Cheapest rail tickets to be advertised by train operators

[whole diary]

[ChrisB]

BNM - they were listening....

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) website

Rail passengers are to be told if they can get cheaper tickets for their journeys, following an agreement by rail companies.

Train operators across Britain will sign up to a code of practice designed to help travellers get the best deal possible.

It follows a summit called by the rail minister, Claire Perry, and comes on the eve of a 2.2% rise in rail fares.

Ms Perry said passengers should get the best possible deal for every journey.

A summit last month with representatives from across the rail industry - including train operators - saw the agreement of a new code of practice, which has yet to be fully drafted.

It was proposed following criticism that rail passengers using self-service machines can pay far more than if they go to a ticket office.

The rail companies have now agreed that their machines will be labelled clearly, to inform travellers that cheaper fares for some journeys may be available.(my emphasis - see below)

The code will be overseen by the Office of Rail Regulation and it aimed to end inconsistencies between prices available in ticket offices and machines in stations.

Rail minister Claire Perry Claire Perry hosted a summit last month to discuss rail fares The Daily Telegraph says its investigation into the issue found that self-service machines - used to purchase almost a quarter of all tickets sold annually - can offer vastly different fares, making some journeys ^100 more expensive.

Ms Perry also said she would not hesitate to hold the industry to account if improvements were not made.

She told the Telegraph there is "no excuse for poor quality information, restricted ticket choice or confusing screen directions at ticket machines".

Fare rises
 
The BBC's Jane Peel says the government's long-term aim is to get the train companies to update their systems so the machines automatically direct customers to the best price for their journeys.

A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group, representing Network Rail and rail operators said: "The rail industry's commitment to making it even easier for passengers to get good value rail tickets, including when buying from ticket machines, has helped journey numbers almost double in the last 20 years.

"While the vast majority of people using ticket machines get the right ticket for their journey, we are working hard to make them even simpler and easier to use."

The news comes after the rail industry recently announced that a 2.2% rise in average rail fares will come into effect from 2 January.

The rise is the lowest for five years after the government said regulated fare rises would be pegged to July's measure of Retail Price inflation (RPI^▸ (Revenue Protection Inspector (or Retail Price Index, depending on the context))) rather than capped at RPI plus 1%.

Northern Ireland rail fares are set separately and have not risen since 2013.

Similarly in Scotland, there will be no rise next year in off-peak fares, which have been frozen since January 2013. Peak fares will rise by 2.5%, the same as the July inflation rate. It means on average overall rail fares will rise by 1.5%.

Sad to say, not quite sure this will have any teeth. My highlighting above reads to me that clear signage on TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) will simply say that cheaper fares may be available at the ticket office - there appears to be no undertaking to reprogramme the TVMs.

It would be difficult as to obtain the cheapest return tickets, the customer would need to input their date of return, and most likely the time of their return service too - you can't expect the TVM to show all prices for every (return) service on any given day.

[JayMac]

And at stations with a TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine), but no ticket office, or a closed ticket office?

Not going far enough. I'd want to see the Ticketing & Settlement Agreement (which TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) have to abide by as part of their franchise agreement) re-written to include TVMs at unstaffed stations/when ticket offices are closed, offering the full range of walk-up tickets and correctly applying restrictions, all available discounts and easements. Until that is the case operators should not be permitted to Penalty Fare passengers travelling from such locations or otherwise penalise. A TVM that doesn't offer the full range should not be, in my opinion, regarded as the 'earliest opportunity'.

If ticket office, booking engine and Avantix^▸ (Ticket Issuing System used on board trains) software can all issue the correct tickets without overcharging then there is absolutely no reason why TVMs can't. If operators say it is too difficult/costly/can't be bothered, then they should be forced to re-introduce Permits to Travel. This could be as an option on TVMs for passengers who can't obtain the correct fare.

Just waiting now for the counter arguments around fare evasion. There are already processes in place to deal with that. The vast majority of people merely want to buy the correct ticket at the correct price for their journey. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Ticket Vending Machines should also be capable of selling GroupSave tickets. 

[ChrisB]

I believe Groupsave is in the (next?) upgrade sequence....but only the National offer, so Chiltern's own (old) Groupsave that is required in the franchise won't be.

[TaplowGreen]

Wouldn't it be more sensible just to simplify the whole fare structure, in order to avoid what seems like scores of possible permutations for almost every journey?

[ChrisB]

Probably easier....:-)

[tomL]

So day returns will appear before month returns? Hurrah.

[Worcester_Passenger]

When I was buying a ticket at Paddington in December, the cheapest fare on offer to Worcester was the one that was valid only on "Silverlink and Central Trains".

If the machines are that out of date at the moment, then I'm not expecting that they'll be changed much by March.

[broadgage]

I have long held the view that rail ticketing is needlessly complicated, and this reinforces my views.

I can of course see the merits of lower fares at off peak times and higher fares in the peak, but I have never understood the need for the hugely  complicated system used at present.

Likewise I never seen the point in charging a different fare according to the date of booking rather than according to the time and date of travel. In my view a relatively high fare should be payable for a busy peak time train and that for a given train the fare should be the same no matter if the ticket be purchased 10 minutes or 10 weeks before use. A much lower fare should be payable for off peak travel, but again this lower fare should be the same no matter if the ticket be purchased far in advance or shortly before use.

Most regular contributors to these forums have at least some knowledge of the complexities involved in buying a ticket, but among infrequent users of the railway there is a widely held view that rail travel is both very complex and very expensive. Many seem to consider that the price charged is largely down to luck or chance.

[ChrisB]

The cheapest fare would be a lot higher?....

[JayMac]

The cheapest fare would be a lot higher?....

How so?

[ChrisB]

Because they're likely, IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion), to remove the most restrictive fares - which tend to always be the cheapest.

[JayMac]

Which ones would be removed? Off Peak Returns (former Savers) are regulated (in some cases the Super Off Peak Return may be the regulated fare), as are Anytime (Day) Returns on flows where an Off Peak Return (former Saver) doesn't exist.

Off Peak Days (former Cheap Days) whilst not regulated are a product that has a defined market and removal or a major increase in price of those would be highly unlikely both on PR^▸ (Public Relations) and political grounds.

[eightf48544]

Which ones would be removed? Off Peak Returns (former Savers) are regulated (in some cases the Super Off Peak Return may be the regulated fare), as are Anytime (Day) Returns on flows where an Off Peak Return (former Saver) doesn't exist.

Off Peak Days (former Cheap Days) whilst not regulated are a product that has a defined market and removal or a major increase in price of those would be highly unlikely both on PR^▸ (Public Relations) and political grounds.

  I don't understand a word; i think  you've summed up the present confusion admirably.

Put it on a Form 1 and get a Minister to explain it!

[Brusselier]

I do the occasional trip to London and I get my day return from Maidstone West to St Pancras from the ticket office in the morning, this time I thought I'd get it via the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) app for the Nectar points and the app told me two singles would be cheaper by about ^3. I'd like to see that replicated at the ticket machine too.

That ^3 will almost pay for a coffee when I get to London...