‘To queue or not to queue? – that is the question

14 July 2010

Clapham Junction 8.25am last Saturday morning. Nice summer morning, last day of Ascot, loads of people traveling.

Two ticket windows open. 10 minutes queue as ticket machines lay idle. Why was I in queue? My zones one to three Gold season ticket means I don’t have to pay to travel again in those zones so I need a return to Petersfield from the boundary of zone three. Many people must be in the same situation. So I queue for a bit and then, having left plenty of time to catch the train, have to use ticket machine which cannot cope with zonal travelcard. So I end up knowing I have paid more – no wonder value for money scores remain low when simple things like this get in your way. Then the ticket itself – over £16 off peak day return to Petersfield from Clapham Junction and that’s with the third off the Gold Card gives.

Even off peak regulated fares have climbed very steeply.