Ticket Machines TFW

[1955LR]

I had a look at the Ticket (TVM) machine at Newtown (NWT) yesterday and there is no information on it or any adjacent signage, as to how one might pay cash for a ticket . I was interested as I had a Rail Travel voucher, I wanted to use. I found that by selecting a journey and a ticket type it will eventually on the payment section, shows an option to pay cash on the train and printed a permit with the selected Journey details. I presented this on the train and was very interested that the staff member was unsure how to treat it or indeed the voucher. Surely this must put anyone off travelling if they have only cash and are not aware of the option. It also mentioned Penalty Fares may result for not obtaining the permission to travel paying cash but no external signs mentioning it is a Penalty fare area. Is this common on most TVM's that don't accept cash. It seems from my experience on the Cambrian line that most who pay cash just get on and they are issued with a ticket when challenged.

 

[plugwash]

Nothern started the "promise to pay" idea when they introduced their penalty fares scheme a few years back. I think TPE adopted it a few years later. The idea presumablly is to make it harder for people to lie about where they started their journey (for short fareing and/or to pretend they boarded at an unstaffed station when they in-fact borded at a staffed one).

TFWs site claims they hoperate penalty fares between birmingham international and Shrewsbury. I can't find any evidence online of them doing "promise to pay" though. I don't know if there are any TFW insiders on this forum who could fill us in.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 19 Nov 2022 ==

Edit just taken a look through the Q&A section on https://tfw.wales/purchasing-your-tickets/buy-before-you-board and found the following in the ticket vending machines section.

I want to pay by cash but the Ticket Vending Machine at my station is card only

Speak with a member of staff at the earliest opportunity and/or obtain an Authority To Travel to exchange for a ticket – You may then pay by cash without any additional charges.

 

[Bletchleyite]

These are mostly WMT or Avanti stations, and WMT and Avanti don't do promise to pay, you just pay cash at the earliest opportunity if you wish to.

 

[busestrains]

There are hundreds of stations across, Southern, Southeastern, Great Western Railway, Chiltern Railways, where the ticket machines only take card. None of these do this "Promise To Pay" thing. You just board the train and pay the Guard when they come around (or from my experience on 90% of the time you actually get a free journey because Guards rarely bother to walk through the train and check tickets these days or some lines are DOO too).

Honestly the "Promise To Pay" thing is ridiculous. I get that it stops people lying about where they boarded but it just makes things more complicating. I would scrap the whole thing if i was in charge.

Ideally all stations should have cash accepting TVMs. It would make it a lot easier for passengers and it would ensure that more people pay and do not end up getting a free journey instead. South Western Railway have cash accepting TVMs at 100% of their stations (except five, Beaulieu Road, Holton Heath, Longcross, Millbrook, Redbridge, which instead have cash accepting PERTIS machines) so it is possible.

 

[CardiffKid]

I think the only unstaffed station on the TfW network that has a cash accepting ticket machine is Cardiff Bay.

I can completely understand why TfW don’t want cash at unstaffed stations both in rural areas (the need to repellence change) and in many of the built up areas the serve (theft/damage).

I have no experience of using the promise to pay option but let’s see how it works. Many people will inevitably end up traveling for free even if they get a voucher and have cash ready.

There needs to be a culture shift across the bulk of the network in Wales similar to that of Manchester where there are relatively few examples of fair dodging because travellers understand the need to buy a ticket before boarding.

 

[1955LR]

I originally posted this as there is no mention on the machine when you first "wake it up" or posters to advise that paying cash is possible , and I just wonder if anyone not used to rail travel may be put off travelling . I am sure most just get on the train without much thought at all and pay when approached, which may cause problems later if they adopt the same approach travelling on other areas of the network.

 

[CardiffKid]

I just wonder if anyone not used to rail travel may be put off travelling .

So you’re imagining someone who hasn’t travelled by train for months or years (or potentially ever) going to their station, finding a card only machine and no manned ticket office and then walking off deciding not to travel by train?

I think that’s unlikely IMO.

 

[L401CJF]

I originally posted this as there is no mention on the machine when you first "wake it up" or posters to advise that paying cash is possible , and I just wonder if anyone not used to rail travel may be put off travelling . I am sure most just get on the train without much thought at all and pay when approached, which may cause problems later if they adopt the same approach travelling on other areas of the network.

I'm a guard with TfW. I have been approached on the platform before by people in this situation asking if they are able to pay onboard as they were unsure. Most just board anyway and pay when we come through. I would say 95% of our transactions are card now so not many people paying cash!

I have only ever been given a promise to pay once. I had never seen one before on the network (I know Northern use them but that's about it), and I didn't know what it was at first until I gave it a good looking at! Never been told about them. I just issued the journey printed on the promise and threw the voucher in the bag with my paperwork for the day.