Setting up new rule for ticket vending machines?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/ministers-blasted-rip-off-rail-fare-4996935?

Train companies and ministers have been blasted over ^empty^ promises to end rip off rail fares.

Around a quarter of passengers buy from self-service machines unaware they could get cheaper fares at the station ticket office.

From March, all self service machines must alert passengers if cheaper fares are available over the counter in a bid to stamp out the scandal.

But rail watchdogs are worried travellers will still miss out on the chance to buy the cheapest fares - while unions have dismissed the move as a ^hollow promise^ when ticket offices are closing down.

Rail operators and the Government have drawn up new rules for the machines after it was found that they did not apply discounts for family and group travel.

[thetrout]

What I've noticed more and more is that some First Class Anytime Day Singles are more expensive to buy than their First Class Off Peak Day Return Counterparts.

So there are many cases where buying the First Class Off Peak Day Returns is cheaper for travelling one way Off Peak irrelevant of whether you choose to or not.

[grahame]

There are plenty of quirks, thetrout ...

I note the article goes on to say

train companies say the vast majority of passengers get the right tickets from machines.

which should mean (if I understand it right) that they'll welcome the opportunity to be seen as part of this good-news story

[Chris from Nailsea]

Rail operators and the Government have drawn up new rules for the machines after it was found that they did not apply discounts for family and group travel.

I've been pointing out / complaining that ticket vending machines don't offer / allow / apply GroupSave discounts for years: why has it taken 'rail operators and the Government' so long to notice even that basic anomaly?? 

[grahame]

From Rail Express - RailFuture's Electronic newsletter

THE NEWS GOT IT WRONG... self service ticket machines won't tell you cheapest price.
News reports in December told us that, from March, train ticket machines will tell you the cheapest fare. NOT TRUE...
1) They just have to warn you they may not be cheapest.
2) They ignore split ticketing, which on some routes halves costs.

[Richard Fairhurst]

Exactly. I suspect the end effect will just be a sticker* applied to every TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) saying "This vending machine is not guaranteed to give you the cheapest ticket available for all journeys."

* The fact it's likely to be a sticker, rather than an on-screen notice, tells you exactly how broken the ticketing system is.

[grahame]

From "The Echo"

http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/11750401._/?

A spokesman for Abellio Greater Anglia said: ^Because of a short-term sickness problem, we^re sorry the ticket office at Prittlewell station has not been open as scheduled on some recent occasions.

^Furthermore, we are planning to replace that and invest in a new automatic ticket vending machine for Prittlewell station in 2015 and our intention is to have the new ticket machine installed by the summer. The new machine will allow passengers to purchase the full range of train tickets before they travel.^

Looks like a new generation of software and / or machines if a full range is to be offered (or a spokesman who's not quite accurate in what he says / how he's reported  )

[stuving]

Looks like a new generation of software and / or machines if a full range is to be offered (or a spokesman who's not quite accurate in what he says / how he's reported  )

This new machine (and one at Hythe) were announced in December, when they were described as:

The new Scheidt & Bachmann cash and card machines will be equipped with the most up-to-date and customer-friendly screen layout helping to simplify the method for ticket purchase by reducing the number of steps to complete a ticket transaction. They will also comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.
 
When purchasing a ticket, the screens will display relevant information concerning any travel restrictions that may apply to a particular ticket type, helping to ensure that customers are easily able to purchase the correct and most appropriate ticket for their intended journey.
 
The new machines will allow customers to purchase tickets before they board the train, or collect a wider range of prepaid tickets purchased through the Abellio Greater Anglia app or other websites, and will accept all Abellio Greater Anglia Card Scheme accepted bank cards.

Sound familiar?

I think there is no TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) now, only a permit to travel machine (not working).

[Tim]

Exactly. I suspect the end effect will just be a sticker* applied to every TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) saying "This vending machine is not guaranteed to give you the cheapest ticket available for all journeys."

* The fact it's likely to be a sticker, rather than an on-screen notice, tells you exactly how broken the ticketing system is.

And the fact that it will take months (and doubtless cost thousands of pounds) to apply a sticker tells you how badly broken the industry as a whole is. 

[ChrisB]

Hmm. Groupsave on TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine)....not all TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) offer it on their fares. It'll be interesting to see if that makes it...

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

 Group save was available on the swt machines, it is only since the groupsave product changed that it has not been but it is due to return

[Chris from Nailsea]

Good news, 6 OF 2: any idea when that might happen? 

[6 OF 2 redundant adjunct of unimatrix 01]

Unfortunately not Chris :-(