FlexiSeasons - a year on?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

It's a year today since the Flexi-season was launched providing 8 days of travel in 28, intended for part time commuters (for example those travelling on Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday only).   What is your "story" on these tickets?

[grahame]

My personal answer is that I can't see myself ever using one of these. I get asked about fares from time to time, and in one case I HAVE suggested them as an option ... and I can force another case where one would be useful for one of the guests staying with us at the moment, but the saving would be just 30p per day and the risk of being left with unused days if plans change may not be worthwhile.

[Richard Fairhurst]

From Charlbury to Paddington, it's cheaper to buy 8 pairs of singles (the "return" of each being Network Card-discounted) than a Flexi Season. So I can't see why I'd ever want to buy the Flexi product.

[grahame]

Well ... there you go.  None of us have used them ... and three quarters of us can't ever see ourselves using them.  Which suggests we are not the target market ...

[Ralph Ayres]

Even the target market was often disappointed once they discovered how little benefit they got compared to the discount a normal season ticket generally gives.  A flexi season does work out cheaper than buying peak return tickets separately each day, but not by much, and it's not clearcut.  I happened to notice that Southeastern's FAQs^▸ (Frequently Asked Questions) for instance say that "If you’re travelling during peak times more than twice a week, you may want to consider a regular Season ticket" but the National Rail website says "The cost of a Flexi Season varies but will ultimately be cheaper [than Anytime fares]for most customers who travel during peak-times at least twice a week".  Pricing all Flexi Seasons to give say 5 days' travel for the price of a weekly season would have been clear and consistent, but it seems that was not the approach taken.

Out of interest(!) I've just looked at a few prices. A Reading-Basingstoke Flexi is pretty much in proportion to a weekly season if you assume that's for 5 days' travel. Reading-Oxford is about twice as much for a Flexi as for a weekly, and for London-Oxford you could buy 3 full weekly seasons for the price of a Flexi.  All prices set by GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway). I'm going to stop now before I start whimpering...

[grahame]

Pricing all Flexi Seasons to give say 5 days' travel for the price of a weekly season would have been clear and consistent, but it seems that was not the approach taken.

Far too much of a loss to the Farebox:
7 day season, Melksham to Paddington - £309.00
8 days out of 28, Melksham to Paddington - £843.60
8 anytime returns, Melksham to Paddington - £1550.40

If you are working 2 days a week in London, have to travel in the peak, and it's the same 2 days for each week over a four week period and you can be sure of that, there might be a niche where they would be worth considering. 

If I was working 8 days in a four week period, though, I thing I would see if I could work Wednesday and Thursday one week and Monday and Tuesday the net - total bill £618.00 for my 8 trips to London (and a couple of weekends I could travel too)

If I were able to start late and end late at work on my 8 days, I would spend £490.40, or £323.70 with my senior railcard.

[Alan Pettitt]

My daughter, a nurse, has just got a job at Exeter Prison Hospital, she will still be doing her bank work as well, which she will have to drive to. She's only working at the prison three days per week, starting at 0730. As the prison is close to Exeter Central and parking is a no go,  she has just asked me if there is some sort of pass or season ticket to go from Topsham to Exeter Central, I told her that a season ticket wouldn't be worth it, but do you think these Flexi tickets would do the job?

[paul7575]

My daughter, a nurse, has just got a job at Exeter Prison Hospital, she will still be doing her bank work as well, which she will have to drive to. She's only working at the prison three days per week, starting at 0730. As the prison is close to Exeter Central and parking is a no go,  she has just asked me if there is some sort of pass or season ticket to go from Topsham to Exeter Central, I told her that a season ticket wouldn't be worth it, but do you think these Flexi tickets would do the job?

The season ticket calculator on National Rail enquires tells me a flexi season for this journey provides 8 day tickets to be used in a 28 day period, with an equivalent cost of £3.70 per day, a 30p saving on the Anytime Day return at £4.00. 

Calculator is here:

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/season-tickets.aspx

It won’t save you much, but I suppose it gives you a certain amount of convenience or time saving of only having to buy it every 2 or 3 weeks.

[PhilWakely]

My daughter, a nurse, has just got a job at Exeter Prison Hospital, she will still be doing her bank work as well, which she will have to drive to. She's only working at the prison three days per week, starting at 0730. As the prison is close to Exeter Central and parking is a no go,  she has just asked me if there is some sort of pass or season ticket to go from Topsham to Exeter Central, I told her that a season ticket wouldn't be worth it, but do you think these Flexi tickets would do the job?

The season ticket calculator on National Rail enquires tells me a flexi season for this journey provides 8 day tickets to be used in a 28 day period, with an equivalent cost of £3.70 per day, a 30p saving on the Anytime Day return at £4.00. 

Calculator is here:

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/season-tickets.aspx

It won’t save you much, but I suppose it gives you a certain amount of convenience or time saving of only having to buy it every 2 or 3 weeks.

Remember though, that for a saving of £2.40 over 8 journeys, you must have a smartcard in order to benefit as the flexi season is only available on a smartcard.