I am posting in "looking forward" because I am looking forward - though much of this is the experiences of yesterday and noting what could do with attention for a better public transport offering.

It's a long piece at https://grahamellis.uk/blog1900.html and goes though the current fare offerings on the TVM which could be considered to be a scam, the lack of attention to "Information - cost - connectivity - comfort - frequency - reliability" issues, and so many issues on the way home that I started with Plan A and kept swapping it for another - ending up on Plan G - but still got home only around 100 minutes after I have intended, which for a laid back day out perhaps isn't too bad?

Always looking forward, I have reached a few tentative conclusions ...

 
Can I recommend joining the weekly TfL email that outlines all their weekend engineering work? You would have known about the line being out between (I think) Tower Hill & Edgware Road.

Also the TfL Go app which would have planned you a working route from City Thameslink to Paddington.

 

Good recommendations ... for many.   I was "going with the flow" by that part of the day - I often do and until I reached Holborn Viaduct [road], I didn't even have my Plan A.    I could have walked to St Pauls or Chancery Lane tubes; decision taken on spur of the moment to join the train at City and change at Farringdon.  I could also have taken the 46 bus from Barts to Paddington if I wanted a tour of north London.

 
I understand that the £14 return fare (£18 before 09:00 Monday to Friday) from Melksham to Trowbridge exists because the Melksham is a "Chippenham Group" station and Trowbridge is in the Westbury group. The fare is valid via Bath Spa.

I am told that the fare should be overridden on the front of the TVM by the direct fare but due to a "database error" it's the higher fare - £14 or £18 - rather than the fare of around £6 that is offered on the single press "popular destinations" menu on the front panel; the lower price fare can be found if you know to dig in and look for it.

My GWR contact has apologised for how long he has taken to get back to me on this (I heard on 26th), but only explained (no apology) for the database error.  He tells me the database was corrected on 19th, but as of 25th when I was last at the station, the change has not percolated through.   

I raised this matter with GWR's head of revenue on Tuesday (23rd) at GWR's parliamentary reception, and he assured me that this fare was chosen for the front of the TVM as it's the one that's most sold for the journey. If he's correct in that statement, it illustrates just how many people are being what I regard as overcharged by nearly £10 for a ten minute journey.  K-chink - nice money raiser!   If he's incorrect in his statement, then can I believe anything else he tells me with an assurance.  Just occasionally, "don't know - I'll find out" would be the best answer.

I have gotten back to GWR asking them to changes the offering on the front panel to reflect the fact that most Melksham to Trowbridge passengers take the direct train ...

 
It should change (eventually) - at the next fares download. Not sure how often the machine connects to do that. It may be that individual machines can be manually done, but otherwise it happens en-bloc (I believe)

 

Email received at 14:35 confirming "the Melksham TVM should now be updated with an amended set of fares on the front screen."  Visited the station at 15:50 just to check before I said "thank you" ... and on the front panel it's unchanged - still selling a £14.40 off peak day return to Trowbridge.

I would have been more inclined to believe the email (and not go and check) if I had been told that it would update overnight ... and still expect it might.