TVM Impartiality

[maniacmartin]

I was at St Pancras this afternoon, and witnessed several passengers using the TVMs. The prices they were being sold didn't seem right. Bear in mind this is a Saturday. Let's see what the cheapest walkup return is to Luton, returning the same day.

East Midlands Trains' TVMs say £14.00:


Southeastern TVM's agree, its £14.00:


But if you go to a First Capital Connect TVM, it's only £9.40:

The top left of the picture gives away what's happening. The £14 ticket is from London Terminals, whereas the Super Off peak Day Return exists from London Thameslink to Luton and the other TVMs haven't checked this. London Thameslink is a big IT hackup in the fares database.

This is rather underhand, as to the untrained eye it looks like the full range of tickets is being sold, whereas actually it's not. It's not limited to Luton tickets either, nor is this problem limited to St Pancras TVMs.

Another example is Grand Central only tickets are not available on East Coast's TVMs, and different models of FCC TVMs in Kings Cross have a different range of tickets to each other! (The ones near the platform 9-11 gateline sell a wider range, even for FCC's routes!)

Is there no wonder people think thetrainline is cheaper than the ticket office when they are confronted with things like this?

 

[Paul Kelly]

Another example is Grand Central only tickets are not available on East Coast's TVMs

That is probably because of the strange ticket type codes Grand Central use, e.g. GTR for Anytime Return and G2R for Off-Peak Return rather than SOR and SVR like all other TOCs use. Presumably East Coast have a ready-made excuse in that they would need to pay money to their TVM supplier to get them to add support for these ticket types; interesting little conflict of interest there.

 

[brompton rail]

That is probably because of the strange ticket type codes Grand Central use, e.g. GTR for Anytime Return and G2R for Off-Peak Return rather than SOR and SVR like all other TOCs use. Presumably East Coast have a ready-made excuse in that they would need to pay money to their TVM supplier to get them to add support for these ticket types; interesting little conflict of interest there.

Why would you need to buy a Grand Central ticket from an East Coast TVM? Grand Central sell them on the train.

 

[Haywain]

I believe that East Coast have an arraangement with Grand Central that determines when the GC tickets will be offered on EC TVMs.

 

[TUC]

Why would you need to buy a Grand Central ticket from an East Coast TVM? Grand Central sell them on the train.

Because of passengers who do not know this and go to the TVM, seeking to do the right thing and have a ticket before boarding the train.
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I believe that East Coast have an arraangement with Grand Central that determines when the GC tickets will be offered on EC TVMs.

Can you clarify what you mean?

 

[dvboy]

At least the tickets are in price order unlike Virgin's at Birmingham New Street where the choice of tickets for London extends to three screens not in any particular order.

 

[Mojo]

There are also issues relating to travel on Groupsave tickets. Some machines won't offer it at all, some machines offer it to you without asking (but don't make clear the restrictions such as not valid on EMT), and some machines make you ask for it by clicking a 'GroupSave' button.