Tapping on/off on routes with split registrations

[Sheridan]

I’ve noticed recently that on my local route, which is split registration (I think this is the term?) but operates as far as the passenger is concerned as a through journey, if my journey spans the two parts of the route, when I go to tap off I get a message saying ‘tap off invalid’. Is the split likely to be the cause of this?
Note: the route is in Wales so the £2 cap doesn’t apply.

Apologies if this has been discussed before, I admit I haven’t had a look back.

 

[Roger1973]

I haven't really been involved in tap on / tap off fares, but it's quite possible this is causing it.

It depends how the operator has set the two (or more) 'journeys' up in the ticketing system. Some operators set the end to end journey up as a single journey in their systems, but send an edited split version with their registrations - that probably works best for all practical purposes but may not be the officially correct way of doing it.

Others have it in systems as two separate journeys, so the driver might be entering a new route and / or journey number to the ticket machine at the split point, and if so, the kit on the bus will see it as two separate journeys.

Presume if 'tap off invalid' message is coming up, are you being charged a maximum fare for your journey? (or one for each 'incomplete' journey?)

Is the ticket scheme run by the operator or local authority? (or for that matter Welsh Government? I am out of touch with Wales)

Without knowing where or who the operator is, all I can suggest is have a look at their website and see if it says anything, failing that get in touch with operator (or council if it's their scheme) and ask what you're supposed to do.

The whole split registration thing is a bit of a bodge, and To-To may be a new can of worms for it.

 

[Sheridan]

The driver certainly inputs something on a machine at the split point. I believe I am just charged the daily zonal fare when the tap-off doesn’t work. Once when I did this and the tap-off didn’t work, the driver invited me to tap again on the terminal by their cab, which resulted in me being charged two daily fares! (I would have followed this up with customer services but after my previous experience with them, where a driver was given a different routing on their schedule card on the last bus of the night, leaving me with a long walk home, and apart from an acknowledgment of the error I got nowhere, I decided it wasn’t worth my time.) In future I think if I’m not returning on the same day then I’ll just ask for a single ticket from the driver.

 

[WibbleWobble]

Same principle as alighting on a loop / circular service where the driver books onto the next trip. As long as the stop is in the stop list for that direction, the passenger can tap off on what is technically the next journey, but still be charged for the one they boarded on. The machine knows the journeys are linked, so is able to treat it as one, unlike a through fare that requires a change of bus.

That's the way it works with Ticketer at least.

 

[Sheridan]

This is Arriva so I assume the system is Ticketer, but it hasn’t worked for my last 4 or 5 journeys. It may be a different problem unrelated to the split, but that was just what occurred to me.

 

[Soundwave]

I’ve noticed recently that on my local route, which is split registration (I think this is the term?) but operates as far as the passenger is concerned as a through journey, if my journey spans the two parts of the route, when I go to tap off I get a message saying ‘tap off invalid’. Is the split likely to be the cause of this?
Note: the route is in Wales so the £2 cap doesn’t apply.

Apologies if this has been discussed before, I admit I haven’t had a look back.

Sounds more like the the operator hasn't set it up correctly. There is also an issue if the driver logs out the ticket machine mid route (say for a relief) BEFORE people have alighted and had the chance to tap out