Merseyrail Walrus.

[Pyreneenguy]

I tried to buy an All Zone Savaway Walrus at the Spar in L'pool John Lennon Airport last Saturday afternoon. The shop couldn't provide them as the system was down. No other alternative but to pay for a single journey on the number 86 Arriva bus to L'pool South Parkway and buy the Savaway's there. This is most unacceptable. It might only be £2.20 but there should be some manual back-up. I was told by the guy at Spar that this is a regular occurance.

I've already contacted Merseyrail via their comments form for a problem we had over the Christmas period; I'm still waiting for a reply. I'll send them another comments form for this incident, even though I'm probably wasting my time. The minimum they could do would be to reimburse the bus fare.

 

[Clip]

Did they say the whole system or just the spars system at that location?

Does the Walrus work the same as Oyster when loading up a card as I don't think you even need an internet connection to do that as it just transfers direct to your card then the back office stuff happens at the end of the day.

At least I think that's how it works and to be honest I have no idea

 

[M28361M]

There have been a multitude of complaints about Walrus ever since it launched. Much as I sympathise with you, I'm not sure Merseyrail can do much to help with Walrus card problems that occur off their network.

Merseytravel administer the Walrus card and I think you have a better chance of a useful reply by contacting them. comments@merseytravel.gov.uk is the email address to use. They may try to fob you off to Paypoint as it is their terminals which are used and presumably failed.

 

[Pyreneenguy]

When Walrus was launched I remember reading that paper Savaways would still be available , but perhaps this was only for a limited period of time ?
The only solution offered by the Mersytravel staff at the airport was a day bus pass, but we wished to use the train for our onward journey and again in the evning to return to the city centre.

We're only talking about £2.20, but when things are the other way around and the T.O.C reckon I was trying to fiddle them, they wouldn't hesitate on imposing their penalty fine and all the nasty threats that are associated with it !

 

[Bletchleyite]

There was a big problem with misuse of Saveaways - they were essentially insurance against Penalty Fares - see an inspector, scratch it off.

 

[matchmaker]

Why did I think of one of these when I read the thread title?

 

[M28361M]

When Walrus was launched I remember reading that paper Savaways would still be available , but perhaps this was only for a limited period of time ?

The scratchcards stopped being sold in March 2015. People who had already bought a scratchcard Saveaway could still use them after this, but I think the last ones only had scratch-off years up to 2016, so they will not be seen any more.

If you buy from a railway station you will get issued a Saveaway on standard rail ticket stock. Southport and Kirkby ticket offices were trialling Walrus but I don't know if that is still ongoing.

 

[CheapAndNerdy]

The scratchcards stopped being sold in March 2015. People who had already bought a scratchcard Saveaway could still use them after this, but I think the last ones only had scratch-off years up to 2016, so they will not be seen any more.

I bought one in late 2014. It only went up to 2016. I bought it "just in case" but never got round to using it until 31 Dec 2016, when I took a trip to the pine woods near Freshfield rather than let it go to waste

 

[tony_mac]

Arriva and Stagecoach can now issue Walrus cards on board the bus. They sell their own weekly tickets, as well as the new 'Solo Day' ticket (valid on all buses across Merseyside).

Presumably it would be possible for them to sell a Saveaway onboard, but they really have no incentive to do so as this would undercut their own day tickets.

However, the Solo day ticket does actually undercut Arriva's North-West day ticket, which was the only day ticket they sold that was valid across Merseyside (£4.70, £5.30).

 

[urbophile]

Fi-as-co!

 

[lfc84]

Q11.
Can I add a ticket onto a Walrus Card over the phone or online?
A.
No, not at the moment

Would be good if they could get this sorted ! The FAQ is from Jan 2017

https://www.merseytravel.gov.uk/Tickets/walrus-card/Documents/WalrusCardsFAQs-CP.pdf

I rely on the Spar at Liverpool airport to purchase Saveaways on my Walrus so I hope this issue isnt too frequent.

On a slightly related note, I purchased a Saveaway at Lime St. Despite it being sold by the ticket office run by Northern I was unable to find it on their website.

The ticket office, Virgin, in Manchester Picadilly have been unable to find it on their system and suggested that I keep the one bought at another station so that it may hekp them find it.
Attached is a picture of the rail station issued Saveaway

Edit to add: I have just found this post so I have saved it for next time I am passing through an out of area station.

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=2671266&postcount=15


Would be great if I could buy this online on orange stock or top up the Walrus card online.

 

[Pyreneenguy]

That's what we eventually bought at L'pool South Parkway !

Many travellers arriving at L'pool J.L use rail for their onward journeys, perhaps the installation of a Rail Ticket machine at the airport would be useful!

