On Feb 25, 2:34�pm, wrote:
On Feb 25, 2:20 pm, "Terry Casey" wrote:

I am assuming that the U in U1234 means that the ticket is also valid on the
underground (to differentiate it from the £3.10 ticket which isn't) but,
presumably, at Southall it is taken to mean that it is ONLY valid on the
underground!

Unless there is a way that he could have been sold the wrong ticket for the
correct fare at Goodmayes, I feel he has been the victim of First Great
Western incompetence and that it is to FGW that he should complain. Is my
assumption correct?

Terry

But you can't get to Southall by underground! So unless the inspector
was saying your friend should have taken the bus from Ealing Broadway
he seems to have been spouting nonsense. I don't think it's 'one's'
fault.

It depends what was asked for. If he asked for "a single to Southall"
at Goodmayes, the ticket should have said "From GOODMAYES To SOUTHALL
Route + Any Permitted", and would have cost �5.10. If the final
destination is an NR station then the actual station (or, occasionally
station group, eg Croydon) must be shown on the ticket. What the
purchaser was sold was a ticket to U1234, ie from Goodmayes to a final
destination on the Underground in zone 4, involving an Underground
journey through zones 1-4, for example Goodmayes to Perivale. Since
the introduction of Zonal fares, the cost is the same, but the
validity is different. FGW do not get any money from the U1234
ticket, so, quite rightly, they refused the ticket.

As I don't know what exactly was asked for, although the OP did say
the words "Underground" and "Zone 4" were mentioned, it's difficult to
know who was at fault. I suspect, however, that the booking clerk, on
hearing the words "Southall in Zone 4", assumed that Southall was on
the Underground and sold that ticket.

Incidentally, if it was after 0930, a zone 1-4 ODTC at �5.70 may have
been a better value option.

Moral of the story: Keep it simple. If you want a single to Southall,
say so. Don't confuse matters by mentioning zones or the
Underground. If an Underground transfer is required, the ticket
issuing system will know this.

Ken