Live Updates
The meeting between Stakeholder Manager's at Transport Focus and Merseyrail has now taken place with the following feedback:
I’ve received an update from our Stakeholder Manager who advised they’ve had a meeting with MerseyRail last week to explore the background to the digital ticket issue. They’ve provided Transport Focus with more details and we will be checking through this and making some trial purchases with Trainline to see how this all works in practice. The Stakeholder Manager then went on to say they’ve also asked for a further meeting with their revenue protection lead.
Enroute is being regularly updated by Transport Focus on the activities in relation to the campaign.
Today, we also added a case study from Jacob Riddle, a law student based in Liverpool and originally from North Wales.
A meeting is taking place, facilitated by Transport Focus, between Merseyrail's Stakeholder Manager and their Director of Customer Experience. We await to hear an outcome from this meeting.
Enroute followed up with Neil Grabham, MD of Merseyrail, today, cc'ing Dominic Booth, CEO of Transport UK Group, Oliver Perryman, Head of Commercial Revenue at Merseyrail, and Lord Peter Hendy, Minister of State for Rail, about the ongoing situation.
You can read our follow-up in the communications section below these live updates.
Today, Enroute sent a representative to Ormskirk in order to carry out an audit on-board a service for Liverpool Central, and was indeed ticket checked.
In this case, our rep presented a paper ticket, however, once the Revenue Protection Officers (RPO's) were asked whether a QR code ticket on a mobile device would be accepted, our rep was asked whether this QR code is from an app like Trainline or Merseyrail itself.
After our rep responded Trainline, they said the ticket wouldn't be accepted and would need to be printed. Our rep declared 'that's a joke' and the RPO's did not comment.
Enroute received a response to its open letter from Mayor Steve Rotheram this afternoon.
This has been published and is available under the 'Our communications' section below.
Enroute launched the 'Ditch the Print' campaign today.
Our communications
What’s going on?
Merseyrail, the principal rail operator in Merseyside, has been fining passengers who travel with digital tickets (also known as e-tickets or QR code tickets) purchased from apps such as Trainline. These passengers are being penalised even though they have a valid ticket, simply because Merseyrail requires digital tickets to be printed on paper.
This policy goes against common practice in the UK, where digital tickets displayed on mobile devices are generally accepted by other rail operators. National Rail’s Conditions of Travel explicitly states that tickets stored on electronic devices or smartcards can be valid when shown digitally or printed.
Separately, Merseyrail operates under its own set of regulations called the ‘Merseyrail Byelaws’, last updated in 2014. These byelaws, established under the Railways Act 2005 and separate from the National Rail Conditions of Travel and National Rail Byelaws, do allow Merseyrail an additional layer of control on ticketing, but do not ‘overrule’ the National Rail Conditions of Travel.
While we haven’t been able to come to a conclusion on whether Merseyrail’s policy is technically lawful, we have come to the conclusion that these activities are morally wrong, and this campaign is here to change it.
What is this campaign for?
Our campaign aims to simplify this issue and encourage Merseyrail to adopt a more user-friendly approach. If Merseyrail needs to upgrade its IT systems to accept digital tickets, we urge them to take the necessary steps. If there is a miscommunication or lack of clarity in their policies, we call on them to address it transparently. And so on.
Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that passengers can travel seamlessly using digital tickets, aligning with modern consumer expectations and promoting the use of public transport. We believe that Merseyrail can achieve this while still operating within the legal framework, but it may require updating their practices and improving communication with the public.
Our core ask to Merseyrail is that they review their policies and start accepting e-tickets simply by them being produced on a mobile device, rather than the old-fashioned requirement of printing a QR code in order to make it valid when travelling.
What are we doing about it?
We have written and published an open letter to Merseyrail’s Managing Director, Neil Grabham, and gathered passenger testimonials and case studies of how this unusual stance from Merseyrail has affected the travelling public.
We have also launched a petition for Merseyrail to acknowledge our letter to their Managing Director and amend their policies to allow passengers travelling with e-tickets to be permitted travel if they are shown to an authorised official from a mobile device.
