Same day Advance tickets

[AnkleBoots]

Advance tickets now seem available on the day from:

- Cross Country
- VTEC
- Grand Central

Are there any others? Is 10 minutes before the latest possible time to buy?

 

[Merseysider]

VTWC and TPE.

hairyhandedfool mentioned in another thread that Northern's managers were planning on introducing same day mobile advances.

Great progress imo.

 

[AnkleBoots]

VTWC and TPE.

hairyhandedfool mentioned in another thread that Northern's managers were planning on introducing same day mobile advances.

Great progress imo.

Thanks. Yes, very good for the passenger who understands them.

However some will find it difficult to understand how a ticket bought on the same day carries restrictive Advance conditions, when that never was the case before if you bought on the day.

 

[Puffing Devil]

VTWC and TPE.

hairyhandedfool mentioned in another thread that Northern's managers were planning on introducing same day mobile advances.

Great progress imo.

Or forcing customers to use mobile ticketing and disenfranchising many who cannot or do not want to do that.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Or forcing customers to use mobile ticketing and disenfranchising many who cannot or do not want to do that.

I still reiterate my view that we should move towards true medium-agnostic e-ticketing. These tickets should be available from all sales channels - ticket office, TVM, online, mobile, telesales and some we haven't thought of yet.

 

[Merseysider]

Or forcing customers to use mobile ticketing and disenfranchising many who cannot or do not want to do that.

Nobody's being 'forced' to do anything.

The normal range of tickets is still available, in addition to same-day advances.

I still reiterate my view that we should move towards true medium-agnostic e-ticketing. These tickets should be available from all sales channels - ticket office, TVM, online, mobile, telesales and some we haven't thought of yet.

Yes, I am broadly in agreement.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Nobody's being 'forced' to do anything.

The normal range of tickets is still available, in addition to same-day advances.

Yes, I am broadly in agreement.

In the case of Northern, my understanding is that where 'Mobile Only Advance' tickets are coming in, regular Advance fares are being withdrawn.

 

[Starmill]

In the case of Northern, my understanding is that where 'Mobile Only Advance' tickets are coming in, regular Advance fares are being withdrawn.

Have you been given a brief on this now then? Are you able to divulge any of the other routes in particular where it will be tested? I'm happy to PM if that helps.

 

[Bletchleyite]

In the case of Northern, my understanding is that where 'Mobile Only Advance' tickets are coming in, regular Advance fares are being withdrawn.

For all I am an enthusiastic user of modern technology, I don't believe they should be allowed to do this (though they are allowed as a temporary/trial fare).

I also don't agree with Web only fares per-se, or any fare only available from one sales channel, e.g. SVHs that are/were only from Trainline sites, or Megatrain/Megabusplus.

All fares from all sales and all delivery channels is the best, simplest option.

 

[Puffing Devil]

Northern have confirmed via twitter today that Advances have been withdrawn on the Manchester-Crewe line from 21 May. At least from Alderley Edge, Chelford, Goostrey, Holmes Chapel and Sandbach.

They are still available from Wilmslow and Crewe, where there is a competing VTWC service.

Profiteering where there is no competition?

Question - Are they allowed to pull these fares with no notice and no consultation?

There's no word of a Mobile Only Advance, either.

 

[Starmill]

Question - Are they allowed to pull these fares with no notice and no consultation?

Yup. Just as they were allowed to introduce them last year without warning or consultation. This route has never had any Advance tickets available before, there are no VT or XC Advances.

 

[Puffing Devil]

Crewe - Manchester has VTWC only fares and that manages to keep the NR advances. I'm feeling more than a little ripped off.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Have you been given a brief on this now then? Are you able to divulge any of the other routes in particular where it will be tested? I'm happy to PM if that helps.

I'm hearing it from other staff due to a slight issue with my work email which should be resolved in the next few days. When I see something concrete I will confirm either way.

 

[Starmill]

Crewe - Manchester has VTWC only fares and that manages to keep the NR advances. I'm feeling more than a little ripped off.

I would say that it has kept them because of those long-standing cheaper VT fares, rather than despite them...

 

[Wallsendmag]

VTEC APOD are slightly different as you get a seat rather than a counted place , downside is that they are only available until the normal reservation closure time of the train.


