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PRIV Season Ticket Info

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diego1234

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Hi,

I'd be grateful if someone could clear up the following questions I have regarding priv travel.

I'm a member of staff for a London based TOC.
I'm going to be moving this year to another part of London so will no longer be able to benefit from free travel to work as will be 'off the line'.

I want to clarify that I can legitimately (I.e be in full uniform) travel on another TOC from my new place of residence to another London terminus with a priv rate season ticket in order to get to work? Is this the same as a residential season ticket?

Secondly my wife works in London and would need the same ticket. From my reading am I right in thinking this priv rate season ticket is NOT eligible for her to receive? Is there any way around it?

Many Thanks in advance..
 
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causton

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Correct, PRIV season tickets are perfectly fine for getting to/from work.

And I don't think anybody else can get one, so correct on the second point unfortunately.
 

bb21

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Travel facility for spouse is only for leisure travel. There is no way around the restriction on residential travel unfortunately, and it is not worth trying to get away with it purchasing discounted daily tickets, as if caught (believe me there are some staff out there who would not turn a blind eye and she only has to run into them once) she risks having her facilities withdrawn. Once withdrawn, it will be an RSTL decision on what happens next, not the employing TOC's decision, and they are keen to stick to the rules rigidly. Not worth it imo.

Your discounted season ticket works like any other season ticket, valid for any type of travel covered by its validity, residential, leisure or duty.
 

Haywain

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Travel facility for spouse is only for leisure travel. There is no way around the restriction on residential travel unfortunately, and it is not worth trying to get away with it purchasing discounted daily tickets, as if caught (believe me there are some staff out there who would not turn a blind eye and she only has to run into them once) she risks having her facilities withdrawn. Once withdrawn, it will be an RSTL decision on what happens next, not the employing TOC's decision, and they are keen to stick to the rules rigidly. Not worth it imo.
Such members of staff are not necessarily 'jobsworths' but those who do actually abide by the rules and can get very p*ssed off with those who flagrantly breach the rules. Imagine being asked to sell a priv day return every day at the same time to someone holding a 'spouse' priv card, and wearing business type clothes - it's hardly likely to be leisure travel!
 

bb21

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Such members of staff are not necessarily 'jobsworths' but those who do actually abide by the rules and can get very p*ssed off with those who flagrantly breach the rules. Imagine being asked to sell a priv day return every day at the same time to someone holding a 'spouse' priv card, and wearing business type clothes - it's hardly likely to be leisure travel!

I didn't say they are.

Just putting the facts across. ;)
 

theageofthetra

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Such members of staff are not necessarily 'jobsworths' but those who do actually abide by the rules and can get very p*ssed off with those who flagrantly breach the rules. Imagine being asked to sell a priv day return every day at the same time to someone holding a 'spouse' priv card, and wearing business type clothes - it's hardly likely to be leisure travel!

I wonder how much this abuse will increase if they have Priv loaded on Oyster? If there was an REO onboard check or station blockade do their Oyster readers flag up any railcard loaded?
 

AndrewE

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I wonder how much this abuse will increase if they have Priv loaded on Oyster? If there was an REO onboard check or station blockade do their Oyster readers flag up any railcard loaded?

That hadn't occurred to me. Should dependents have 2 oyster cards then, 1 priv and 1 full fare?
 

Haywain

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I wonder how much this abuse will increase if they have Priv loaded on Oyster? If there was an REO onboard check or station blockade do their Oyster readers flag up any railcard loaded?
One might reasonably assume that consideration has been given to that. And such travel patterns could be much more visible with Oyster so abuse would be spotted relatively easily.
 

theageofthetra

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That hadn't occurred to me. Should dependents have 2 oyster cards then, 1 priv and 1 full fare?

I've told 'er indoors to use contactless on the rare occasions she doesn't have her monthly and goes to work. I would be interested to know from any REOs if they have been briefed on this issue as being able to load non-protected Priv onto Oyster is quite a recent development.
 

Signal Head

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Your discounted season ticket works like any other season ticket, valid for any type of travel covered by its validity, residential, leisure or duty.

