"Martin Underwood" wrote:

I'd like to see all ticket offices run by a separate, impartial company
which was on the side of the passenger and which was obliged by law always
to sell the cheapest ticket or combination of tickets so that a passenger
can say "can you sell me a ticket [implied "the cheapest ticket"] between
A
and B", without needing to be an expert on the ticketing system in order
to
get the best deal.

Not everyone wants the cheapest ticket. Many people value their time more
than their money, and hence travel by fGW to Exeter, rather than the scenic
tour of Dorset villages that SWT provide for half the price.

Self-evidently, people who routinely travel First Class don't want the
cheapest ticket.

The cheap fares are there for the asking. People who know nothing about rail
travel are, of course, at a disadvantage, but then people who know nothing
lose out in all sorts of ways - that's life.

I'm more concerned about booking office staff who flatly deny that certain
ticket types exist, because either they've not been trained, or it's too
much hassle to look up the correct sequence of key strokes to press.

Chris