New design of common stock ticket

[whole diary]

[bobm]

Some, but not all, of the machines in South Devon are now printing new style tickets.

Was this the style you got Fourbee?

[Fourbee]

Yep, it's the same format as yours bobm.

I've not yet purchased a ticket from a booking office, but assume it will be printed in the same format.

[Fourbee]

As an aside I used to quite like the smell of the old APTIS^▸ (All Purpose Ticket Issuing System) stock https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APTIS_ticket_features, the more recent incarnations don't smell of much.

Probably should have kept that to myself!

[bobm]

I don't think sniffing tickets is covered by railway byelaws so you should be all right!

[Chris from Nailsea]

Spliffing tickets, however, could get you into trouble.

[Bob_Blakey]

The new style of ticket has been issued by the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) at Digby & Sowton for several weeks (at least); one thing I particularly like is the printing of any specific seat reservation information on the same piece of card.

[Surrey 455]

I wonder how many people will look at it, think it's their receipt and discard it without looking at the other tickets / receipts printed.

[bobm]

If the plan was to incorporate reservation information onto the one ticket then it seems not to have happened - at least not for "voluntary" reservations.

I have a new style ticket for Swindon to Westbury and decided to reserve a seat and that has been printed on a separate card.  Perhaps only Advance tickets have the information all on the one ticket - although why my reservation couldn't have been treated the same way I am not sure.

[grahame]

If the plan was to incorporate reservation information onto the one ticket then it seems not to have happened - at least not for "voluntary" reservations.

It could come with the next software upgrade, Bob.

I'm disappointed as to how s-l-o-w-l-y things seem to happen on the ticketing front.  Or perhaps I'm just impatient.  New ticket vending machines were placed in Melksham in March, and in Trowbridge a few weeks ago now.  The simplistic part of me assumed that once they were in place, they would be able to deliver and sell tickets within a short timescale, but this hasn't happened ... and no-one I've asked has got back to me with an answer to "when ..."

Looks like you're stuck with a sheaf of tickets for a while yet!!

[Fourbee]

Every guard/TM^‡(resolve) I have spoken to does not like it!

One poor soul on SWT^▸ (South West Trains) had to don his glasses to read it.

[TeaStew]

That is a sentiment I have overheard in passing at a ticket barrier. A passenger had used the wrong part of his return in the barrier and complained that the words were too small to read - staff member replied that a lot of people had been saying that.

[thetrout]

Ticket 1) New Ticket Design issued by Frome TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine)

Ticket 2) Ticket issued by an Avantix^▸ (Ticket Issuing System used on board trains)

Ticket 3) Issued at a Ticket Office



I don't like the new layout either. A TM^‡(resolve) nearly said it was a Standard Class ticket until doing a double take on the passenger presenting the ticket and the price of the ticket (having himself sold it several times before) and off the record responded "What a bluddy awful design..."

[Timmer]

Quick question. Are you allowed to travel via Westbury on the above ticket?

[JayMac]

Quick question. Are you allowed to travel via Westbury on the above ticket?

Nope. Weekdays 7 Frome bound services and 5 Taunton bound services. Change at Castle Cary (a couple of advertised connections around 90 minutes wait at CLC^▸ (Castle Cary)!) except the 1522 from Taunton which is direct. Pretty poor service between two towns in the same county.

[thetrout]

Technically no, but local acceptance is in place. Having used the ticket via Westbury on the 15:55 to connect with the 16:23 for Penzance countless times in the last 10 years. I've also used the ticket via Bristol in the same time frame without issue. Only one action where the Guard on a SWT^▸ (South West Trains) service initially had reservations but then accepted it when he saw Any Permitted printed on the ticket.

I think that is because it is considered as BNM points out, the service between Frome and Taunton is poor considering the distance and the 2 towns being in the same county. I can name several additional journeys possible via Bristol and via Westbury.

It pains me to say this. But this is probably one of the rare examples where common sense prevails and for that I am thankful.