#ukrailreform — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

London Euston to Milton Keynes. Before 9am. Go to machine, two fares listed, neither with route restrictions on the screen. The machine used normally states the restrictions in the button that has the fare in. One is £1 or so cheaper, no route restrictions listed in either, so I pick that. As they’re giant QR code things, I put them straight into the rucksack and not my pocket, where they can slip out.

Get on train. Announcement “if you have an Avanti route only fare; you will have to buy a new ticket”. Check the printed ticket. Says Avanti only?! Why was that not on the display?! Timing means I do just rush across 7-8 platforms. Losing me most of the time gain I had for buying an Anytime fare for almost double the price.

Check on fares. I’m actually eligible to request an excess, which is a ticket that lets you pay the difference. Obviously this person doesn’t announce that an “upgrade” is possible, the phrasing used is “brand new ticket” and no way am I arguing with someone that is announcing that up front on this much sleep! 😅

And why has the pricing display on those ticket machines changed, but in a way that looks the same but without the extra info 🫠 - I intentionally went to an older machine that I was familiar with to save effort.

For context, train is my primary mode of travel in the uk and has been for my adult life, including a job with 30% travel. I currently *work* in the rail sector, and I’ve recreationally presented on train fare rules. And broadly I’m better than most on handling it, but also, this environment is actively hostile even for those who *do* know some of the innards. Can’t imagine what it’s like for those who use it less often - it must be horrid.

#ukrailreform #ukrailway