Online ticket oddness - Chichester

[Abpj17]

We travel regularly from Leagrave to Chichester but are puzzled by some of the ticket collection options.

Through a bit of trial and error, if we get a ticket from Luton to Chichester, we can do this as a mobile ticket. For reasons we don't understand (and welcome views), if we get from Leagrave (same fare zone as Luton...we believe), then the mobile option is available and we have to collect paper tickets. This seems a bit random...

The other oddity we've discovered is that the ticket gates at Chichester don't accept advance tickets...but meh.

Thanks!

 

[Adam Williams]

Can you confirm which exact tickets you're asking about (price/route descriptor for the paper-only Leagrave to Chichester ticket, and the Luton to Chichester comparator)?

E-Ticketability can vary based on ticket type, origin/destination/route. It generally won't exist if the cross-London marker is set (maltese cross).

 

[Abpj17]

Typically an open off-peak return with a railcard (I've got network, my mum has senior). Origin is Leagrave (or Luton when we've experimented), destination is Chichester. Route is Thameslink then Southern e.g. via Gatwick, Three Bridges (not Victoria). The ticket from Leagrave says valid any permitted route and DOES have a Maltese cross. (We don't have a paper one from Luton to hand at the moment.)

If it's due to cross-London marker, then puzzling that this is getting applied for Leagrave (one stop further away from London) but not Luton.

Between us we do the journey around once a week (caravan by the coast...)

Edit: For further confusion it reverts to collection if from Luton Airport Parkway and a single; mobile if from Luton Airport and it's a day return i.e. you can randomly get mobile from Luton, but paper collection for the stations either side of it...

 

[OscarH]

GTR have enabled some tickets with cross London markers where you'd obviously use Thameslink. As you have noticed they're very very inconsistent with it - every origin-destination-route-ticket pair has to be enabled individually, hence it's a complete mess often

Re the advances, that's pretty common at smaller GTR stations, so they can check you're getting on the right train (because the gate can't check)