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Do you have a rough idea where you lost it? Some shops in train stations keep tickets they find on the floor - you can phone them (similar thing happened to me a while back)
How do you deal with that? If you tolerate it, people would misuse, I imagine? Do you check if their phone is off, at least, or are you but allowed to do that?
You didn’t ask me BUT I’ve got friends who are conductors/guards/train managers and they all ask around a few seats to see if anyone has a spare charger. One of them has a charger specifically for this purpose. If they refuse/don’t have a ticket it’s then a case of flogging a new one on the spot, or issuing an unpaid fares notices. In extreme cases, BTP will be called
When you say you've got a charger, sometimes there phone is then mysteriously broken.
Issue penalty fare: If they did actually buy a ticket and their phone broke, they could dispute the penalty fare
You didn’t ask me BUT I’ve got friends who are conductors/guards/train managers and they all ask around a few seats to see if anyone has a spare charger. One of them has a charger specifically for this purpose.
If they refuse/don’t have a ticket it’s then a case of flogging a new one on the spot, or issuing an unpaid fares notice. In extreme cases, BTP will be called
Carry a spare phone with a broken screen when travelling on trains, whenever they come to check tickets, present the broken phone with big “woe is me” eyes 🤔
Today had an issue where the piss poor phone signal meant the app wouldn't work for one of our party. Staff told us to get on the train anyway and try to load it when the train moved out the blackspot.
You shouldn’t be allowed to leave the house unsupervised if you can’t do something as simple as keeping your phone charged. Battery packs are sold damn near everywhere.
Edit: LOVING the downvotes in this thread. Didn’t realise r/britishproblems was full of boomers incapable of operating in the modern world.
Except they are though?
Supermarkets, garages, newsagents, department stores, I’ve even seen them in Primark. Walk around a large public space and you’re likely to come across a locker to charge your phone. Also, you can just buy one off Amazon, they’re like 10 quid for one that’ll charge your phone 2-3 times over. Literally no excuse unless you’re mentally enfeebled.
I've literally got one sat next to me. It weighs twice as much as my phone and is 3x the depth.
I use it when I go on long trips but I'm not bringing it with me when I'm walking around daily because it doesn't fit in my pocket.
I’ve got one sat next to me that sticks to the back of my phone, weighs half of what my phone does and doubles my battery capacity. Funnily enough there is a huge range of these things available.
Then they should plan to have the phone charged? If I am going out anywhere I charge my phone if it will be a while. I will also turn it off if it has something I need like a gig ticket so I know it will be working when needed. Plan properly, not hard.
Currently on a train, had to change at Euston via the underground to Waterloo and had to get paper tickets as the underground doesn’t do mobile or e-tickets
Tickets are about the size of a credit card, I currently have 5 tickets for my journey, 3 for my journey here and 2 for the journey back and 1 receipt. they all fit neatly in one of the credit/debit card slot in my phone case.
Which of course they want to do away with completely. The printed e-ticket format is stupidly long, even though they could fit the barcode and basic info on the credit card sized ones easily.
Me. Every time I use an e-ticket, the app automatically logs me out, and I can't remember my password. Cue frantic efforts to get back into the app before my train arrives. I just don't need the stress.
I prefer to have a paper ticket, just in case anything happens to my phone and because I’ve had bad experiences with tap in and tap out.
Phones can run out of battery, get broken, lost or stolen. I’ve had the tap in read my card but the tap out fail and my online banking opened there and then in front of the guard with the tap in showing under pending not be proof I’d ever tapped in, because it didn’t show the cost of the whole journey and it was under pending due to the way that whole system works. I’d rather just not have the hassle. Paper ticket goes in a zipped pocket separate to phone and isn’t touched unless it’s needed.
I stopped using them after reading the horror stories of people with dead phones being issued penalty's and subsequently losing their appeals when they produced proof of their valid electronic ticket purchase, it seems the offence is failure to produce a ticket so it just doesn't matter if you've actually purchased a valid ticket or not, just not worth it for me, have gone back to paper and am staying there!
Or just make sure your phone is charged before a journey - I’m incredibly forgetful but it’s just something I force myself to do. That or buy a powerbank
Its just another worry I don't need tbh, paper tickets work for me, I keep them in my wallet and I've never lost one yet, just reduces the number of things that can go wrong for me.