We will be working with decision-makers, other campaign groups and advocacy organisations, as well as promoting the case for change on social media, pushing Merseyrail to change their policies for the public good.
How can you help?
If you are a member of the public, sign our petition to show Merseyrail and other decision-makers that we feel strongly about this absolutely needed change on the network. Get in touch with your local MP, councillor, or other local politicians and spread the word of this movement. And if you have been affected by Merseyrail’s e-ticketing policies, tell us your story by submitting a response to our online form here.
If you are a stakeholder, advocate or decision-maker, get in touch with Harry Burr, Joint Chief Executive on Harry.Burr@enroutecic.com. We can provide advice and further insights and help you understand how you can support the campaign and spread the word.
If you are Neil Grabham or Steve Rotheram (or work for Merseyrail and could make a difference), please read our open letters!
Case Study: Jacob Riddle
Jacob Riddle, a law student based in Liverpool and originally from North Wales, frequently travels home via Merseyrail due to personal reasons. Jacob encountered significant issues with Merseyrail’s ticketing system, experiencing inconsistent information and poor communication from the company’s staff, as we have shared throughout this campaign.
The issue:
Jacob purchased a QR code ticket from Trainline to travel home. When he inquired about the validity of this ticket on Merseyrail services, he received conflicting responses. The gate line staff and Revenue Protection Officers (RPOs) assured him that the QR code ticket was valid, even though they lacked the infrastructure to scan it. However, Merseyrail’s social media team insisted that only traditional printed tickets were accepted, causing confusion and stress.
Timeline of events:
- Initial Inquiry: On 29 September 2024, Jacob contacted Merseyrail’s social media team to confirm if his QR code ticket was valid. The team closed the conversation without providing a clear answer.
- RPO Interaction: On 9 October 2024, an RPO informed Jacob that QR code tickets were valid, as they could manually verify the date and station details.
- Social Media Response: On 9 October 2024, the social media team reiterated that only printed tickets or specific Merseyrail tickets were valid, contradicting the information from the RPOs.
Further Confusion: On 18 October 2024, Jacob had to use Transport for Wales services due to a Merseyrail train cancellation. The TFW staff confirmed the validity of his QR code ticket, further highlighting the inconsistency within Merseyrail’s policies.
Additional Challenges: Jacob faced further difficulties on 20 October 2024 when a storm caused travel disruptions. Despite having a valid QR code ticket, the lack of clear guidance and consistent policies from Merseyrail staff added to his stress.
Complaint:
Jacob’s complaint centres around the lack of clear and consistent communication from Merseyrail regarding the validity of QR code tickets. He also highlighted the outdated infrastructure that prevents QR code ticket scanning, unlike other operators such as Transport for Wales.
Key Points of the Complaint:
Similarly to our campaign, the complaint from Jacob Riddle focusses on:
- Inconsistent Information: Discrepancies between the information provided by Merseyrail’s social media team and frontline staff.
- Outdated Infrastructure: Lack of technology to scan QR code tickets, despite being a standard practice in other parts of the rail network.
- Communication Failures: Poor communication and clarity from Merseyrail led to unnecessary stress and potential legal risks for passengers.
Jacob’s Requests:
- Clarification on Ticket Validity: Confirmation of whether QR code tickets are valid on the Merseyrail network.
- Training for Staff: Improved training for social media teams to align their knowledge with frontline staff.
- Infrastructure Upgrades: Updates to ticket barriers and staff equipment to handle QR code tickets.
- Policy Transparency: Clear communication of ticket policies to prevent future confusion for passengers.
Conclusion:
Jacob Riddle’s experience with Merseyrail underscores the importance of modernising ticketing systems and ensuring consistent communication across all staff. The Ditch the Print campaign advocates for embracing digital ticketing solutions to enhance the travel experience and prevent issues like those Jacob faced, aligning with his complaint and experiences.
Enroute Group CIC attempted to request information from Merseytravel, the public body which is responsible for appointing and monitoring the Merseyrail franchise, through the Freedom of Information Act.
Merseyrail did not hold the information any of the information that we requested. The current operator is not a public body, therefore not liable to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request.
