Excessing a season ticket - what's the price - how to do from a TVM

[whole diary]

[grahame]

A scenario put and question set asked of me yesterday evening ... from a holder of a monthly season ticket from Swindon, route "via Melksham" to Trowbridge. He works varying shifts so that there are some occasions he has to travel via Bath Spa - not because he has any business there, but because the rail industry doesn't provide a direct service at a suitable time / without an "unreasonable" wait.

1. What should the excess fare be?   Are there differences peak and off peak?  Is it different I one direction to the other?  Can I be sold a single excess or do I have to buy a return?  I have been told "it's not policy to sell single excesses" by staff - what exactly does that mean and what are the implications?

2. If I arrive at Trowbridge after the ticket office is closed (13:00 yesterday due to staff shortage), how do I get my excess? I don't know how to do it on the TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine), but staff on the train when asked were very rude to me when I asked (her) for an upgrade the other day telling me I should have done it before I boarded.  When the penalty fare rules change on 1st April saying I must have a valid ticket if there are ticket buying facilities at the station, does that mean I have to buy a whole new ticket if I can't get the ticket I need?  What if I want to excess I cash and the machine only takes cards?

Posting here / asking the question of our experts with permission of the enquirer ...

[paul7575]

In the general case, I believe there’s no mechanism for selling a special form of excess for a season.  You certainly can’t use a calculated daily rate pro-rata to the difference between a valid and not-valid season.   

That is, what you’ll be sold is the normal single or return ticket for the bit you aren’t already covered for.

Paul

[ChrisB]

In this circumstance, I would most definitely get the answers *in writing*, such that the customer can carry it with them.

I would expect the answers to be -
single excess definitely available and it should be the difference between the two single prices. Rukes thye same for buying any ticket under penalty fare area rules - if you can using the payment option you want to use, you should; if you can't, it's available on the train at the first opportunity available.

Agree with the comment above re the price.

[plymothian]

A missive was released today in the Weekly Retail Circular:

If a customer requests a single excess on a season ticket, always use a single ticket as the base ticket of which to apply the excess from.
[...]
Example 2:
Customer holds standard class monthly season from Swindon to Trowbridge via Melksham and wants to travel via Bath Spa in one direction only.  Charge the difference between a standard single (SDS) Swindon to Trowbridge bia Melksham, and a standard single (SDS) Swindon to Trownbridge via Bath Spa.

[grahame]

A missive was released today in the Weekly Retail Circular:

If a customer requests a single excess on a season ticket, always use a single ticket as the base ticket of which to apply the excess from.
[...]
Example 2:
Customer holds standard class monthly season from Swindon to Trowbridge via Melksham and wants to travel via Bath Spa in one direction only.  Charge the difference between a standard single (SDS) Swindon to Trowbridge bia Melksham, and a standard single (SDS) Swindon to Trownbridge via Bath Spa.

Excellent ... know where that came from.    ...

[jamestheredengine]

A missive was released today in the Weekly Retail Circular:

If a customer requests a single excess on a season ticket, always use a single ticket as the base ticket of which to apply the excess from.
[...]
Example 2:
Customer holds standard class monthly season from Swindon to Trowbridge via Melksham and wants to travel via Bath Spa in one direction only.  Charge the difference between a standard single (SDS) Swindon to Trowbridge bia Melksham, and a standard single (SDS) Swindon to Trownbridge via Bath Spa.

Does this work for upgrading to First Class as well? So if a customer holds a season from NTH to CYS (only available as Standard), and wants to go back from CDF^» (Cardiff - next trains) in First Class (ideally on the 1825 on a Wednesday to get the "free" wine), then it should be £17.40 FOS minus £11.60 SOS equals £5.80. This would be very good value – seeing as the wine's usually £5, that's effectively an 80p upgrade.

And if I can do this, will the (TfW-operated) booking office at CDF have a copy of the weekly retail circular to be pointed to?

[plymothian]

Example 1:
Customer holds a standard class monthly season from Reading to Paddington and wishes to upgrade to first class in one direction.  Charge the difference between a standard single (SDS) and a first class single (FDS).

Cardiff Central will have a copy of TfW version Weekly Retail Circular. 
The quotes are from GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway)'s WRC and the information comes from GWR's mangement, which should go to all TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) to put in their WRCs.  For example this week's GWR includes information regarding the Caledonian Sleeper.