Passenger Focus’s latest research shows passengers familiar with ticket machines are not always confident when making complex or less-familiar journeys and need help from staff. Often this is because ticket restrictions are not displayed clearly on ticket machines. Passengers may avoid the machines or give up, queue at the ticket office and risk missing their train.
Anthony Smith, Passenger Focus chief executive, said: “Passengers catching a train for the first time or buying a different type of ticket from their normal one may well be defeated by ticket machines. This stress adds unnecessary pressure to buying a ticket. However, many passengers who buy a particular ticket often or use a familiar ticket machine may have less trouble.
“Ticket machines can present bewildering jargon, a barrage of information and choices as well as incomplete information about ticket restrictions. As a result some passengers would rather queue to speak to a member of staff, buy more expensive tickets than they need to or just give up and join the ticket office queue.”
In separate research, Passenger Focus looked at some station ticket queues* where passengers had reported ongoing queuing problems, including Luton Station. The research shows how frequently queuing times exceed the industry requirement of five minutes during the peak and three minutes at off-peak times.
“Passenger Focus’s research on ticket queuing times confirms that at some stations industry guidelines on queuing times are not being met – as pressure to reduce staff numbers increases it is even more important that the industry sorts this out soon,” Mr Smith continued.
“As a result of this research some changes have already been made to machines and Passenger Focus is now working with the train companies to radically simplify what should be the straightforward process of getting a ticket. Most important is clear information about when off peak and super off peak tickets are valid.”
Passenger Focus is calling for ticket machine improvements to give clearer, better information to passengers and have staff available at the machines to help passengers with transactions.
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