Leeds Gateline

[anti-pacer]

My good lady who commutes daily into Leeds uses a Metrocard so cannot go through the automatic ticket gates. Therefore she has to show her ticket to the Gateline staff.

She commented last night that the staff are now looking more closely at tickets, which is about time in my opinion, as you could have probably got away with showing a Sainsbury's Nectar Card and still have been let through.

No disrespect to the staff there as I know they're very busy, but has something been said to make them more diligent?

 

[Deerfold]

My good lady who commutes daily into Leeds uses a Metrocard so cannot go through the automatic ticket gates. Therefore she has to show her ticket to the Gateline staff.

She commented last night that the staff are now looking more closely at tickets, which is about time in my opinion, as you could have probably got away with showing a Sainsbury's Nectar Card and still have been let through.

No disrespect to the staff there as I know they're very busy, but has something been said to make them more diligent?

Metrocards should work the gates - whenever I've had a Metrocard in recent times (about 3 weeks this year) it has (there was a time just after the gates were installed when they didn't).

 

[muttynut]

Perhaps its a case of inadequate training by the toc that employs them or maybe laziness on the gatelines part .... what I was thinking maybe if they dont do the job right is to write in to complain then something might be done about it or even have the staff replaced not that I want to see people loose their jobs but if its not being done right well theres not many other options

 

[anti-pacer]

Metrocards should work the gates - whenever I've had a Metrocard in recent times (about 3 weeks this year) it has (there was a time just after the gates were installed when they didn't).

When I had one it never worked.

 

[Deerfold]

When I had one it never worked.

It may depend where you buy it - if it's not from a station then they may not be able to encode the magnetic strip. If you did I'd be tempted to ask for a replacement.

 

[armadillomaste]

They don't work if the place you buy them from doesn't print on them as highlighted above.

This is to the annoyance of the poor gate staff who have to go miles out of their way to flash a card so you can get through while tutting at you.

 

[anti-pacer]

They don't work if the place you buy them from doesn't print on them as highlighted above.

This is to the annoyance of the poor gate staff who have to go miles out of their way to flash a card so you can get through while tutting at you.

Ha ha! Yes, my partner has had experience of that!

 

[pdq]

I have a corporate Metrocard issued directly from Metro and it has no magnetic strip at all. I guess I'll get the new electronic card when it's renewed.

 

[Deerfold]

They don't work if the place you buy them from doesn't print on them as highlighted above.

This is to the annoyance of the poor gate staff who have to go miles out of their way to flash a card so you can get through while tutting at you.

Oh, I know all about that, I do it often enough on a scratch-off day rover.

They shouldn't have to go miles out of their way though, they're supposed to be stationed right next to the gates and so far as I can tell spend most of their time with the card on the reader to open it.

 

[Solent&Wessex]

If people who knew their tickets don't work all went to the gates with the signs saying "gating assistance" above them then the staff who should be stood there wouldn't need to walk miles out of their way. Conversely if those staff actually stood by the gates with the "gating assistance" signs rather than just mill around the middle chatting or letting folk through there, then people would know where they need to go to get through and would soon enough get the hint.

 

[maniacmartin]

If people who knew their tickets don't work all went to the gates with the signs saying "gating assistance" above them then the staff who should be stood there wouldn't need to walk miles out of their way. Conversely if those staff actually stood by the gates with the "gating assistance" signs rather than just mill around the middle chatting or letting folk through there, then people would know where they need to go to get through and would soon enough get the hint.

I don't know about Leeds, but the first thing some staff at London gatelines do when you say your ticket doesn't work the barriers is to make you put it through a barrier in front of them to prove that it's not you just being lazy!

If I have a ticket that I know won't operate the gate, I'll usually go to the barrier nearest the gateline staff, and run it through the barrier before showing it to them.

 

[34D]

I have a corporate Metrocard issued directly from Metro and it has no magnetic strip at all. I guess I'll get the new electronic card when it's renewed.

Better than that - over the next month or so you'll be able to swap your paper one for an annual with the same expiry date see http://www.m-card.co.uk

As of 10 mins ago, Leeds gateline was completely unmanned with no staff at all, yet the gates were closed. About half a dozen confused people.

 

[yorksrob]

I have a corporate Metrocard issued directly from Metro and it has no magnetic strip at all. I guess I'll get the new electronic card when it's renewed.

Our Metro corperate metro cards were replaced with metal strip type not long after the barriers came in a couple of years ago.

 

[CalderRail]

One I ran into recently;

The fact that "tickets not valid on HS1" are so marked means that every other ticket will open the barriers when travelling through St Pancras from Maidstone.

 

[sheff1]

I don't know about Leeds, but the first thing some staff at London gatelines do when you say your ticket doesn't work the barriers is to make you put it through a barrier in front of them to prove that it's not you just being lazy!

At Leeds you don't have to say anything as someone who is not the slightest bit interested in your ticket will be standing holding the barrier open with their pass.

This has been the case ever since the barriers were introduced and I have not noticed any recent change - last visit yesterday, when there was a line of people being waved through in both directions whilst the adjancent closed barriers were unloved.

 

[armadillomaste]

Sometimes they are away talking to colleagues....

 

[Deerfold]

I passed the gateline at 0700 today. There were no staff by the leftmost sign reading "Gateline Assistance", 2 by the middle one and 1 halfway between the middle and rightmost signs - so if you followed the signs there was a 1 in 3 chance of there being anyone there to help.

 

[Solent&Wessex]

I passed the gateline at 0700 today. There were no staff by the leftmost sign reading "Gateline Assistance", 2 by the middle one and 1 halfway between the middle and rightmost signs - so if you followed the signs there was a 1 in 3 chance of there being anyone there to help.

That, sadly, is normally the problem. People who do need assistance can't look at the signs to find it, as by and large the assistance is never where the signs is.

 

[Grumpy]

At Leeds you don't have to say anything as someone who is not the slightest bit interested in your ticket will be standing holding the barrier open with their pass.

This has been the case ever since the barriers were introduced and I have not noticed any recent change - last visit yesterday, when there was a line of people being waved through in both directions whilst the adjancent closed barriers were unloved.

Had just that experience today. Return tickets purchased from Guard wouldn't work the gates (often the case with tickets from the Guard).

Whilst the gatelines were fully manned, the staff seemed to think their job was to let people through quickly with the minimum delay. If you have something in your hand that looks remotely like a railway ticket they just pass you through. No attempt to take it off you and read what it says ie valid on this station, valid at this time, valid on this date etc. I reckon that 40% of those getting access (this was approx. 15.40) weren't using the gates