Ticket barrier
Sleuth was chatting to the Metrolink Director, Philip Purdy, this week about the system. Sleuth keeps being caught out by the ticket machines at the stations which were designed by evil pixies and refuse to work with normal British sterling. It’s fun to watch people licking their coins and using all sorts of magic processes to make the coins heavy enough to work. The note readers are the most evil feature, you have to iron your fivers and tenners to make them smart enough to be accepted. Sleuth learnt from Purdy that in September the old machines will start to be replaced by new ones, not designed in the Middle Ages, and with card readers. By Christmas all the old ones will be gone. Good news thinks Sleuth.
Ticket machine bashing
Sleuth had a suggestion for Mr Purdy. He suggested that Metrolink throw a party. “Given all the grief people have suffered at the hands of these machines, all the fines they’ve had to pay when they nipped onto the tram without a ticket because of these idiotic things, why not do this: make a big pile of them in a park somewhere and ceremonially smash them to pieces whilst a crowd of Metrolink passengers stand by, applauding and cheering? Metrolink Director, Philip Purdy, looked at Sleuth and smiled and thought. Then he looked at the press officer in the room and said: “that’s an interesting thought. That’s certainly something to look into.” Sleuth’s going to start a campaign to make it happen.
Inspectors inspected
The full interview with Philip Purdy, the Metrolink Director, and a plain-speaking Aussie, is published on Confidential next Wednesday and covers the city centre works, the ticket charges, the expansion plans and also the behaviour of Inspectors. Asked, “are you happy with the Inspector’s attitude to customers?” Purdy replied, “No, I am not. They need to be far more customer focussed.” Sleuth applauds the answer, that level of self-awareness is reassuring and one of several positive developments outlined in the forthcoming interview.
More Metrolink
By the way this is how the new trams will look. Sleuth is pleased that Metrolink is going for a strong Manchester Confidential yellow. Sleuth also wonders who that red haired lady is there, she looks familiar.