge to stop people booking out multiple seats and then refunding the ones they don't use, blocking potential revenue, but for unreserved trains it really isn't justified.

I bought the ticket while the incoming train was still on time, but congestion at the platform held the train for 2 minutes while entering the interchange station and the train in the opposite direction was gone.

If it was a valid connection in an itinerary you would be eligible for delay repay, wouldn't you? If the connection wasn't within the official allowances then that's your own risk, given that there is a planned connectional allowance for a reason.

 

[miklcct]

If it was a valid connection in an itinerary you would be eligible for delay repay, wouldn't you? If the connection wasn't within the official allowances then that's your own risk, given that there is a planned connectional allowance for a reason.

That connection I attempted was a 2-minute connection when the official time was 3 minutes, so that's a risky connection.

However, even if it is a valid connection, Delay Repay may not be applicable because I will just walk out of the station, rather than wait for the next train, if the connection is missed. In this case, can I ask for fee-free refund of the unused ticket if I have bought all the tickets in advance?

 

[zwk500]

That connection I attempted was a 2-minute connection when the official time was 3 minutes, so that's a risky connection.

Risky and therefore entirely yours to wear if it doesn't come off.

However, even if it is a valid connection, Delay Repay may not be applicable because I will just walk out of the station, rather than wait for the next train, if the connection is missed. In this case, can I ask for fee-free refund of the unused ticket if I have bought all the tickets in advance?

I don't know what the current eligibility would be. However I would support the unused portion being refunded if part of a valid itinerary was abandoned due to a late running train. But we're now veering off-topic a bit.

E-tickets have been delivered within 2 minutes to my phone on a reliable basis. If you are buying a ticket less than 2 minutes before departure you are setting yourself up for issues. However it should be noted that with unreserved tickets the validity of the ticket type is not limited to the single itinerary booked. E.g. you can buy an Off-Peak single for an itinerary showing the 16.24 train whilst on board the 15.24 train and it is still valid (rules about purchasing before you board notwithstanding), and therefore that even if you do decide to wait until the very last minute you can still buy a valid ticket even if the app shows the train as departed.