Student season tickets and other questions

[whole diary]

[grahame]

Can someone clarify for me, please, the situation on season tickets by age ...

under 5 - 2 travel free with fare paying passenger
5 to 15 - "Child" (season) ticket acceptable no matter why the child is travelling
Any age - "Adult" (season) ticket always acceptable

Questions

a) If mum travels with her triplets aged 4, what does she pay for the third one?  "Child" is 5 to 15 - so presumably the third triplet has to pay an adult fare?

b) What about under 5s travelling with rail staff who get free travel within their employment / pension?

c) 16 year olds (up to - what age? - travelling to school or college). Clearly adult ticket is valid - but what about child / reduced rate seasons?

Question (c) is the one I would really like to understand the answer to ... the others just come from reading things and left me wondering.

[sprinterguard]

A) I don't really see the extra child being an issue.. I wasn't aware of the rule and I certainly wouldn't charge for the extra child because I have no idea what I'd ask you to pay!
B) They would be treated as a free child until they become 5 and then they get their staff travel passes.
C) I believe such passes do exist on a locally arranged basis but I really have no further information.

[Brucey]

c) 16 year olds (up to - what age? - travelling to school or college). Clearly adult ticket is valid - but what about child / reduced rate seasons?

Question (c) is the one I would really like to understand the answer to ... the others just come from reading things and left me wondering.

Sadly adult fares apply from the 16th birthday onwards.  Considering some young people will become 16 within days of starting their final year at secondary school, this does seem rather unfair.  Some areas of the country have scholars passes or other local arrangements (e.g. London).

Some bus companies, on a local basis, will offer child fares to anyone in school uniform.  But there is no such arrangement on the railways.

[grahame]

Many thanks for those replies.   I guess on the under-5 thing I was reading too much into

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Train-times-and-tickets/Ticket-types/Leisure-tickets

Travel with children. Pay half fare for children aged 5 ^ 15, and take up to two children under five free of charge. Children under five travelling free can use a seat, provided it is not needed by a fare-paying customer.

and http://help.thetrainline.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/282

Up to two children under the age of 5 can travel free with each fare paying passenger. Please note that children under 5 travelling for free may only occupy a free seat that is not required by any fare paying passenger, so may need to stand or sit on your knee if the train is busy.

Between the ages of 5 and 15 inclusive, children receive a 50% discount on most tickets.

But as I say that was an interesting side issue ... the "biggie" for me is the travel to education after the 16th Birthday.  I did find something relating to certain schools for Greater Anglia, and in the light of your answers that it figures / confirms why that page was as it was.  I'm now educated enough to write a very much cleaner and shorter post than I expected on the Facebook page!

[JayMac]

Severnside Community Rail Partnership offer scholar season tickets to those in education aged 18 and under.

http://www.severnside-rail.org.uk/index.php?pid=31

Sadly the linked application form doesn't work and the mentioned sample fares .pdf is non-existent.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Oh, dear.   Something else for me to try to sort out.  Sorry! 

[bobm]

An admin's work is never done, eh Chris?

[SDS]

Well I've learnt something new! I always thought it was all children under 5 travelled free. Not that it was limited to 2 per Adult.

A) I wouldn't make a charge for the third child. But the Adult would be charged obviously.
B) Children of staff get their passes issued at aged 5 until 16 (and then some period afterwards if still in full time education. OU doesn't count).
C) I know that FCC^▸ (First Capital Connect) offer a student connect 'slightly' discounted season ticket. I think chiltern issue a scholar ticket with its own restrictions.
TfL^» (Transport for London - about) issue child rate OysterCards with varying restrictions and periods which result in some 19 year olds getting child rate!!
If a child buys a season ticket when they are 15 and 364 days old (IE only just under 16) the season ticket can still be child rate up until 16 and 4 months old.

7-Day Season Tickets/Travelcards ^ Children pay the adult price on reaching their 16th birthday. If the birthday is after the first day of validity, a 7-Day Season Ticket at half rate will remain valid;
Period Season Tickets/Travelcards ^ A child who becomes 16 years old on the first day of a 'period' Season Ticket/Travelcards pays the adult rate. If the birthday is within the ticket^s validity period, but after the first day, the half rate ticket will continue to be valid, but needs to expire by up to a maximum of four months after the 16th birthday.
Holders of Transport for London Child Oyster^▸ (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services) Photocards, including ^16+^ Oyster Photocards, should be issued with child rate ^In-Boundary^ period Travelcards not to expire later than the expiry date of the Oyster Photocard.

[Chris from Nailsea]

An admin's work is never done, eh Chris?

I tried to think of something quite erudite and witty to post here in reply, Bob - but then I reverted to my own student mode and simply went   

[grahame]

Severnside Community Rail Partnership offer scholar season tickets to those in education aged 18 and under.

http://www.severnside-rail.org.uk/index.php?pid=31

Sadly the linked application form doesn't work and the mentioned sample fares .pdf is non-existent.

New link - http://www.severnside-rail.org.uk/school.html