FGW Rover and Ranger price increases from May 19th 2013

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

Many of the Rover and Ranger tickets that are valid across the First Great Western area are increasing in price from May 19th 2013.

These fares were not increased in January and the new prices are around 6%-9% more expensive.

Below is a selection of Rovers and Rangers showing their current price and the forthcoming increase in brackets. For ease I've only shown the full adult price. Child prices are half the adult price. If anyone wants to know the exact railcard price (minus 34% rounded) then let me know.

West and South West

Freedom of Devon & Cornwall and Freedom of Severn & Solent 3 in 7 days: ^42.00 (^45.00)
Freedom of Devon & Cornwall and Freedom of Severn & Solent 8 in 15 days: ^63.50 (^69.00)

Freedom of the South West 3 in 7 days: ^74.00 (^79.00)
Freedom of the South West 8 in 15 days: ^100.50 (^109.00)

Heart of Wessex Day Ranger: ^17.50 (^19.00)

Ride Cornwall, Devon Day Ranger and the Devon Evening Ranger remain unchanged. The single line Rangers for the various branches in Devon and Cornwall are also unchanged. As is the Dartmoor Sunday Rover.


Thames Valley & Cotswolds

Kennet Day Ranger: ^12.70 (^13.50)

Thames Branches Day Ranger: ^17.50 (^19.00)

Thames Rover 3 consecutive days: ^42.00 (^45.00)
Thames Rover 7 consecutive days: ^74.00 (^79.00)

North Downs Day Ranger: ^14.30 (^15.50)

Oxfordshire Day Ranger: ^14.30 (^15.50)

The Oxford Evening Out and the weekend/bank holiday only Cherwell Valley Day Rangers remain unchanged. The 1 and 3 day Cotswolds Discoverers also remain unchanged.

[JayMac]

Interesting to look back to January and re-read some of the press releases from FGW^▸ (First Great Western) where they stated that no fare was going to rise above the government set rate for regulated fares.

It now appears that for these Rovers & Rangers that commitment only lasted four months. The government set rate is fixed for 12 months and you'd assume that FGW's commitment to apply the same raise to unregulated fares would also apply for 12 months. Obviously not the case here.

To me it looks like FGW have held back on the Rover & Ranger price increase until the May fares round to neatly side-step that commitment and increase the price of this sub-set of products by around 3% more than any other fare increased this year.

Poor show FGW.

[ChrisB]

It now appears that for these Rovers & Rangers that commitment only lasted four months. The government set rate is fixed for 12 months and you'd assume that FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s commitment to apply the same raise to unregulated fares would also apply for 12 months. Obviously not the case here.

I think you're on your own making that assumption. They didn't state they weren't raising at that level across all fares for a year. And I didn't read it that way either. You'd make a good red-top journo....

To me it looks like FGW have held back on the Rover & Ranger price increase until the May fares round to neatly side-step that commitment and increase the price of this sub-set of products by around 3% more than any other fare increased this year.

Poor show FGW.

Can't disagree there though. But are Rovers 'fares'. Is a fare for a specific journey or for runabout tickets. If I wanted to find out about the price of these tickets, would I ask for their cost or what the fare was? hmmm

[devon_metro]

Still represent good value for money, i'd say.

[grahame]

Still represent good value for money, i'd say.

Agreed - if it's the right product for you.

People forget one round of fare rises when the next round comes along ... and I've forgotten whether any fares rose in September of last year (anyone?).   I know that a fare I had bought a number of times rose by a mouth-drying amount in December, and then rose again in January; that resulted in correspondence telling me that the January rise was in line with the various regulated figures that were being bandied around at the time.  And now rovers and rangers are rising in considerable excess of both annual inflation, and indeed in excess of RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context)) plus even 3%.

If fares are going to rise multiple times in a year, it seems misleading to describe one set of the rises as "annual" ones, and it seems doubly misleading to quote the percentage rise at that time of year as the "annual percentage".  I would have no objection to fares being revised twice a year; it would reduce the stampede for annual seasons for example, but if annual figures are to be quoted they should include both rises.   Three or four price changes in an upwards direction during the year is getting excessive.

[swrural]

How many of these products do they sell?  I may be wrong but you have to like travelling around all the time to want them.  Most people don't do they?

[JayMac]

Okay. So the price rise is justified because you think they sell so few? 

You are wrong. It's not about liking travelling around to want them. It's about a product that offers multiple journey opportunities in a defined area. Handy for visitors, holidaymakers, those with business in the area at more than one location. Way down the list are those, like me, who use them because we enjoy train travel. Even then, is that a bad thing? A product that attracts additional custom to the railways from people who would be put off using the train if they had to purchase multiple tickets during their time in the defined area.

I feel I'm justified in complaining when a product I regularly use sees a large price increase. Particularly when the company offering that product had made a commitment just 4 months previously to increase its unregulated products by the same amount as its regulated ones. Of course FGW^▸ (First Great Western) made no claim about how long that commitment would be in place, but when they are positively spinning unregulated fares price increases linked to a formula that is only applied once every twelve months, then I feel it is disingenuous to ignore that commitment 4 months later simply because they can.

