Club 60

[whole diary]

[froome]

This link to the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) page on it was quoted upthread:
https://www.gwr.com/destinations-and-events/offers/over-60s-offer

But trying to navigate there is a case of Destinations-and-events> Offers> wot no link?

Thanks. I see that this link says tickets can be bought until midnight on December 2nd, whereas the one upthread says November 30th (with similar change to the date tickets are valid to). Have they changed the dates since the offer started?

[froome]

So reading the terms as shown here (as I can't find them anywhere else) they do sound good value for certain journeys, eg down to Penzance from here, but not for those that just cross the notional zones. What I don't know is what restrictions there are on which trains can be used. A quick look at prices on gwr.com seems to show most of the available trains for these fares run in commuter times, eg leaving Bath Spa between 7 and 9am, but not for trains leaving after then, which seems very odd. Does anyone know about these?

Further links:
http://www.avocetline.org.uk/reduced-fares-for-over-60s/
https://www.gwr.com/destinations-and-events/offers/over-60s-offer

That latter tells you:

Travel is not permitted on services arriving into London Paddington between 05:30 and 09:38 inclusive or departing London Paddington between 16:01 and 19:16 inclusive on Monday to Friday.

This offer is only valid on train services operated by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway).

From Bath heading west, there's a GWR train from London to Paignton that calls at Bath Spa in the peak time and the ticket's valid on that, but later trains from Bath headed west involve a change a a Cross Country service for which the ticket will NOT be valid.   You can travel later from Bath, via Westbury, or via Bristol, s-l-o-w train to Taunton, changing there onto the express from London, but the journey plane may not show these slower alternatives.

Yes that Paignton train is the one I would usually aim to use to get down to Devon and Cornwall. I'm pretty certain it used to be a Penzance service until a year ago.

[ChrisB]

What? I din't use Facebook (ghastly)... But does that mean you can't your followers to a [significant number] birthday shindig, for example?

[grahame]

What? I din't use Facebook (ghastly)... But does that mean you can't your followers to a [significant number] birthday shindig, for example?

You can invite them, but you can't do a sponsored (paid) advert to tell the general public - you have to rely on its organic spread.   Thus my comment on the post about "please share this"

I suspect the decision not to allow was taken by a "Jobsworth" at Facebook and this may have been a borderline case, but I have other things to do which are more effective than advertise this promotion which really GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) should be doing a bit more, by the feel of things and how well hidden it seems to be.

[PhilWakely]

I notice that a week on from the start of this thread, that you still cannot purchase Club60 tickets online as the process sticks at the Delivery Details window. I guess, therefore, it is still 'Ticket Office Only' at the moment.

[ChrisB]

As you commented in the first post, proof of age probably means a trip to booking office. Anyone can click on senior railcard, its not proof of age, or even ownership.

Its also a special offer, so they can use whichever outlets suit them

[PhilWakely]

As you commented in the first post, proof of age probably means a trip to booking office. Anyone can click on senior railcard, its not proof of age, or even ownership.

Its also a special offer, so they can use whichever outlets suit them

Owners of a Senior Railcard will have had to provide proof of age at the time of purchase and I guess it is only a negligible minority that would fraudulently use somebody else's Senior Railcard, so you can safely assume that clicking on 'Senior Railcard' is evidence of age.

Yes, it is a special offer, but as you can see in my post above, the image also taken from gwr.com below and via this link, the special offer is shown as available online, so it is not good to actively promote it online only to find you can't actually purchase it online.

[grahame]

Bit of a screw up to offer the whole process through to "how do you want to receive your ticket" go though as is you could book online.    Screw up compounded by then leaving you stuck in a menu from which there is no way to proceed, and which doesn't admit "you can't buy this online".   8 out of 10 for the offer; a generous 2 out of 10 for the online experience when you try to buy it!

Available at staffed ticket office, or if there is no staffed ticket office open at the station where and when you are joining the train, available from the train manager.

[PhilWakely]

It looks as though a partial solution has been provided at last, but you are still unable to pick your tickets up from a TVM^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) at the moment (I hope this is just an interim implementation pending a full one in a short while?)

[LiskeardRich]

Also at

https://www.facebook.com/TransWilts/photos/a.402860103147371.1073741825.294993730600676/884669441633099/

So good for TransWilts passengers I was going to boost the post on Facebook, but it was turned down on the "no posts that refer to a person's age" rule 

Is the offer discriminatory?

[grahame]

Also at

https://www.facebook.com/TransWilts/photos/a.402860103147371.1073741825.294993730600676/884669441633099/

So good for TransWilts passengers I was going to boost the post on Facebook, but it was turned down on the "no posts that refer to a person's age" rule 

Is the offer discriminatory?

In detail: https://www.facebook.com/policies/ads/

Content that asserts or implies personal attributes. This includes direct or indirect assertions or implications about a person’s race, ethnic origin, religion, beliefs, age, sexual orientation or practices, gender identity, disability, medical condition (including physical or mental health), financial status, membership in a trade union, criminal record, or name.

Apparently "Are you Christian?" is not allowed but "Meet Christian Women" is.  I suspect that "If you're aged 60 or over" wasn't allowed but "For passengers aged 60 years or over" would have been.

To answer your question - yes, the offer is discriminatory.  Why should travel be provided at a lower price for the young, for the old, for visitor to the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) via Britrail ...

[Chris from Nailsea]

... or for grahame, but not for me ... 

[ChrisB]

I don't think age is one of the types made illegal in law?

[grahame]

I don't think age is one of the types made illegal in law?

I don't think the law's in question - it's commercially up to Facebook as to what they will and won't allow in adverts, which is a subset of what the law will allow.   And I think I fell fouls of that intermediate level - in other words the post was legal (and indeed remains in place) but not commercially acceptable to Facebook for me to press harder into people's feeds.

[JayMac]

Seen these this morning at Taunton station:





Also heard a ticket clerk proactively selling Club 60 to the couple ahead of me in the queue.