OPSTA wants to know...
...if there are problems with fare collection on West Lancashire line trains. Whilst we appreciate that fare collection is not available for a variety of justifiable reasons, that is not the point - the railway company has a duty to enable passengers to pay the fare, indeed to ensure fares are not evaded; and to maximise revenue in a subsidised service. Ticket issue is an important element of gathering data about patronage which must be accurate and not under-counted.
OPSTA will put pressure on the operators to achieve this, whether through better management of ticket machines, more encouragement of staff, or being taken to task for overcrowding. Furthermore Northern Rail has now gone on the record that this is a priority issue for them and are welcoming our feedback.
Please report instances of fare collection being absent from your journey. To build a credible report we will need...
date, time and place of boarding, place of leaving, and was the Guard visible on the train and any reason known for the omission.
Please email us at opstafare@gmail.com.
Currently the study suggests that there are no shortcomings on the Ormskirk-Preston services but, although there has been a noticeable improvement, there are still issues between southport and Wigan.