I've often said that if
FGW▸ reduced some of the First Class Off Peak Return Tickets, Introduced First Class Super Off Peak Single and Return Tickets and First Class Off Peak Single Tickets. Then they may very well end up filling more First Class Seats and vacating some Standard Class Seats.
Maybe also a similar policy to GreaterAnglia, where they charge ^10.00 for Off Peak Journeys to Upgrade to First Class on Return Tickets.
Taking the 15:55 Frome - London Paddington Train, Cheapest Walkup Standard Class Single is ^18.15 (Super Off Peak Single/SSS - Valid on selected times & trains via Newbury) and a First Class Walkup Single is ^79.85 (First Anytime Single/FOS - Valid any time & train via Newbury)
Now looking at the Super Off Peak Return (SSR) at ^32.00 and The First Off Peak Return (
FSR▸ ) at ^95.05
If FGW implemented a First Super Off Peak Return at ^64.00 (Double the SSR price) then FGW would actually make more money out of me, as at that price I would never bother with 1ST Advance Tickets to Paddington again. As that ticket is valid on all of the trains to London and back again I would use,
Now looking at the SVR at ^39.85 (Standard Off Peak Return) compared against the FSR. The difference between the 2 fares is ^55.20 which is more than Double the SVR?!!
So why not make the FSR ^79.70? If I found myself needing to catch an Off Peak Train I would probably consider that on the day as an option. Or Purchase the hypothetical First Super Off Peak Return and excess the appropriate leg of the journey to the FSR price.
With regards to First Class only having a FOS on most long distance routes. The ^79.85
IMHO▸ is a total non starter. I wouldn't pay it. Instead I would pay ^40.00 odd on the day and go via Warminster/Salisbury. So again, if I didn't have a 1ST Advance. I wouldn't bother using FGW.
Why can FGW seem to charge ^79.85 on
ALL trains from Frome - Paddington for First Class when they sell tickets for some trains for as little as ^18.15? Surely the available Standard Class Tickets should match the Available First Class ones?
Ah but then we come back down to the old chestnut of Common Sense and "The Manual"...
But as I'm employed in the public sector, I could only claim for a standard class ticket. Plus dinner at a restaurant or pub, up to ^25 including a single beverage. Even the cheapest meal and drink at 'Spoons would cost more than the ^5 upgrade.
As usual, I still went for a cheap meal and spent nowhere near ^25, but it still cost more than had I been able to claim for a first class ticket.
That's in interesting point. One of my clients has a similar policy of only allowing claims for Standard Class travel (unless you're at senior management level or the First Class Tickets are cheaper)
However I have an "arrangement" with my expenses, where I don't claim sustenance but claim for difference between First and Standard Class instead. If the difference between First and Standard is more than the sustenance level, then I absorb the additional cost after claim. If it's less then I claim the ticket amount and nothing else.
But that being said, I don't take the mick out of the expenses policy. It says you can claim for taxis, in the past 3 years I've used 5 Taxis and claimed for only 2. Many use Taxis because they can, despite cheaper and in some cases better alternatives being available. As I have a bus pass, I use it