On board message - pointless?

[najaB]

M Tickets can be purchased for immediate use.

True. But often they must be activated prior to boarding the train - it's in the T&Cs.

 

[3141]

"Cannot" and "Please" are words that should be avoided in formal notices. "Cannot" is rarely true (my old English teacher was quite forthright in this and suggested that "can't" or "cannot" is only ever used by the ignorant and dishonest) and "please" is clearly an invitation for you to make an elective decision and can never be an instruction.

I disagree with your old English teacher. And there's a good chance I'm older than he is.

No it`s not. It actually does make sense if you think about it.. It may seem like clarifying the bleedin` obvious to Mr Perfikt from Essix but how many times I`ve heard this and checked my ticket just to be sure and I did find my railcard out of date on one occasion. On top of that with the ridiculous range of tickets around it makes sense for people to check again so to speak.

Unlike you I don't check my ticket in response to that announcement. I don't know which of us is the more typical traveller. It is possible that one day I'll hear it and suddenly realise that I've got a super off-peak ticket and I've boarded a train for the return trip on which the ticket isn't valid. My guess is that most of the people without the correct ticket either don't have one at all or are at least half aware that the one they've got isn't valid on that train.

 

[route:oxford]

I disagree with your old English teacher. And there's a good chance I'm older than he is.

She's a very sprightly 85 and had spent a considerable time in her younger years evidencing what a woman *can* do whilst so many around her were telling her what she *can't* do.

 

[Master29]

I disagree with your old English teacher. And there's a good chance I'm older than he is.



Unlike you I don't check my ticket in response to that announcement. I don't know which of us is the more typical traveller. It is possible that one day I'll hear it and suddenly realise that I've got a super off-peak ticket and I've boarded a train for the return trip on which the ticket isn't valid. My guess is that most of the people without the correct ticket either don't have one at all or are at least half aware that the one they've got isn't valid on that train.

Very possible in both cases which is all the more reason to announce it. However my reason is more than likely down to OCD if I`m honest, especially since forgetting my railcard that is.

 

[richw]

"Cannot" and "Please" are words that should be avoided in formal notices. "Cannot" is rarely true (my old English teacher was quite forthright in this and suggested that "can't" or "cannot" is only ever used by the ignorant and dishonest) and "please" is clearly an invitation for you to make an elective decision and can never be an instruction.



The most straightforward message would be:-

"If you are travelling without a valid ticket, you must ask a member of AGA staff for a penalty fare"

In a former employment where assertiveness was required we were trained not to use certain words as apparently it's proven by some psychologist that those words can have an optional outcome.

'Can you' is a question with a yes/no outcome. No good if you want your customer to do something.