Platform Tickets
 

Colum Mylod typed


I heart my oyster but I think that's not exactly true. One Fri
lunchtime I breezed in at Chancery Lane only to encounter a "westbound
not running" sign at the escalator; no info before that point and I
was one of many who entered, read and did a u-turn. We all had to
queue up at the manual gate for release since the O reader shone red
lights at us and urged us to Seek Assistance.

I had a very similar experience when I touched my Oyster (PrePay) in at
Burnt Oak to meet a chap writing on the whiteboard on the other side of
the gateline. He was writing that there were no Northern Line services
north of Colindale, so I did a U-Turn and touched out my Oyster, the
barrier then told me to Seek Assistance. It took the chap a while to
sort out my card; I think he had to add £1 to its balance to do this ;-)

Similar sad tale at Hol Pk where the station staff explicitly told O
holders to tread their weary way to the tix counter for cancellation.
All of this on monthly tix.

Shirley (SCMS) the big O could allow immediate exit after entering?

So you'd think.
I'm glad I waited and bought a paper platform ticket yesterday...

--
Helen D. Vecht:
Edgware.

Platform Tickets
 

On Wed, 14 Jul 2004 12:49:19 +0100, Helen Deborah Vecht
wrote:

I bought a platform ticket yesterday. The ticket man was rather
surprised that this was what I wanted. (I'd arranged to meet a friend
mid-commute to hand him some books.)

I thought it would be easiest to ask a Real Human™ for one but wonder:

Could I have bought it from the touch screen machine?

Yes, from the Multifare machines, but only if the ticket office
machines are all closed.
--
Stuart Johnson in Peterhead, Scotland

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Platform Tickets
 

Stuart Johnson typed


Yes, from the Multifare machines, but only if the ticket office
machines are all closed.

Umm, why so?
The ticket office was open in this case anyway.
Surely the Multifare should offer the same tickets whether the ticket
office is open or closed???

If the ticket office had been closed, the gateline would have been open
and I might have chance going without a platform ticket...

--
Helen D. Vecht:
Edgware.

Platform Tickets
 

On Thu, 15 Jul 2004 11:57:43 +0100, Helen Deborah Vecht
wrote:

Stuart Johnson typed


Yes, from the Multifare machines, but only if the ticket office
machines are all closed.

Umm, why so?

Not sure what LUs thinking is on this one, perhaps they prefer to
'vet' prospective Platform Ticket purchasers like me!

The ticket office was open in this case anyway.
Surely the Multifare should offer the same tickets whether the ticket
office is open or closed???

It does, except the Platform option is missing if any of the TOMs are
on shift.

If the ticket office had been closed, the gateline would have been open
and I might have chance going without a platform ticket...

No, the gateline would only be open if there were no staff on the
gateline, irrespective of the status of the ticket office.

I witnessed exactly this situation recently at Canary Wharf, ticket
office closed, machines on, gateline closed.



--
Stuart Johnson in Peterhead, Scotland

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Platform Tickets
 

On Thu, 15 Jul 2004 17:39:16 GMT, Tim wrote:

Helen Deborah Vecht wrote:

I still end up buying paper tickets, especially weekday ODTCs (and
yesterday's platform ticket) but I like not fumbling with change and
like entering King's Cross Underground from the rail station, which only
ticket holders can do.

The Kings Cross thing is the single reason I have Oyster prepay.

Forget the fact that I always need a One day travel card - easier just
to jump into the tube on prepay and get a travelcard at a station with
less than a 25 minute queue.

I know the LU ticket office queues can be awful but surely the GNER and
Great Northern ticket offices and GN ticket machines would sell you a
One Day travelcard as well?

Just wondering if you've tried that option.
--
Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

Platform Tickets
 

Helen Deborah Vecht wrote:

I still end up buying paper tickets, especially weekday ODTCs (and
yesterday's platform ticket) but I like not fumbling with change and
like entering King's Cross Underground from the rail station, which only
ticket holders can do.

The Kings Cross thing is the single reason I have Oyster prepay.

Forget the fact that I always need a One day travel card - easier just
to jump into the tube on prepay and get a travelcard at a station with
less than a 25 minute queue.

Now, when they make capping work it will all be nice.
In the meantime, I propose 2 interim solutions:

One option would be for them to allow purchase of 1 day travel cards on
the website.
I can see that they don't want to sell 1 day travelcards individually on
the web - the card processing would eat into it. But they ought to be
able to let you buy a 1 day travelcard online using your prepay balance?

Or a second option would be if you could go to a ticket machine and ask
it to add a 1 day travelcard to your oyster - and if it could knock off
your last couple of same dayjourney's off the price. This would save
the system having to work out when to cap - you tell it. You can
just combine your days tickets and (plus or minus)


Or - they put special oyster pads in stations - you just touch them and
it loads a 1 day travel card onto your card - paid for by prepay.. Not
sure how they handle different zone options though.

Unless true - on the fly - capping is nearly ready. I hope it is soon.

Tim

Platform Tickets
 

Stuart Johnson typed


Not sure what LUs thinking is on this one, perhaps they prefer to
'vet' prospective Platform Ticket purchasers like me!

Why? Are you likely to sit in the waiting room injecting all day and
vandalise the toilets? Do you look like you will :-) ?
I can see why the sale of platform tickets might be vetted.

The ticket office was open in this case anyway.
Surely the Multifare should offer the same tickets whether the ticket
office is open or closed???

It does, except the Platform option is missing if any of the TOMs are
on shift.

Oh, I see, thanks. You learn something new every day...

If the ticket office had been closed, the gateline would have been open
and I might have chance going without a platform ticket...

No, the gateline would only be open if there were no staff on the
gateline, irrespective of the status of the ticket office.

I witnessed exactly this situation recently at Canary Wharf, ticket
office closed, machines on, gateline closed.

This might be the case at Canary Wharf, to which I've seldom been.

The stations I use most are Burnt Oak and Preston Road.
At Burnt Oak, the gateline is seldom closed, even if the ticket office
is open (which is infrequent after the morning rush.) It seems the
gateline here is closed *only* when they are blitzing fare-dodgers.
At Preston Road, the ticket office abuts the gateline. It seems closed
when there's a man in the office and open when there isn't, like in the
late evening.

--
Helen D. Vecht:
Edgware.

Platform Tickets
 

Tim typed


Paul Corfield wrote:


I know the LU ticket office queues can be awful but surely the GNER and
Great Northern ticket offices and GN ticket machines would sell you a
One Day travelcard as well?

I've not tried that. But will next time.

The sweet shops known as 'Ticket Stops' will send you ODTC in advance,
as will Tube ticket offices.

--
Helen D. Vecht:
Edgware.

Platform Tickets
 

Paul Corfield wrote:


I know the LU ticket office queues can be awful but surely the GNER and
Great Northern ticket offices and GN ticket machines would sell you a
One Day travelcard as well?

I've not tried that. But will next time.



Tim

Platform Tickets
 

Helen Deborah Vecht wrote:


The sweet shops known as 'Ticket Stops' will send you ODTC in advance,
as will Tube ticket offices.

Not in Yorkshire :)

If you buy in advance, do you have to choose the day or does it just
work for the day you first use it?

Tim