My travel plans are to fit around a fixed appointment. My point is how easy it is for someone to end up paying more that they need to due to the complex nature of the fares system.

Looking at tickets for a trip to Exeter in a few weeks time with my son and of the five different retailers I checked all offered a different fare for the same journey.

St Austell to Exeter Central on a Tuesday in March
Depart St Austell 0736 Arrive Exeter Central 1018
Depart Exeter Central 1514 Arrive St Austell 1745
1 Ad & 1 Ch with Devon & Cornwall Railcard

GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) - £62.05 1) Advance Singles SAU – EXC £44.25, 2) Off Peak Singles EXC – SAU £17.80

Trainline App - £52.60 + £2.19 ‘booking fee’ 1) Anytime Day Return SAU – PLY^» (Plymouth - next trains) £34.65, 2) Anytime Day Return PLY – EXC £17.95

Trainline Web - £88.50 1) Advance Singles £44.25 SAU - EXC, 2) Advance Singles EXC – SAU £44.25 - I could not re-create the App fare on the website.

Trainsplit - £51.45 + £1.59 ‘share of savings’ 1) Anytime Day Return SAU – PLY £34.65, 2) Anytime Day Return PLY – TOT^▸ (Totnes station) £9.35, 3) Off Peak
Day Return TOT – EXC £7.45. 

Virgin - £60.70 1) Advance Singles SAU – NTA^» (Newton Abbott - next trains) £36.00, 2) Off Peak Day Single NTA – EXC £6.90, 3) Off Peak Day Singles EXC – SAU £17.80

Last year we did this the same trip for £28.50 on advance tickets.  That fare hasn't been available at all this year on the 12 week booking window.

Operators in Cornwall do have access to the system, are able to update there own journeys and add messages to displays.

The problem is bus disruption information is there are simply too many systems in place.  The process needs a single point of input for disruption which creates a data source that can then be used by the multitude of data outputs to give consistent information to passengers.

How does franchising buses tackle the issues of unreliability caused by congestion, streetworks etc, the shortage of drivers and the ability of any ability of local authorities to support services from already stretched budgets?

In a couple of weeks I need to travel to Plymouth for 1000 and have been looking at the rail options.  The train that beat suits my needs leaves St Austell at 0844, one minute before Devon and Cornwall Railcard becomes valid.  Looked at splits and can split at Lostwithiel and get D&C railcard discount on an off peak return on the same train and pay peak return to Lostwithiel. This only appear possible  Lostwithiel has a different validity code (W4) on off peak to other stations (W2) making the off peak available earlier.

How many passengers simply pay (or don’t) the £19.20 anytime day return instead of the £11.75 option with a D&C Railcard and split at Lostwithiel?

Did it display x mins gradually reducing or show a fixed time before disappearing of the screen?

RTPI is reliant on a number of factors.  Accurate schedule data, gps tracking working, rural mobile signal to transmit the GPS positions and so on.

I’ve done it today for a trip from Westbury to Cornwall on the 1503 ex Paddington.  Got the upgrade for £11 on top of a £32 Advance Fare.

On the service I am on there are some seats reserved from PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) to PNZ that state Seatfrog on the reservation label in the seat back.

None available at St Austell when I asked earlier!

9 car Class 802 on 2C48 today.

Different Journey Planning engines sit underneath the national and regional Traveline services.

The H runs every 15 mins from Exeter St Davids passing the top of Matford Lane.

Found answer, bug in Gwr app offering fare for journey that is incorrect

A bus company can register a service with a minimal number of stops detailed on the service registration.  The public timetable usually expands this to key points.

The full stop listing on Traveline are generally calculated not provided by bus companies hence the difference in how stops information is displayed.

Rail Planner Live app on Android

Offers (M-F)

St Austell 0943 arr Exeter St Davids 11:38 then departing at 11:56 arriving Dawlish 12:12.

Off Peak Return ^13.90

Thanks for that, i wasnt sure as the journey planners I have searched have offered both options for the same fare, I will play safe and use journeys that have the change at Newton Abbot.