New ticket design

[radamfi]

I uploaded a pic of one at the start of this thread.

Ones I've picked up recently have a box on the back for endorsements.

 

[ess]

Maybe FCC can use the endorsements box to date Carnet tickets

 

[jon0844]

Maybe FCC can use the endorsements box to date Carnet tickets

That would make sense. If checked on a train, you'd need to give the ticket to the RPI anyway - so it would be easy to check.

I always wrote the date on the back of my tickets anyway, as that would reduce any chance of being accused of tampering. On the back, you could write incredibly clearly with no doubt whatsoever.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Ones I've picked up recently have a box on the back for endorsements.

They're using these at Epsom; have been for a while now.

 

[L&Y Robert]

Readily distinguisdhable formats for 'tickets'; 'seat reservations'; and the other administrative 'bits' that the machines produce - that'd be a boon! Different colours if possible (difficult, I know), or maybe a square corner vs a round corner, or a corner nipped off - something, anyhow.
Five of us, Banbury to Penzance and return last year, seats reserved on Cross-country and then FGW - wow! I had a pack of cards! We sat there sorting threm out, "Dealing" them into the order we needed. Even then there was confusion when ticket inspector came round!

 

[jon0844]

I wonder if you could do different colours by having ticket stock with different colours, and the machine overprinting black to mask out the colours not wanted?

That would of course mean ticket stock looking something like the one logo from National Express...

 

[Deerfold]

Readily distinguisdhable formats for 'tickets'; 'seat reservations'; and the other administrative 'bits' that the machines produce - that'd be a boon! Different colours if possible (difficult, I know), or maybe a square corner vs a round corner, or a corner nipped off - something, anyhow.
Five of us, Banbury to Penzance and return last year, seats reserved on Cross-country and then FGW - wow! I had a pack of cards! We sat there sorting threm out, "Dealing" them into the order we needed. Even then there was confusion when ticket inspector came round!

The problem with that is needing lots of different ticket hoppers in machines - and possibly all of them running out at different times. I believe most current machines only have 2 hoppers.

 

[northwichcat]

I uploaded a pic of one at the start of this thread.

Ones I've picked up recently have a box on the back for endorsements.

Just seen someone tweet a ticket endorsed by a Northern guard after being overcarried due to a door fault. I'm not sure the endorsement would fit in that box:
https://twitter.com/lewisrobertscom/status/354675170792837121/photo/1

 

[trentside]

Used the new endorsements box a few times today.

For a simple message such as '2A05 cancelled - pass on later service' the box is fine, but for anything more complex such as an over-carried passenger, or someone who boarded the wrong train there still isn't enough room, unless your writing is tiny!

 

[Eagle]

Used the new endorsements box a few times today.

For a simple message such as '2A05 cancelled - pass on later service' the box is fine, but for anything more complex such as an over-carried passenger, or someone who boarded the wrong train there still isn't enough room, unless your writing is tiny!

Well what about using the big white space above the mag strip then? Or do endorsements not count unless they are in the box? :P

 

[ModernRailways]

Well what about using the big white space above the mag strip then? Or do endorsements not count unless they are in the box? :P

I imagine at least a handful of staff would actually complain about it! I know I missed my East Coast service due to a previous journey and was given a separate piece of paper with East Coast letterhead, on the train the train guard said it wasn't valid. I told him what happened and that this was official, and if he needed to then he can phone Kings Cross to get them to confirm. He never rang, but just said 'Make sure next time it's done properly'. Whatever 'properly' meant is anyone's guess!

 

[HowardGWR]

I imagine at least a handful of staff would actually complain about it! I know I missed my East Coast service due to a previous journey and was given a separate piece of paper with East Coast letterhead, on the train the train guard said it wasn't valid. I told him what happened and that this was official, and if he needed to then he can phone Kings Cross to get them to confirm. He never rang, but just said 'Make sure next time it's done properly'. Whatever 'properly' meant is anyone's guess!

So you as a customer were to blame. That will teach you for giving East Coast your custom won't it? :cry:

 

[Bungle73]

I imagine at least a handful of staff would actually complain about it! I know I missed my East Coast service due to a previous journey and was given a separate piece of paper with East Coast letterhead, on the train the train guard said it wasn't valid. I told him what happened and that this was official, and if he needed to then he can phone Kings Cross to get them to confirm. He never rang, but just said 'Make sure next time it's done properly'. Whatever 'properly' meant is anyone's guess!

Should have just told him that it wasn't your job to make sure it was done "properly". I would have.

 

[causton]

I would have insisted what 'properly' was and asked him to get the other staff and make THEM do it properly, not make the passenger do more work!

 

[LexyBoy]

So you as a customer were to blame. That will teach you for giving East Coast your custom won't it? :cry:

How is it ModernRailways' fault? Getting any form of endorsement is above and beyond what is required, so I don't think the guard had any cause for complaint.

 

[island]

As many ticket barriers have barcode readers (for print@home tickets), the simple solution would be to print a barcode on the big tickets.

Only a tiny minority of ticket barriers have barcode readers, in fact.

