Information regarding your Permit To Travel (PERTIS) machines at stations
Request ID: FOI-2488-2122 Date published: 16 February 2022
You asked
When you took over these stations from GWR you had inherited a number of Permit To Travel (PERTIS) machines which remained in place and in use for quite a few months after you took over before finally being removed. They were at these stations:
• Acton Main Line (*)
• Burnham
• Hanwell
• Hayes & Harlington (*)
• Iver
• Langley
• Southall
• Taplow
• West Drayton (*)
• West Ealing
The three stations with the "(*)" may have possibly been removed by GWR before you took over. However i know for certain that all of the other seven were definitely still in place and in use for many months after you took over management from GWR of these stations.
I would like to know the following:
1. For each of the stations please advise the date that the Permit To Travel (PERTIS) machine was removed?
2. What was your reason for removing the Permit To Travel (PERTIS) machines at these stations?
3. What company maintained and repaired these machines before they were removed?
4. When they were removed who did you sell them to and how much were they sold for?
5. At the time they were removed why was there no public consultation or any information published anywhere at these stations or online telling passengers about you removing the Permit To Travel (PERTIS) machines from these stations
6. Can you please attach the manual for these machines (the Almex/Metric AS88/AS89 manual)?
We answered
TfL Ref: FOI-2488-2122
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 29 January 2022, asking about Permit to Travel machines at TfL Rail stations.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold some of the information you require.
The Permit to Travel machines were still in situ on transfer of the stations from Great Western Railway (GWR) to TfL Rail at the locations listed below;
Langley Hanwell Iver Taplow Burnham Southall West Ealing You asked:
For each of the stations please advise the date that the Permit To Travel (PERTIS) machine was removed?
GWR confirmed to TfL Rail that the machines were no longer required from 9 Dec 2017 and that GWR would decommission them from this date. TfL Rail were then required to remove them from the stations. This happened in the weeks after the decommissioning date.
What was your reason for removing the Permit To Travel (PERTIS) machines at these stations?
These machines had been used by GWR as part of their Revenue Protection operation, they were not used or required by TfL Rail. The machines were no longer required by GWR.
What company maintained and repaired these machines before they were removed?
We do not hold this information as GWR were responsible for the maintenance of the machines. After transfer to TfL Rail they were removed and no longer required maintaining.
When they were removed who did you sell them to and how much were they sold for?
They were removed from the stations and disposed of, not sold.
At the time they were removed why was there no public consultation or any information published anywhere at these stations or online telling passengers about you removing the Permit To Travel (PERTIS) machines from these stations?
The Permit to Travel machines were no longer utilised by GWR or any other train operators using the stations and so were obsolete.
Can you please attach the manual for these machines (the Almex/Metric AS88/AS89 manual)?
We do not have this document. The machines were in place and maintained by GWR.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.
Yours sincerely
Eva Hextall FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