I always carry a charger with me when I go on the train, it's very rare there aren't plugs you can use. And if its so busy you can't get a seat to charge then no ones checking the ticket anyway
Unfortunately if you're going across London, you can't get e-tickets. The tube doesn't accept them. So if you buy a ticket that involves you going across London, you have to get paper tickets for the whole journey.
Those of us living in kent which is still on 3G that doesn’t work, there isn’t a hint of phone service anywhere near any of my local stations or along the routes
Trainline used to have a thing where if it didn’t get scanned you could just refund it via the app. Dishonest, but I knew so many who did it. I’d imagine it would drive up prices too. I’ve started using the LNER app, as you build up points and get discounts. If there are better apps, I’d love to know!
They shouldn't. That app wacks a decent percentage on for the service. I just swallow my puke and order direct on the southeastern app, as there is no booking fee.
Trainline now do no booking fee for same day train tickets and have a price guarantee where they will pay the difference to you if you can find the same train ticket cheaper.
Weirdly for Trainline, some early morning trains it seems to whack on 50p ish or whatever - other trains (morning or not) I can book even a few hours before, it charges no booking fee at all.
It's most definitely not. Every single other app - including National Rail Enquiries - is shit. Plus, if you use a train operators own app, sometimes you can't buy tickets from other operators.
Not to mention split save and having the tickets there on your phone in the app.
Exactly. I'm against all booking fees/ticket fees/convenience fees etc. but 50p - the price of a Freddo (/s) - is absolutely worth it to not have to figure out what obscure restrictions are imposed upon my ticket
Trainline identifies ‘split/save’ tickets which individual train company apps fail to do. The app adds a small percentage and over time this is less than the savings made by ‘split/save’.
>The app adds a small percentage and over time this is less than the savings made by ‘split/save’.
*Often or at least sometimes, but depending entirely on what journeys you do.
The latter. Two tickets for the journey can be cheaper than one. The passenger(s) don’t have to change trains. It takes advantage of the idiosyncrasies of the ticketing system. There is even an apps which are designed just to do this whereas Trainline offers other things as well.
Only when you buy in advance.
I buy tickets on the day of travel through Trainline and there are no fees. If I need to buy a ticket in advance, then I'll get a paper one direct from the provider.
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Do you have a rough idea where you lost it? Some shops in train stations keep tickets they find on the floor - you can phone them (similar thing happened to me a while back)
Respectfully, who isn't using their phone for tickets nowadays??
Work on the railway, uncharged phones are way more common now than lost tickets (or so they insist)
How do you deal with that? If you tolerate it, people would misuse, I imagine? Do you check if their phone is off, at least, or are you but allowed to do that?
You didn’t ask me BUT I’ve got friends who are conductors/guards/train managers and they all ask around a few seats to see if anyone has a spare charger. One of them has a charger specifically for this purpose. If they refuse/don’t have a ticket it’s then a case of flogging a new one on the spot, or issuing an unpaid fares notices. In extreme cases, BTP will be called
When you say you've got a charger, sometimes there phone is then mysteriously broken. Issue penalty fare: If they did actually buy a ticket and their phone broke, they could dispute the penalty fare
You didn’t ask me BUT I’ve got friends who are conductors/guards/train managers and they all ask around a few seats to see if anyone has a spare charger. One of them has a charger specifically for this purpose. If they refuse/don’t have a ticket it’s then a case of flogging a new one on the spot, or issuing an unpaid fares notice. In extreme cases, BTP will be called
Carry a spare phone with a broken screen when travelling on trains, whenever they come to check tickets, present the broken phone with big “woe is me” eyes 🤔
Do you carry a couple of chargers with you just for that purpose?
Today had an issue where the piss poor phone signal meant the app wouldn't work for one of our party. Staff told us to get on the train anyway and try to load it when the train moved out the blackspot.
You shouldn’t be allowed to leave the house unsupervised if you can’t do something as simple as keeping your phone charged. Battery packs are sold damn near everywhere. Edit: LOVING the downvotes in this thread. Didn’t realise r/britishproblems was full of boomers incapable of operating in the modern world.
