The Anonymous Widower

It’s Not Just The Dutch That Get Rail Ticketing Wrong

We always think of the Swiss as being clever and efficient, but according to this report on the BBC web site, they seem to have trumped the Dutch by bringing in a ticketing system, that is even worse, than the one I described here.

One thing that never seems to work with these systems, but does usually work well in the UK, is how the system deals with the occasional problem or a traveller, like the man I met, who was using a London bus for the first time in his sixties, despite living there for years. In his case, the probably very friendly bus driver was able to help him out.

I’ve had a case on the train from London to Ipswich, where I had got on the train with the wrong ticket.  I can’t remember exactly why, but it may have been that I’d punched the wrong button on the machine, when I bought the ticket.  In Switzerland, now, that would now mean a fine of £133, but the inspector sold me the appropriate upgrade and even took into account my Freedom Pass and Railcard.  Ticket inspectors are the first line in both protecting the revenue and making the customers happy.

Let’s hope British train companies don’t do any of these.

1. Bring in swingeing fines for genuine mistakes.

2. Abandon the simple orange tickets that everyone understands.

3. Insist that everybody has a smart phone.

Point two has so many simple advantages other than the obvious one of familiarity. Imagine your ninety-year-old mother lives in Edinburgh and you want her to come to you by train. You just post her the ticket and seat reservation and tell her to get to Waverley at the appropriate time. It usually works well, as the tickets are of a size and type, that don’t get lost and are easily understood.  They can also be easily shown to staff, which can’t always be said for a display on a smart phone.

February 4, 2013 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel | Customer Service, Switzerland, Ticketing, Trains