Are you sure about the 'Duty' travel? All our passes were withdrawn on privatisation and replaced with ones endorsed "Not valid for Duty purposes" (or Valid for Residential and Leisure only, cannot remember which way round for sure).

Before I 'became retired' my regional pass had the same restriction.

I understood this was done to avoid giving former BR constituents an unfair advantage, when it came to staff travelling on duty, over new companies whose staff did not have travel facilities. I'm speaking as non-TOC staff here, it may of course have been different for TOC types.
 

bb21

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It is simply a ticket valid for unlimited travel AFAIK, regardless of the purpose of the journey. I am not aware of any restriction placed on it but am open to corrections. This is as opposed to Priv-rate single/return fares which are explicitly for leisure travel (and residential travel on a temporary basis) only.

I do however recall such a restriction in the manner you describe for the various passes issued to safeguarded staff. Perhaps that is why officially the names are different for safeguarded staff and TOCNEs despite the discount being exactly the same?
 

dk1

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Back in the 1990s there where quite a lot of 'priv' seasons purchased in my area but following privatisation & the issue of staff duty/leisure passes issued for TOC employees this has all but dried up. Presume it's mainly NR who may have to purchase if they are safeguarded. Normally an employee from another TOC is routinely passed if in uniform but obviously that's not officially rule abiding.
 

LordCreed

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Whilst not entirely related to the original query, with regards to dependant season tickets, they can be purchased for the following reasons only:

- Child attends school and receives no travel grant.
- Child is undertaking advance education and receives no travel grant.
- Partner is undertaking advance education and receives no travel grant.
- Child / Partner's purpose is leisure only and yields no financial gain. (I do wonder if this covers voluntary work?)
- Child is employed but earns less than the current limit.

Further information for this can be found on Form 1601.
 

AndrewE

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To go back to post #8 then:
1) Concessionary travel for dependents / families is definitely for leisure purposes only
2) Concessionary Oyster (C.O.) is a no-brainer if you ever visit London and are entitled to one
3)you MUST NOT use the C.O. for non-leisure use...

So logic seems to say that dependents / family members will each need 2 Oysters, 1 discounted and 1 full. The trouble is that I have never seen it recommended or required anywhere, and it's just the sort of thing that raises revenue-protection staff's suspicions if they spot it. Owning 2 might even be against the rules, for all I know (not that it would harm TfL.)

Can anyone tell me if this is how it works (or is supposed to work?) It's only the same as having 2 purses in your pocket, 1 with a priv card and 1 without and getting the appropriate one out at the booking office window. In the meantime TfL have got 2 sets of deposits and cash balances!
 

Haywain

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To go back to post #8 then:
1) Concessionary travel for dependents / families is definitely for leisure purposes only
2) Concessionary Oyster (C.O.) is a no-brainer if you ever visit London and are entitled to one
3)you MUST NOT use the C.O. for non-leisure use...

So logic seems to say that dependents / family members will each need 2 Oysters, 1 discounted and 1 full. The trouble is that I have never seen it recommended or required anywhere, and it's just the sort of thing that raises revenue-protection staff's suspicions if they spot it. Owning 2 might even be against the rules, for all I know (not that it would harm TfL.)

Can anyone tell me if this is how it works (or is supposed to work?) It's only the same as having 2 purses in your pocket, 1 with a priv card and 1 without and getting the appropriate one out at the booking office window. In the meantime TfL have got 2 sets of deposits and cash balances!
If having two Oyster cards causes a problem use contactless for the full price journeys and Oyster for Priv.
 

greatkingrat

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There is absolutely no reason why you can't carry two Oyster cards at once, you just need to be careful you are using the right one otherwise you will end up with two maximum fares.
 

tsr

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So long as you use each one (and any discounts) according to the applicable rules, I believe you can hold as many Oysters as you like. Although the back office system and some of the capping will be different, for non-discounted journeys it is just like choosing which contactless card to use, if you have more than one.
 

AndrewE

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Thanks, that's cleared it up. I've been inconvenienced - financially and professionally - by over-suspicious RPIs before now, and tripped up by unsuspected arbitrary rules.
 
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