Tickets for a train in the past: edge case for retailers.

[Stargull]

I had an odd situation this evening where it would be interesting to hear from those who understand the forum ticket site and other retailers.

I was travelling from London to Oxford. For some reason there were no trains later than 23.32 from Paddington. (Saturday service is often lacking even when there are late weekday trains). I couldn’t be sure I’d make this, so hadn’t got a ticket.

However, the train was delayed! I would be able to make it. So at 23.35 I tried to buy a ticket but there was no valid itinerary. Even though the train hasn’t left, I was forbidden from buying a ticket in the past.

I got a ticket for the next day (on an absurd itinerary involving, IIRC, a six hour stop in Princes Risborough) hoping this would at least show intent to pay. The gate agent (at the ‘far’ end of Paddington) sent me instead to the ticket machines on the main concourse - a sprint up and down platform 1.

I can’t imagine wanting to buy a ticket for last train of the day which is delayed comes up often. But it can’t just be me, and being forced to revert to a ticket machine was an odd quirk and could have meant I missed the train.

 

[crablab]

In future, you might wish to make use of https://brfares.com who now retail tickets (using the same supplier as the forum - RailEasy) but without the requirement to plan against an itinerary. You just pick the correct ticket

ie. you enter the start/end and select the appropriate ticket for the route/time, which you take responsibility for ensuring the compatibility of with your desired plan.

Since Paddington to Oxford can be issued as an e-ticket it sounds like you'd have been saved some hassle.

 

[TUC]

being forced to revert to a ticket machine was an odd quirk and could have meant I missed the train.

I do think that might be the simplest solution in such circumstance.

 

[redreni]

TVMs can be a bit hit and miss - some are dumb enough to sell you the ticket you want just because you ask for it.

Some are 'smart' enough to know when the last train is scheduled, but still dumb enough not to know that the last train is late, so won't sell you a ticket after the scheduled departure time.

If TVMs are to be itinerary-based then they really ought to know when trains are late and work out itineraries based on live running data. And long live BRFares as the reliable alternative.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I do think that might be the simplest solution in such circumstance.

Not all TVMs will sell tickets for the last train after it was scheduled to have departed (unless it's after 0001). There was a thread on here about TPE TVMs having that problem.

I do think the member of staff not accepting a ticket (non-Advance) for the next day was being prime jobsworth, though. It was technically not valid but TBH the sensible thing to do would have been to scan it and mark accept (so it was clearly flagged as used), and the sensible thing for their manager to do would be not to do anything about that at all. Were the train an hour later it'd have been valid, after all.