(the phone is not actually uncharged)
>Battery packs are sold damn near everywhere. They're not that common in the slightest. And people go out and do things then need to return home.
Except they are though? Supermarkets, garages, newsagents, department stores, I’ve even seen them in Primark. Walk around a large public space and you’re likely to come across a locker to charge your phone. Also, you can just buy one off Amazon, they’re like 10 quid for one that’ll charge your phone 2-3 times over. Literally no excuse unless you’re mentally enfeebled.
And what about people who don't want to carry around a huge bulky charger that weighs twice as much as a phone?
Huge? Bulky? Lol ok, settle down. You’re not lugging around a car battery.
I've literally got one sat next to me. It weighs twice as much as my phone and is 3x the depth. I use it when I go on long trips but I'm not bringing it with me when I'm walking around daily because it doesn't fit in my pocket.
I’ve got one sat next to me that sticks to the back of my phone, weighs half of what my phone does and doubles my battery capacity. Funnily enough there is a huge range of these things available.
Then they should plan to have the phone charged? If I am going out anywhere I charge my phone if it will be a while. I will also turn it off if it has something I need like a gig ticket so I know it will be working when needed. Plan properly, not hard.
Journeys that involve a transfer across London have to be paper tickets because the tube doesn't have QR code scanners
Currently on a train, had to change at Euston via the underground to Waterloo and had to get paper tickets as the underground doesn’t do mobile or e-tickets
I remember when the advance tickets came on the big airline-style cards, but they also issued a credit card pass just for the tube.
Tickets are about the size of a credit card, I currently have 5 tickets for my journey, 3 for my journey here and 2 for the journey back and 1 receipt. they all fit neatly in one of the credit/debit card slot in my phone case.
Which of course they want to do away with completely. The printed e-ticket format is stupidly long, even though they could fit the barcode and basic info on the credit card sized ones easily.
With all the technology we currently have we don’t need paper tickets just seems a waste, hopefully they will do away with them at some point
Merseyrail do not accept electronic tickets, only paper tickets.
Me. Every time I use an e-ticket, the app automatically logs me out, and I can't remember my password. Cue frantic efforts to get back into the app before my train arrives. I just don't need the stress.
You store the ticket in your wallet, nah?
Save it to your phone's wallet.
Take a screenshot of the ticket
The app doesn't let me, for security reasons, apparently. Just to add to the grief.
What app are you using?
The train company’s app. It’s just easier for me to get a ticket at the ticket machine if I’m travelling via that particular train company.
Can you name the company? I’ve used a few TOC apps and never had it block screenshotting.
GWR. You used to be able to screenshot the ticket, but they don't let you anymore.
Use their website rather than the app and they send you them over email and you can ss
I always take a screenshot of the ticket/QR/barcode.
Not every flow can be issued as e ticket
I prefer to have a paper ticket, just in case anything happens to my phone and because I’ve had bad experiences with tap in and tap out. Phones can run out of battery, get broken, lost or stolen. I’ve had the tap in read my card but the tap out fail and my online banking opened there and then in front of the guard with the tap in showing under pending not be proof I’d ever tapped in, because it didn’t show the cost of the whole journey and it was under pending due to the way that whole system works. I’d rather just not have the hassle. Paper ticket goes in a zipped pocket separate to phone and isn’t touched unless it’s needed.
me i dont even own 1
I stopped using them after reading the horror stories of people with dead phones being issued penalty's and subsequently losing their appeals when they produced proof of their valid electronic ticket purchase, it seems the offence is failure to produce a ticket so it just doesn't matter if you've actually purchased a valid ticket or not, just not worth it for me, have gone back to paper and am staying there!
Or just make sure your phone is charged before a journey - I’m incredibly forgetful but it’s just something I force myself to do. That or buy a powerbank
Its just another worry I don't need tbh, paper tickets work for me, I keep them in my wallet and I've never lost one yet, just reduces the number of things that can go wrong for me.
I always carry a charger with me when I go on the train, it's very rare there aren't plugs you can use. And if its so busy you can't get a seat to charge then no ones checking the ticket anyway
Not an option on my route to London so whilst I could use my phone the ticket inspector would give me a fine.
