Great Western Coffee Shop

Travelling
From : Paddington
To: Bristol Temple Meads
Time: 15:30 / 16:00
Date : Thursdays
Single only
Book via GWR site

I travel this journey weekly and for the last few years I have booked in advance and been able to get an Advance Single for the specified service 15:30 or 16:00 for £15 or so.

During the last 6 weeks I have not been able to catch any advance single fares.

I have tried the trainline
com who will email when the advance tickets are released, bit still no luck.

Am I missing something ?

Grateful for any advice.

Regards

Tim

Advance Purchase (AP) fares are offered at what the operator think the market will bear. The price tiers and quotas are regularly adjusted based on passenger loadings and revenue.

Having looked as far as the current booking horizon, it does appear that the lowest tier on your two chosen trains is now £33.10. Those trains are close to the evening peak and I suspect GWR realise they can now fill the seats at a higher price point.

Passenger numbers are ever increasing, meaning fewer opportunities to grab bargains on trains close to peak time.

Your only option to keep paying the lowest AP tier of £15 is to travel earlier. The 1400 service appears to be the last afternoon train still offering the lowest tier when booked far enough ahead.

Finally, to save a few more quid, don't book with thetrainline.com. They charge booking and credit card fees. Book direct with GWR.com. Train Operators don't charge fees.

Oh, and welcome to the forum.  :)

Good advice, BigNoseMac.

May I add a comment looking wider? 

How are you getting from Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington (travelling in the opposite direction).  If you're getting a lift / travelling by coach / doing a weekly Bristol - Birmingham - London triangle, then a single ticket is right for you. But  if you're using two single tickets, you may be close to hitting the point at which a super off-peak return at £57.50 - up to the 15:00 off Paddington - is worth considering.  On Monday to Friday, there are restrictions from Bristol in the opposite direction on this ticket, but if you're using advance singles that way too, and those prices are creeping up, it may be an option.

Do you qualify for (and could hold) a railcard?   On a weekly journey, the 34% saving would be worthwhile!

Do you know two other people who use the same train with whom you could form a group?


Indeed.  Part of the idea (from GWR's viewpoint) of the Advance ticket is to persuade people who wouldn't otherwise use the train to do so. Also to have those who would use the train adjust their journeys onto services with capacity do so, leaving places on the busier trains open for higher fares.

Passenger numbers have indeed been increasing, but train capacity has not ... yet.  It will be interesting to see what happens to prices when London to Bristol increases from 2 to 4 trains an hour.  In the meantime, GWR who had expected (by now) to have more trains generating more income, will indeed look to maximise farebox income based on current supply (and demand).  It's at their discression, as these are not regulated fares; you may find negative press coverage of the effect, but you'll find a very muted response from government and government owned organisations such as Network Rail, as the problem (delay) in supplying the extra capacity via the GWR main line electrification and stock replacement program lies in their court.

Hello,
Thank you both for your very full  replies.
I travel up two days before on the Tuesday, but will check a return fare.
I am trying to find when the increase in trains is coming (from 2-4 ph ?)
14:00 is too early - but thanks for asking
No railcard - except f&F - and my 5 year old is at school !
I could try on social media to find a "group" - or even leaflet people on the train ?
I am going to try Bristol Parkway - a right pain - but is cheaper
I have framed my last £15 ticket

Of course it now means it is much cheaper for me to drive to work.

Thanks so much again for your time.

Scheduled to start December 2018 / January 2019

More often than not I'm finding a Super off peak ticket is offered as the cheapest fare available over an Advance ticket to/from London which I can get a bit cheaper with split ticketing.