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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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.

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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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.