Great Western Coffee Shop

From Hillgate Travel......

"14-DEC-2009 6:18 PM

 
First Great Western - Ticket Machine Closure....
 
Please note that First Great Western intend to close down their Ticket Vending Machines -TVMs) from 21:00 on Thursday 24th December until 08:00 on Sunday 27th December inclusive.
This will mean it will not be possible to collect tickets from TVMs at First Great Western locations during this period.

Please note this may apply to other train Operators. "

Presumably to ward off vandals?.....
 

Yes, they will also be emptied of cash to stop theft/vandalism.

So presumably penalty fares will be suspended.

Otherewise everyone who catches a train from an umanned station in a penalty fare area will be a fare dodger.

How many trains are likely to be running between 21:00 on 24/12 and 08:00 27/12 ?

Quite.....

Suggest engaging brain before typing? :-)

Still plenty of services running from PF stations after 9pm Christmas Eve, so I think eightf has a valid point.

But how many Revenue staff are actually going to be working on  Xmas eve, therefore it isn't a problem!

Why the fuss?

The penalty fares rules are straightforward - if there is no working TVM or open ticket office at the station where you started your journey, you cannot be charged a penalty fare.

End of story.

It's also just occurred to me that this is a "Fares Fair" thread, rather than "Across the West" one, so I'll shift it over...

So how many people know that's the case?

They will all have read in the Daily Mail that if go anywhere near a train  without a ticket you get charged an horrendous penalty.

Why not just say publically that if the  ticket macines will is switch off between T1 and T2 then penalty fares will not apply in this period. preferably on a notice near teh TVM.


Taplow station will be unmanned from around 13:00 on 24/12 so presumably the machine will be switched off a full 8 hours before deadline unless someone is going to go round on Xmas Eve at 20:00 to switch all the machines off.

It's "Attention to Detail" and not making your passengers more anxious than they probably are trying to make a journey on Christmas Eve.

The TVMs can be switched in and out of service centrally. A computer will do it!

But a computer can't empty the cash!

Which is a pointless argument in terms of whether you need to be notified....

In five years:

1. I have never encountered revenue protection people

2. If need be I have always been able to purchase a normal fare from the closest station at the barrier - if I so wished - never have - always bought from where I boarded

3. The only person who has ever quibbled over a YP discount on first walk on is a ticket examiner who gets on at oxford - last time he warned me in *stern* tones that this was not allowed and not to do it again.. The TM tonight sold me one for tomorrow - lets hope its not him on the train tomorrow morning

So is the TVM machines out of action really an issue

Hang on there....you say you've never encountered revenue protection people but then go on to mention dealings with a ticket examiner who gets on at OXF.......huh?

the morning peak cotswolds services are "ticket checked" by the train manager.  A crew of ATE (I believe they are Assistant Ticket Examiners) get on at Charlbury purely to sell tickets since it is known that most of the stations are often unmanned and the TM doesnt have time with SDO.

they are NOT revenue protection - i have clarified that - all they do is sell tickets.

However I do believe I may have once come across revenue protection - earlier this year slough to reading when they cleared out first class and proceeded to read the paper and joke all the way to reading.  Suspect they were not revenue protection either come to think of it.

Why not just make them card only if the only worry is theft?

Strictly speaking that's correct - Revenue Protection are the bods who are authorized to charge penalty fares (but will also sell appropriately discounted tickets if the circumstances warrant). Ticket examiners don't have the penalty fares/PACE training that RP do. In revenue terms they have the same authority as a conductor, namely they can raise the full single fare for a journey where necessary but can't issue a PF.

Fair point. However my experience of staff boarding to specifically examine tickets is for Revenue Protection, and they have nearly always had the requisite authority to PF. RPI's do seem sadly lacking on FGW though......

If only there was a way to buy tickets on the train....  ;)

Well, that's b*ll*cks for a start.....who reads that pile of garbage?

Well over 2 million people a day amazingly enough. Luckily, most of them are sat in their conservatories eating rich tea biscuits all day, rather than venturing anywhere near a railway station.