Rail Delivery Group's Fair Fare consultation - outcome

[whole diary]

[grahame]

TMC - MKM^» (Melksham (Station code) - next trains) Off Peak Return (Any Permitted) £21.50
TMC - MKM Off Peak Return (Via Salisbury) £30.50

A Tisbury off peak return to Melksham is £24.10 (any permitted)
and
A Tisbury off peak return to Melksham is £25.30 (via Salisbury)
so it's not purely a Templecombe issue.
Both of these are described at "Q8 Off-Peak Day" not their descriptions - but I think they are period returns - haven't a clue how long the period is!

There is also a Tisbury to Melksham anytime day return, any permitted, at £21.20

[stuving]

In both cases (Tisbury and Templecombe) the Via Salisbury fares are for flows between clusters, while the Any Permitted fares are for that station and Melksham alone. As it happens, Tisbury is in cluster of itself only, while Templecombe plus Gillingham form cluster Q203 and Melkshm plus Chippenham form cluster Q460. So the more expensive fare does go further. No doubt the Via Salisbury is historical, but it doesn't really alter anything.

Presumably if the cheaper group of fares offered the same range of ticket types as the flow group, the latter would be "overridden" - suppressed entirely - as is the case for Melksham-Yeovil Pen Mill. But there are fares only available in the Via Salisbury set - all first class ones, for a start, but not solely. Apparently "the system" doesn't do this overriding by suppressing the fare listing on a one-b-one basis. However, surely any JP working off the data feeds, and any retailer following RSP rules, should never offer the higher price with fewer restrictions?

[Bmblbzzz]

That's a very good point - the world of work is changing, fewer and fewer people work 9-5 and the railways should reflect this - a lot of people work flexibly and/or from home 1 or 2 days a week, a "loadable" season ticket which is on an Oyster^▸ (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services) card type system and is valid for 30 days worth of trips rather than a calendar month would be a good step forward.

Exasperatingly GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have known about a low-tech solution to this for a few years but haven't rolled it out.

In Cornwall and Devon, on selected routes, you can buy part-time season tickets: valid for three selected weekdays, plus weekends. The route section of the ticket says "MO TU WE &WKND" or whatever combination you buy it for. Here's a typical BRFares link.

But it's only available there, not across the whole GWR network. So part-timers (at least the ones I know) watch like a hawk for advances to become available on their working days, and then spend the evening in front of a computer booking as many as possible. This isn't a sensible solution for anyone.

That's a good step but it's still only half a solution, because of the need to select your weekdays. It does nothing for the truly flexible worker or those on rolling shifts, who might be working Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday this week but Tuesday, Thursday, Friday next week (or indeed just Wednesday this week but five days next week, etc). As TG says, a "carnet like" system allowing n journeys over a period of m days would better address the needs of "modern commuting". Nevertheless, it's good to see even this. Shame it's so geographically restricted.

[grahame]

That's a very good point - the world of work is changing, fewer and fewer people work 9-5 and the railways should reflect this - a lot of people work flexibly and/or from home 1 or 2 days a week, a "loadable" season ticket which is on an Oyster^▸ (Smartcard system used by passengers on Transport for London services) card type system and is valid for 30 days worth of trips rather than a calendar month would be a good step forward.

Exasperatingly GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) have known about a low-tech solution to this for a few years but haven't rolled it out.

In Cornwall and Devon, on selected routes, you can buy part-time season tickets: valid for three selected weekdays, plus weekends. The route section of the ticket says "MO TU WE &WKND" or whatever combination you buy it for. Here's a typical BRFares link.

But it's only available there, not across the whole GWR network. So part-timers (at least the ones I know) watch like a hawk for advances to become available on their working days, and then spend the evening in front of a computer booking as many as possible. This isn't a sensible solution for anyone.

Caroline Lucas tweets:

@CarolineLucas
·

When are ministers going to require train companies to offer part-time season tickets?

“We continue to challenge the industry to come up with proposals” the govt says

Pathetic.  It’s not rocket science. Just regulate to make them do it

Part-time workers deserve better

[Timmer]

Not often I would find myself agreeing with Caroline Lucas. On this occasion she is spot on. Just get on with it. Been  talked about for long enough but then again haven’t a lot of things when it comes to the rail industry.