Maybe FCC can use the endorsements box to date Carnet tickets

There's an idea.

Readily distinguisdhable formats for 'tickets'; 'seat reservations'; and the other administrative 'bits' that the machines produce - that'd be a boon! Different colours if possible (difficult, I know), or maybe a square corner vs a round corner, or a corner nipped off - something, anyhow.
Five of us, Banbury to Penzance and return last year, seats reserved on Cross-country and then FGW - wow! I had a pack of cards! We sat there sorting threm out, "Dealing" them into the order we needed. Even then there was confusion when ticket inspector came round!

The main issue with that is TVMs, which can only have one or two types of stock loaded at once. Although the EC TVM approach of printing receipts on till roll rather than yellow and orange coupons is good.

I should show you my collection of Iarnród Éireann tickets sometime. Booking offices and guards' machines use different stock for adult/child/Railcard single/return/point-to-point season, and many of the zonal tickets print on dedicated stock. Upgrades/1st excesses, attraction tickets (sort of like Legoland inclusive tickets here), etc. are all different, and Dublin suburban tickets print to different stock to intercity ones (all on a single line).

TVMs, of course, have to use common stock!

 

[trentside]

Well what about using the big white space above the mag strip then? Or do endorsements not count unless they are in the box? :P

Ahh, but that would defeat the point of the box

It really has been designed with only a one line endorsement in mind though, so I can see the big white space being useful - until we get stock with adverts in that space of course, or in the case of Avantix stock, a penalty fare warning.

 

[transmanche]

Only a tiny minority of ticket barriers have barcode readers, in fact.

But (as demonstrated) it's fairly easy to retrofit them. Certainly far easier than to adapt them to take 'airline style' tickets.

 

[LexyBoy]

There's no reason airline style tickets would have to go through the barriers - they could be issued with a gate pass to open the barriers, or require the passenger to be let through manually, which would have the advantage of actually checking their ticket (existing barriers can't check whether Advance tickets are valid at that time).

After all, nobody would want to put barriers in at main intercity stations where loads of people will be using Advances and carrying lots of baggage, coffees and food for the journey... oh, wait.

 

[transmanche]

There's no reason airline style tickets would have to go through the barriers - they could be issued with a gate pass to open the barriers, or require the passenger to be let through manually, which would have the advantage of actually checking their ticket (existing barriers can't check whether Advance tickets are valid at that time).

A gate pass is fine, but defeats the point of reducing the number of coupons. Manual inspection would require a huge increase in the number of gateline assistants and therefore make the whole exercise pointless.

 

[island]

There's no reason airline style tickets would have to go through the barriers - they could be issued with a gate pass to open the barriers, or require the passenger to be let through manually, which would have the advantage of actually checking their ticket (existing barriers can't check whether Advance tickets are valid at that time).

After all, nobody would want to put barriers in at main intercity stations where loads of people will be using Advances and carrying lots of baggage, coffees and food for the journey... oh, wait.

And I gather the DaFT wants Euston fully gated...

 

[northwichcat]

Only a tiny minority of ticket barriers have barcode readers, in fact.

With Trenitalia and Print@Home if the conductor has a scanner they scan the ticket, otherwise they ask for you to show ID to check that you are the person who's name is printed on the ticket.

On a Renfe service I was on the guard seemed to have a list of everyone who was booked on that train and ticked off the names on his list as he checked tickets.

 

[dvboy]

Issued at MYB today.

 

[ATW Alex 101]

Bromborough are now issuing these tickets.

 

[Hyphen]

Bromborough are now issuing these tickets.

Swansea have been issuing these for a few weeks now, certainly from the TVMs. I've had no need to visit the ticket office of late.

 

[gnolife]

Northern guards (Manchester area) seem to be issuing these new stocks as well.

 

[Solent&Wessex]

I had a pack in my Avantix the other day, but the pack of spare tickets in the bag I was given was old stock. In fact, I recently got a bundle of extremely old Bemrose Booth stock given to me recently.

 

[Starmill]

Northern guards (Manchester area) seem to be issuing these new stocks as well.

Have been for some time now

And I like that photo of the Travelcard from London Marylebone! Do most London Terminals issue in boundary Travelcards like this rather than from London Terminals?

 

[dvboy]

I think so. This was from a Chiltern TVM.

 

[ModernRailways]

And I like that photo of the Travelcard from London Marylebone! Do most London Terminals issue in boundary Travelcards like this rather than from London Terminals?

I believe so, I've only ever bought one from a TVM and that was at Kings Cross. It had 'London Kings Cross & Zones 1-6' or something like that. I'll see if I can find it.

Normally I buy them online and just do East Croydon to Hadley Wood/Elstree and Borehamwood. The £5.90 fare is always the travelcard.

Some of the TVM's are awkward, I remember looking on the Capital Connect machines at Cross and it having something like 'London Underground Zones 1-6' and 'London Zones 1-6'. Both were the same price, but the Underground you couldn't use a railcard. Apparently the 'London Underground Zones 1-6' is just a single ticket and not a travelcard.