Merseytravel have a staffed kiosk at the airport , why don't they deliver Walrus?
The travel information centre at Queen's Square in the city centre does.

Another solution : set up a system where the cost of your journey by bus to South Parkway or the city centre would be deducted from the cost of your Saveaway if you couldn't buy/update a Walrus at the airport.

Not rail related but nvertheless annoying :-

Many other regional airports offer discounted or free travel to encourage their use. Liverpool would appear to be taking an opposite stance. Now, when arriving at the airport by taxi, you have to pay an additional £2 to be dropped-off at departures ! Perhaps this has something to do with the number 86 bus being 24h/24h, it's certainly not user friendly !

 

[lfc84]

That's what we eventually bought at L'pool South Parkway !

Many travellers arriving at L'pool J.L use rail for their onward journeys, perhaps the installation of a Rail Ticket machine at the airport would be useful!

I think there is a Northern Rail ticket machine near Starbucks. I may be mistaken though. As far as I know only Merseyrail ticket vending machines issue Saveaways, not the Northern ones.

Merseytravel have a staffed kiosk at the station, why don't they deliver Walrus?
The travel information centre at Queen's Square in the city centre does.

I think it's Merseyrail that have a staffed kiosk at the station. So they have to issue it on a orange ticket.

Merseytravel could provide a Saveaway ticket machine for the airport just like they have at the travel centre in Queens Square.


In respect of the £2 fee for the drop off and pick up....this is for the fast track car park about 100m from the terminal. Charges have been in place for over a year. It's unrelated tot he 24 hour 86A service which is a recent development. There is an alternative "Drop Off 2" car park about 6 minutes walk from the terminal. This is free for 30 minutes.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Airport drop-off fees are just a means of raising money for the airport because low-cost airlines are too hard-nosed at negotiating landing fees etc, so it's the only way they can stay properly profitable. They aren't anything to do with anything else, and they aren't congestion charges - they are not set to discourage drop-off, merely to give extra income. (If they were to discourage drop-off while keeping it vaguely affordable where you really have to it'd be a tenner).

The "secondary drop off" (like the Luton approach of allowing it in the mid term car park) is just so there's something for the really price-sensitive so they are not dissuaded from using the airport. It's kept reasonably unattractive so people will mostly cough up rather than choosing it.

 

[tony_mac]

I think there is a Northern Rail ticket machine near Starbucks.

Nope, that went a couple of years ago (relocated to Liverpool South Parkway, I think).

Merseytravel could provide a Saveaway ticket machine for the airport just like they have at the travel centre in Queens Square.

That has also gone!

There is an alternative "Drop Off 2" car park about 6 minutes walk from the terminal. This is free for 30 minutes.

It's signposted as a 10 minute walk, and is free for 20 minutes.
It's actually closer to drop off completely outside the airport, on Hale road.


I've never had a problem getting a Saveaway from the Spar at the airport, but have fairly frequently from other shops. I don't know if 'the system is down', or the staff member doesn't know how to use it.
Even when they are working, they can take a ridiculous amount of time to issue each ticket, which is not good if you have a large group.

 

[lfc84]

I asked Paypoint if its possible to top up a Walrus card outside of Merseyside and they replied

Hello, you are able to credit your walrus card at all PayPoint locations. Thanks ^MC

 

[urbophile]

Not about Walrus but connected to the problems of travel to/from John Lennon. I understand that it is possible to buy a ticket to the airport from any mainline station, which includes the bus journey from South Parkway. It should be equally possible for passengers arriving at the airport to buy one there for the onward journey: reading this thread it looks as if that might be difficult. Is it possible? and is there clear information provided to direct such passengers both to tickets and to the connecting bus (which I think now includes the 500 as well as the 86a)?

I've never needed to do this as I have a Merseytravel pass, and in any case the easiest way home (apart from a taxi) is a simple bus journey. So I may just have missed what is available.

 

[Pyreneenguy]

This is fine for people travelling to the airport from within the UK, not for those arriving from overseas. As I wrote previously, the provision of a machine issuing rail tickets at the airport would be very useful and as through rail-bus tickets to the airport are already available, there is very little to do !

 

[urbophile]

the provision of a machine issuing rail tickets at the airport would be very useful

I'd say essential. Unless there was a permanently staffed ticket office. Who is going to happily pay £2.20 on the bus just to get to South Parkway?

Being a pass-holder I'm not personally bothered by the delay in implementing Walrus, but it really needs to be sorted out soon. I'd have expected some of the delay to be due to having to negotiate with competing bus companies, but they seem to be nearer the target than Merseyrail which has no excuse for refusing to issue them at ticket offices. They don't have to wait for a fully-gated system if there were card readers on every platform.