Smartphone apps - FGW, Trainline, Rail Planner Live, Tickety Split (merged topic)

[whole diary]

[grahame]

A good start, could do better. 5/10

I saved half of a single PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) to BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) fare by splitting at Didcot Parkway. This tool replicates that. I'm impressed, and will keep it for reference, but still do my own research.

5 out of 10, agreed.   But I prefer to celebrate the information provided as well as grouch a bit at what's missing. I did find it frustrating that it only offers today, which means that for morning peak hour gains I have to get up after midnight, except that if I look up a later train and change the URL line, I can look back!. There are (for me) some good "I didn't think of splitting there" offerings, but as ever with things rail, if you don't like the answer try another way ...

Melksham to Waterloo, leaving at 06:37.   With a split at Reading, I can reduce an 87 pound fare to 76 pounds, and arrive at 09:14.  That's courtesy of the MoneySavingExpert site.  But if I'm prepared for a slower journey, I can split at Warminster, arrive at 09:17, and reduce my total fare to 40 pounds.

[JayMac]

Melksham to Waterloo, leaving at 06:37.   With a split at Reading, I can reduce an 87 pound fare to 76 pounds, and arrive at 09:14. 

Using the 0637 connecting into the 0701 from Westbury and travelling via B&H^▸ (Berks and Hants - railway line from Reading to Taunton via Westbury)/Reading/Paddington/Tube you can further reduce that ^76 by use of two splits and a ticket from a station further away (starting/ending short as permitted by the Conditions of Carriage):

Melksham - Trowbridge Anytime Day Single ^3.20
Bath Spa - Newbury (route Westbury) Anytime Day Single ^17.00
Newbury - London Waterloo (Zone U1*) Anytime Day Single ^28.90

Total: ^49.10

Just an example of splits and use of routeing knowledge that would be nigh on impossible to write an app for!

Sometimes a knowledgeable human (....) really is better than technology. 

[Chris from Nailsea]

Note to mods: Is it worth considering creating a sub area for smartphone related topics?

Thanks for the suggestion, Dave.

I've done a sort of compromise solution, by merging a couple of previous discussions on the subject with this topic, as I'm not sure it justifies a separate board of its own.

Chris. 

[bobm]

The other thing with splits - which in fact this app does cater for - but people often forget when getting a second ticket is the Network Railcard. Outside the morning peak and especially at weekends when the ^13 minimum does not apply, it can offer further savings if one of your tickets is in the Network area.

[grahame]

Bath Spa - Newbury (route Westbury) Anytime Day Single ^17.00

Interesting aside ... the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) site is offering this fare on the 18:02 Newbury to Bath Spa service which doesn't run via Westbury, but it states "only valid via Westbury" on a rollover menu 

[JayMac]

For routeing purposes travelling via the East Loop past Westbury still counts as 'via Westbury'. Not wholly logical (what is when it comes to train fares?), but understandable. 

Similar routeings apply at Didcot where nearly all CrossCountry services avoid the actual station, but pass close by.

However, where such routeings occur you cannot use them for split ticket purposes. In most cases, you are still required to travel on a service that calls at the split point station.

[Brucey]

I can't fully test the tool as it will only let me check services until midnight tonight!

Had a quick play earlier and could also find splits that were cheaper than using this tool.

[grahame]

I can't fully test the tool as it will only let me check services until midnight tonight!

Yes you can - get any set of results and replace bit after the "?" in the URL with:

departure=swi&arrival=oxf&railcard=&travellers=adult&hour=23&minute=16

changing:
SWI^» (Swindon - next trains) to the 3 letter from station
OXF^» (Oxford - next trains) to the 3 letter to station
23 to the departure hour you want
16 to the departure minute you want

[Brucey]

Thanks grahame for that very useful info.

Another one where experience/expertise/luck is cheaper:

Cosham to Bristol Temple Meads ^37.00
Tool suggests splitting at Romsey ^33.40

My usual routine:
CSA-ESL  6.90
SOU-SAL  8.40
SAL-WMN^» (Warminster - next trains)  6.50
WMN-BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains) 10.10
Total   ^31.90

Or, for the less daring:
CSA-SOU  8.10
SOU-SAL  8.40
SAL-WMN  6.50
WMN-BRI 10.10
Total   ^33.10

[Trowres]

For the record, whilst I fully support and encourage people to travel using the lowest fare that applies to them, I abhore fare evasion - the illegal failure to pay for travel, or travelling in such a way that you pay less than the lowest legal fare.

Agreed. But the law should provide a fair relationship between the TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company) and the fare-paying passenger. Perhaps we should have new threads to debate "reasonable conditions" and "what is an ethical fare level?"

[EBrown]

I think it's a good tool for your standard passenger - say, my Mother who has never even heard of the Routing Guide!

There are the obvious improvements that can be made in the future; such as AP and Return fares.

It does, as Bignosemac and others have suggested, not take into account multiple split ticketing and using specific routes.

It's biggest fall down is AP tickets; but I am also not sure on its advice that splitting works around 85% of the time on returns. I'm travelling from Canterbury West (CBW) to Glasgow Central (GLC^▸ (Glasgow Central)) on 14 June. Using this tool, the best estimate I can get for a same-day return (with Y-P railcard) is splitting at Lancaster:
Off-Peak Return: ^95.20
Off-Peak Return (Split at Lancaster): ^68.60 + ^36.85 | ^105.45
Anytime Return: ^246.85
Anytime Return (Split at Lancaster): ^246.85 + ^66.00 | ^312.85
First Anytime Return: ^535.00
First Anytime Return (Split at Lancaster): ^518.00 + ^241.00 | ^759.00

AP tickets are available (at a not very discounted rate) of around ^40 each way.


My scores on the doors are 7/10 for an average user, 3/10 for an intermediate/expert rail user.

[ChrisB]

And another app - Tickety Split (on iphone, I think Android too)

From MoneySavingExpert.com, and so far in a trial, Lite edition only. Finds where splitting your journey might be sensible....

[JayMac]

Thread already running on 'Tickety Split' here:



Edit note: I've now merged the two topics, to avoid further duplication. Chris.

[grahame]

Picked up this tweet:

Train Travel app no longer available...^5 down the drain. I know you only buy a licence, not the app, but still infuriating. Unprofessional.

Anyone know what's gone / have a list of Smartphone apps?

[JayMac]

Another split ticket program has popped up online.

http://trainscanbecheaper.info/

This one incorporates the routeing guide and also gives splits for return journeys, will show multiple splits if cheapest and also shows splits for 1st Class fares.

Seems to be a work in progress, but I've performed a few searches and they concur with my own research in offering the best splits. A much better effort than 'Tickety Split'.

8/10