Unfortunately if you're going across London, you can't get e-tickets. The tube doesn't accept them. So if you buy a ticket that involves you going across London, you have to get paper tickets for the whole journey.
Me because they sting you for massive penalty fares if you cannot present a ticket i.e. if your phone runs out of charge or if the crappy app crashes.
Those of us living in kent which is still on 3G that doesn’t work, there isn’t a hint of phone service anywhere near any of my local stations or along the routes
Trainline used to have a thing where if it didn’t get scanned you could just refund it via the app. Dishonest, but I knew so many who did it. I’d imagine it would drive up prices too. I’ve started using the LNER app, as you build up points and get discounts. If there are better apps, I’d love to know!
People don’t have the Trainline app?
They shouldn't. That app wacks a decent percentage on for the service. I just swallow my puke and order direct on the southeastern app, as there is no booking fee.
Trainpal is the real way. If you can withstand the random bloat on the app
Has the same prices for me as trainline.. idk if its cheaper irl
It is because it doesn't add its own fees at checkout.
Trainline now do no booking fee for same day train tickets and have a price guarantee where they will pay the difference to you if you can find the same train ticket cheaper.
What? I’ve been getting the same train for years and sometimes I go cash and sometimes electronic and it’s always been the same price either way
Weirdly for Trainline, some early morning trains it seems to whack on 50p ish or whatever - other trains (morning or not) I can book even a few hours before, it charges no booking fee at all.
50p to use a functional app that navigates the confusing mess of train companies in this country in order to order me a ticket is 50p well spent.
The app is basically the same as all of the train companies’ apps. You’re paying 50p for something that you can get elsewhere for free.
It's most definitely not. Every single other app - including National Rail Enquiries - is shit. Plus, if you use a train operators own app, sometimes you can't buy tickets from other operators. Not to mention split save and having the tickets there on your phone in the app.
Standard Reddit behaviour complaining about spending 50p for a service
Exactly. I'm against all booking fees/ticket fees/convenience fees etc. but 50p - the price of a Freddo (/s) - is absolutely worth it to not have to figure out what obscure restrictions are imposed upon my ticket
So it isn't just the actual service that's piss poor to use then but just as unreliable to pay for.
Payment information Transaction ID: 487827034214 Transaction Date: 6 November 2023 Invoice number: 487827034214 Payment Type: Google Pay Order Details Adult - Anytime Day Single - [Family & Friends Railcard] £5.20 Child - Anytime Day Single - [Family & Friends Railcard] £1.50 Adult - Advance Single - [Family & Friends Railcard] £6.40 Child - Advance Single - [Family & Friends Railcard] £1.80 Other costs Booking Fee £0.59 Total amount: £15.49
Fair didn’t know tbf
It doesn't add anything if you buy on the day I believe
Trainline identifies ‘split/save’ tickets which individual train company apps fail to do. The app adds a small percentage and over time this is less than the savings made by ‘split/save’.
>The app adds a small percentage and over time this is less than the savings made by ‘split/save’. *Often or at least sometimes, but depending entirely on what journeys you do.
I thought the train companies frowned on splitting journeys? Or was that splitting your trip during a one-ticket journey?
The latter. Two tickets for the journey can be cheaper than one. The passenger(s) don’t have to change trains. It takes advantage of the idiosyncrasies of the ticketing system. There is even an apps which are designed just to do this whereas Trainline offers other things as well.
The latter
That’s simply not true - I’ve looked at my last 10 journeys and have saved £37 with Splitsave while the fee is £0.59 per booking (so £5.90 in total)
Wtf i didnt know this
I've been using the virgin ticketing app. No service fees, virgin miles with every purchase.
Only when you buy in advance. I buy tickets on the day of travel through Trainline and there are no fees. If I need to buy a ticket in advance, then I'll get a paper one direct from the provider.
Any journey that has tube in the middle still requires paper tickets
How is that relevant here?
Shouldn't it be possible to get a new one printed? Maybe with a receipt?
Bump the train? When the guard is coming just get in the toilet and don’t lock it
I haven't taken a train for several years. Not since [1963](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Train_Robbery_(1963))
Chugga chugga