The Bristol Railway Archive

Source: thisisbath - 06 October 2006

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"All we want to do is buy train tickets."

Can any of your readers enlighten me as to why the railway companies seem determined to make life as difficult and uncomfortable as possible for those of us who try to be "green" by using public transport?I witnessed a near riot by citizens who were attempting to be law abiding by buying a train ticket on the platform at Bath, when confronted by a new ruling that only (more expensive) single tickets could now be bought. Why? We were also told that anyone not having managed to get a ticket before beginning their journey would soon be fined ú20 on the spot.

Am I being dim, or wouldn't the best way to ensure travellers all get tickets be to make it as pleasant and easy as possible to buy one and at as many places on route as possible?

Punishing us for not having achieved the often impossible doesn't seem like the best way to encourage honesty.

Just let us pay for the ticket we want whenever or wherever we can. Preferably with a smile, or is that too much to ask?

Anyone who travels by train will tell you that no matter how early you get to the station, there is no guarantee you'll get your ticket before the train gets in.

The sensible traveller will not wish to be late or miss their connections so will board the train anyway, knowing they can buy a ticket from the guard on the train or, failing that, get one at the Bath or Bristol end because you can't leave the platform without one.

Now they tell us we should have gone in search of the guard on the train, despite the fact that the train was so crowded we'd have had trouble finding our own feet, never mind anyone else.

I would sympathise with the plight of the platform staff, who must try and enforce these petty regulations, if only most of them didn't seem to enjoy bossing people around so much.

Personally, I have been bullied on several occasions by railway staff and treated as if I were some kind of criminal, when all I want to do is get to work on time with as little stress and hassle as possible.

I have no desire to avoid paying my way but the more obstacles that are placed between me and a smooth journey, the less generous I feel towards the railway companies.

I only wanted a single ticket, on this occasion, but I suspect the majority of the people in the queue behind me will have had to lie about where they'd come from in order not to pay too much extra for their journeys. The only other alternative we were given was to be arrested. I don't suppose many of us could be bothered with that but if the new rule persists I might just snap.

If you find me on the front page, jailed for travelling without a ticket, have a whip round to bail me out, as I'll have done it in protest, on behalf of the all the exasperated train travellers.

J Warin

Bradford on Avon

I'm sorry, I do not have a lot of sympathy. The regulations are not petty and I believe even in the days of Brunel you required a single ticket to travel on a train from Bath to Bristol.

However, the commentator is correct to draw attention to the inflexibility of railway companies in dealing with 'spur of the moment' decisions to travel; unless things have changed in the last year or so, ticket vending machines are, likewise, never maintained and invariably kaput.

There are many low-cost options for instantly purchasing tickets that can be implemented given management wit and imagination. For example, if you can pay for your street parking using a mobile phone - and there is no premium to do so other than a few cents for the SMS message - it must be a triviality to secure an e-ticket for a short, or even long rail journey using the technology; and there should be a discount given that this saves labour costs for the railway company - no booking office staff.

There again, perhaps I've just argued myself into a corner. Wit and imagination are not qualities sought in senior managers these days, in any field

The railway operators are somewhat inconsistent with 'revenue protection'. On train ticket checking is very haphazard. On one train, the conductor quite rightly goes through the train after every stop, while on others the conductor doesn't bother at all.

For regular travel like Bath to Bristol, it should be possible to buy a carnet of, say, 10 tickets to be used in either direction, from the local newsagent or Spar shop or Tescos, whatever. This would cut queues at station booking offices, and there really wouldn't be any excuse or reason for ticketless travel.

On Plymouth to Gunnislake line, these carnets have been a success. I think they are being introduced on the barnstaple line.

John

Hi,

I agree with the above, about 8 months ago I was travelling to Gloucester from Keynsham. It was 1820 on a Saturday, and the platform was unstaffed.

The conductor was no where to be seen and there were to many people to attempt to find him. When he finally turned up to check tickets in the front coach, I asked to purchase a ticket with a YP railcard.

He asked why I had not purhcased a ticket and that he could not offer the YP discount. After a little while explaing that Keynsham is an unstaffed station and their was no way I could purchase a ticket he sold me the correct ticket with discount.

What annoyed me was the attitude and tone of voice he was using, he treated me like a criminal and it took a long time for him to listen to what I was trying to say.

Anyway, I sent an email complaining to then Wessex Trains. The responce was that it is illegal, and a prosecutable offence to travel onboard a train without a neccessary, valid ticket, even though I had explained the situation very clearly. Again, basically saying I had broken the law.