Rail users have slammed ‘bonkers’ new ticket machines at Stockport station, claiming they often make it impossible to book journeys to Manchester and beyond.
Passengers have described them as ‘awful’, ‘baffling’ and ‘very difficult to figure out’, with many needing help from station staff every time they wish to travel.
The issue has been taken up by Edgeley councillor Matt Wynne, who has said it is ‘beyond belief’ the machines were signed off - and that serious questions now need to be asked.
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West Coast Avanti, which runs the station, says a software update is due in the new year, while trained staff are on hand to help customers in the meantime.
That is scant consultation for some, though, including Liz Kearney, a trainee teacher from Edgeley.
She has to travel into the city centre on a weekly basis.
The 32-year-old describes the machines as a ‘nightmare’, and says that, while they appear to work ‘sporadically’, she has not been so lucky.
“I thought I was being stressed out and stupid because it was not working for me,” she said.
”Everything about it is the most awkward possible scenario - like they have dreamt up the hardest way and that’s what they have gone with.”
According to Liz the machines can be ‘unresponsive’, slow and sometimes calculate prices ‘totally differently to how it has previously.’
“It’s bonkers. I have ended up amending my journey plan depending on what it can give me at the time.
“Every single day there’s different prices, there’s no consistency whatsoever.”
And she believes it is symbolic of the ‘levelling up’ agenda, which she describes as ‘all bluster’.
“It’s emblematic of the disparity between the elite and the majority - and the fact that the people who have designed these machines have clearly not had to use a ticket machine in their life,” she added.
And while Liz praises station staff for doing their best to help, she says ‘it feels like it’s ‘making everyone’s job unnecessarily harder.’
She has resorted to using a smartphone app to buy her tickets, but is concerned for those who are less digitally savvy - particularly older people and those who cannot afford such devices.
“It frustrates me because I know there are people that will really struggle with it,” she added.
Her claim appears to be borne out by Coun Wynne.
The ward councillor says ‘countless’ Edgeley residents have made him aware the new machines ‘are not allowing them to purchase return tickets to far flung places such as Manchester’.
This prompted him to try out the machines for himself but he gave up after five minutes, despite being ‘quite tech savvy’.
“Apparently station staff have had to pick up the slack and sell tickets, as if they've not got enough to do. Apparently some passengers have been very understanding and some not so and quite verbally aggressive.”
Coun Wynne says the current situation is ‘poor’ both for residents and station staff, whom he claims have been ‘dropped right in it’ by Avanti.
“I commend the station staff as ever, but I do not know how these machines were signed off for public use by upstairs at Avanti, it is beyond belief,” he said.
“I believe a software update will resolve this and it is needed yesterday - but serious questions need to be asked about how the checks and balances have failed on something as fundamental as this.”
Avanti West Coast has responded to the criticisms.
A spokesperson for the train operator, said: “While customers have always been able to purchase tickets for journeys to and from Manchester using the ticket machines, we welcome feedback to help us identify improvements and we’re working to upgrade the software so all Manchester destinations can be selected easily.
“As we work on this, our team at Stockport have been trained on the ticket machines and are available to assist customers.
"We’ve been in contact with Coun Wynne and will be hosting him at Stockport station to use the ticket machines once further software upgrades are completed.”
