Boarding Without Tickets

[Memphisdoug]

What is the proper procedure for boarding at a station that has no ticket office or ticket machine if you have a reservation? Do you just show your reservation printout to the person collecting tickets?

 

[John Bobinyec]

What is the proper procedure for boarding at a station that has no ticket office or ticket machine if you have a reservation? Do you just show your reservation printout to the person collecting tickets?

I believe you need to call a reservations agent and get a "boarding number" which you will give to the person collecting the tickets. It signifies that you've already paid for your tickets. The crew will write you out a ticket by hand, with no charge. This is, of course, assuming you're boarding on a line that still has tickets. Certain lines, like the DownEaster, City of New Orleans, and some in California, don't use tickets anymore. In that case I don't know what happens. I think you need to print out your reservation so the conductor can scan it. I don't know what happens if you can't print out your reservation. Someone else can elucidate.

jb

 

[transit54]

What is the proper procedure for boarding at a station that has no ticket office or ticket machine if you have a reservation? Do you just show your reservation printout to the person collecting tickets?

It depends on the train. Assuming it isn't one of the very few trains currently enabled for eTicketing, it will fall under one of the two following scenarios:

Scenario A (Vermonter & Ethan Allen are good examples of this):

If booking more than 9 days in advance, you're tickets will be mailed to you through the USPS.

If booking less than 3 days in advance, you will need to talk to an agent and get a reservation # and boarding code and the conductor will accept payment on board and handwrite a ticket.

Between 9 and 3 days, you will be offered the option of a $15 express delivery charge - usually it makes sense just to wait.

Scenario B (Adirondack and most LD trains are good examples of this):

If booking more than 9 days in advance, you're tickets will be mailed to you through the USPS.

If booking less than 9 days in advance, but at least 6-12 hours before train departure time from it's originating station, the conductor will bring a printed ticket for you and give it to you on board (when booking you will be informed of this).

Close to or after train departure time, you will need to talk to an agent and get a reservation # and boarding code and the conductor will accept payment on board and handwrite a ticket.

 

[benjibear]

On trains like the Keystone between Harrisburg and Philly where no reservations are required, you just board and when they come around for tickets you just tell the conductor where you are going, he will write you a ticket out, and collect the fare. Not sure if you do this will you get AGR points. Maybe somebody here knows.

(Oh now I see you said ..."if you have any reservation" ...but I will keep my post if somebody has an answer.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

What does your reservation say? does it say they will be mailed or you present a code to the conductor?

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Remember if you get a COTS Ticket (Conductor On-board Ticket Stock) and are AGR you may likely have to follow up with a call or mailing a copy of the ticket in to get your Points.

 

[transit54]

Remember if you get a COTS Ticket (Conductor On-board Ticket Stock) and are AGR you may likely have to follow up with a call or mailing a copy of the ticket in to get your Points.

I would suggest that should read: Remember if you get a COTS Ticket (Conductor On-board Ticket Stock) and are AGR you must follow up with a call fax or mailing a copy of the ticket in to get your Points.

Unfortunately, this is a procedure which I am intimately familiar with given the lack of ticketing facilities in Vermont. I'm counting the days until eTicketing...

 

[Bob Dylan]

Interesting incidents on the Texas Eagles the past few trips while I was making my Point Runs to Taylor! The Cafe Car and Diner (there was a Real Diner yesterday, not a CCC) made announcements that the Credit Card Reader was not working so only Cash could be accepted by the OBS! Since my Very Limited Understanding of things Hi-Tech (I was born before 1950! ^_^ )leaves me in the dark about such things, my Question is: What happens on the Routes where there is no Cell Phone/WiFI service and people have e-tickets to Board the Train! Im thinking especially of the Western Trains and the Cardinal which sometimes are about as far from "Civilization" as you can get now days in this Country?? :help:

 

[Ryan]

Tickets purchased in advance are already in the Conductors database.

Tickets purchased after the last update was pushed to the Conductor get a free ride until the data can be updated.