Great Western Coffee Shop

Where there are significant gaps in both rail and road services between "A" and "B",  I've often wondered why tickets aren't (usually) interchangable - especially if the two services are both run by the same company.  I raised this at a meeting last week and it was explained to me that it's because one of the services is subsidised and the other is commercial. 

"Fair enough" I thought at the time - but I thought that the answer given really doesn't add up, or at least I don't understand why the mixture of commerce and subsidised causes an insurmountable problem.  After all, if I get a return on the 272 bus to Bath I'll travel down on the commercial daytime service and I can travel back on either the buses before 6 p.m. (commercial) or after 6 p.m. (subsidised) on the same ticket.

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Sorry Grahame, Only just seen this thread.

There is also an anomaly which is enforced by drivers with tickets purchased on the First 234 service (Frome - Chippenham), then not being accepted on other First Buses which run on the same parts of the routes as the 234. This I am told by drivers is down to the competition between Faresaver and First. As prices are different between the 234 and say 235 and 236 services which share parts of the 234 route in the Trowbridge area.

Similarly before the 234 route changed from Frome Sainsburys to Frome Railway Station, I heard that similar tactics being employed on the 234 and then interchanging tickets with the 161 service, which covered the same route from Frome North Parade through to Frome Sainsburys. (The 267 and IIRC the 184 running via Badcox)

There is also a similar 'anomaly' on the 267 route, which is in direct competition with the Faresaver 267 service (Same number, 2 different companies which don't accept each others tickets apart from a handful of even First services accepting Faresaver tickets, something that is not very well advertised at all and I have frequently told people of this fact which they've never known! Also being the same service number, imagine the confusion that can and frequently does cause!). Anyway, the anomaly being that a ticket purchased on the 267 will then not be accepted on the 184 route for the return journey. Also a return on the 184 service is more expensive than the First Day South West ticket allowing travel on any First Service for the same day, so consequently is never sold The 184 takes just under 2 hours whereas the 267 around 50 minutes (Faresaver services being slightly quicker owing to skipping Rode).

So you now have services with the same operator which will not accept tickets from their own operating services which share part or in a handful of cases, all of the route, because they are a different number.

How on earth is someone with a little more knowledge than most going to understand that let alone Joe Public!!! >:( :o ::) :-X :-\