[grahame]

How many of these products do they sell? 

Clearly enough for it to be worthwhile to put the prices up by 9% 

[Southern Stag]

That's only the second recent price increase to Rovers and Rangers that I know of. There was an increase fairly recently, perhaps a year or so ago but before then the prices had been the same for years and years. A 3 in 7 FOSW^▸ (Freedom of (the) South West Rover) was ^70 from at least 2008 to 2011 I believe.

[bobm]

How many of these products do they sell?  I may be wrong but you have to like travelling around all the time to want them.  Most people don't do they?

I am one of them who uses them for work as I frequently have to travel to Devon and Cornwall and the fact the Freedom of South West is valid on the first Penzance service of the day from Swindon means I save a pretty penny. I will be honest the ^9 rise doesn't affect me over much but I do take on board what bignosemac says regarding the January announcement.  I can make one trip to Plymouth and one to Penzance and cover the ^109 cost. I then have six days free to go where I like for work or pleasure.

I assume it is FGW^▸ (First Great Western) who set the fare as the majority of trips are likely to be on their services - although of course they are valid on XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)), SWT^▸ (South West Trains) and Arriva.

[devon_metro]

The biggest "stealth" fare rise they did was to introduce a 9am limit. The FOSW^▸ (Freedom of (the) South West Rover)/FOSS^▸ (Freedom of Severn & Solent Rover) used to be valid on any train!

[swrural]

Okay. So the price rise is justified because you think they sell so few? 

You are wrong. It's not about liking travelling around to want them. It's about a product that offers multiple journey opportunities in a defined area. Handy for visitors, holidaymakers, those with business in the area at more than one location. Way down the list are those, like me, who use them because we enjoy train travel. Even then, is that a bad thing? A product that attracts additional custom to the railways from people who would be put off using the train if they had to purchase multiple tickets during their time in the defined area.

I feel I'm justified in complaining when a product I regularly use sees a large price increase. Particularly when the company offering that product had made a commitment just 4 months previously to increase its unregulated products by the same amount as its regulated ones. Of course FGW^▸ (First Great Western) made no claim about how long that commitment would be in place, but when they are positively spinning unregulated fares price increases linked to a formula that is only applied once every twelve months, then I feel it is disingenuous to ignore that commitment 4 months later simply because they can.

I did not say that.  I simply asked a question.  Is that allowed here?  You are a mod, so you should know. 

I agree with you as it happens, but what has that to do with it?  

[Southern Stag]

The biggest "stealth" fare rise they did was to introduce a 9am limit. The FOSW^▸ (Freedom of (the) South West Rover)/FOSS^▸ (Freedom of Severn & Solent Rover) used to be valid on any train!

Indeed, that was the biggest change to the tickets, but the fare remaining the same for some years afterwards, so price reduction in real terms did offset it somewhat.

[grahame]

Fascinatingly, I wrote to ask if the increased price gave any extra availability, specifically if I'll be able to use the Heart of Wessex ticket from Melksham on any train prior to 19:11 when the price has gone up.

Ref: 7072517

Dear Mr Ellis

Thank you for your email of 24 April 2013, enquiring about the Heart of Wessex Day Ranger tickets.

As of now we do not have any details regarding the changes to the price of such tickets and any specifications for them. However I would suggest that you keep checking our website for updates. Also note that details for the same can be found on the National Rail website. I have provided a link for the websites, ours as well as the National Rail.

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

Thank you once again for contacting us and I trust that this information will be useful to you, please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any further assistance.

Yours sincerely

Anxx Shxxxxxxxxxx
Customer Services Advisor

[JayMac]

That's a very poor response from Customer Services. The information on prices for Rovers and Rangers is there via the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) booking engine, the new prices are in the system if you select a date beyond 19th May. Validity information on the booking engine is provided via links to NRE^‡(resolve).

However, the Rover and Ranger pages on National Rail Enquiries are terrible for checking validity. Many don't agree with either published leaflets or the information supplied to rail staff though 'The Manual'.

I think FGW should have the .pdf of the 'Ranger and Rover Tickets' leaflet available online. This is the most comprehensive detailing of validity available to the public, but I've only seen it stocked at some of FGW's staffed stations.

That said, even the current leaflet doesn't list the additional services the Heart of Wessex Day Ranger is valid on prior to the 'Valid after 0820 Mon-Fri'. Those aren't on National Rail Enquiries either. The only place I've found details of the services on which the HoW^‡(resolve) Ranger is valid before 0820 is in 'The Manual', which is nominally staff only.

They are:

• 07:54 Severn Beach ^ Bristol Temple Meads
• 08:02 Parson Street ^ Bristol Parkway
• 08:07 Pewsey ^ Westbury
• 08:09 Yate - Weymouth

Nice that they include that early service from Severn Beach, but it only gives an unofficial 9 minute connection to a Weymouth train at Bristol Temple Meads. I wonder what happens if you miss that connection?