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[hairyhandedfool]

I'm hearing it from other staff due to a slight issue with my work email which should be resolved in the next few days. When I see something concrete I will confirm either way.

Okay, so I've had a chance to have a look at the brief that came out and it seems that either I have mis-understood what I was told or the person who told me mis-understood. Either way, yes Mobile only tickets are coming in for some routes and yes some routes are losing their advance fares. I'm going to try to attach a file to show the changes because it's five pages long and not so easy to put on here.

Worth mentioning also that the standard ticket office variety of Advance will be in eight fare levels and the mobile app variety of Advance will have nine, though it hasn't been mentioned if the additional fare level is cheaper or more expensive.

Advance purchase on the day (APOD) is, allegedly, only available for mobile through the Northern app and website, though as that's run by thesheepline I have my doubts.

 

[Merseysider]

Wigan to Preston gains £1.50 advance fares, but most of suburban Manchester lose their advance fares through to Liverpool and Leeds. Ridiculous

Thanks hairyhandedfool for providing that doc.

I now have three apps (XC, Northern and TPE) all of which do exactly the same thing, due to same-day Advances not always appearing on other operators' apps.

 

[Puffing Devil]

Travelling at Alderley Edge to Manchester it can now be cheaper to split at Wilmslow....

 

[323235]

Northern have confirmed via twitter today that Advances have been withdrawn on the Manchester-Crewe line from 21 May. At least from Alderley Edge, Chelford, Goostrey, Holmes Chapel and Sandbach.

They are still available from Wilmslow and Crewe, where there is a competing VTWC service.

Profiteering where there is no competition?

Question - Are they allowed to pull these fares with no notice and no consultation?

There's no word of a Mobile Only Advance, either.

I asked them about Poynton - Manchester a while ago and they were useless. I since searches BRFares and found that stations south of Prestbury still have Northern advances but Poynton no longer does. I sent them an email today asking about it , I assume they have reduced revenue from some stations or tske up has been low.

 

[Puffing Devil]

I asked them about Poynton - Manchester a while ago and they were useless. I since searches BRFares and found that stations south of Prestbury still have Northern advances but Poynton no longer does. I sent them an email today asking about it , I assume they have reduced revenue from some stations or tske up has been low.

I've had a couple of emails from them trying to dodge the questions I asked - instead talking about capacity and loading and leisure use. There is no issue with capacity, loading or take-up for leisure.

The truth is that the take-up was good, Northern saw reduced revenue and the tickets were pulled. Apart from Wilmslow and Crewe where there is competition and low revenue is better than no revenue.

 

[Starmill]

It's not surprising. The tickets were very cheap and there are no other operators who are likely to be taking an allocation from a Poynton or Sandbach (etc) to Manchester CDS/SDS.

They could, of course, have just applied (say) a 5% reduction to the off-peak fares to make them a bit more competitive with the real alternative - the car. As they are they are not that competitive, and an Advance ticket isn't either.

 

[Starmill]

To return to the original title, the following now offer Advance tickets on the day of travel:

• CrossCountry
• TransPennine Express
• Virgin Trains
• Virgin Trains East Coast
• Grand Central
• Greater Anglia

The following are offering extended bookings up to 6 months in advance:

• Virgin Trains East Coast
• Virgin Trains
• TransPennine Express

And of course Caledonian Sleeper offer bookings a year hence.

It's worth noting that these don't all work the same way. For example, XC tickets can be booked up to 10 minutes before the departure of the train, but GR ones must be booked before the train leaves its origin station. On TransPennine Express you do not get a seat reservation at all.

 

[Puffing Devil]

It's not surprising. The tickets were very cheap and there are no other operators who are likely to be taking an allocation from a Poynton or Sandbach (etc) to Manchester CDS/SDS.

They could, of course, have just applied (say) a 5% reduction to the off-peak fares to make them a bit more competitive with the real alternative - the car. As they are they are not that competitive, and an Advance ticket isn't either.

Swings and roundabouts, I suppose.

A Duo into Manchester cost £15 this week; it could have been £8 on advances. For future trips I may well drive as I can park conveniently in the centre for £6 on a night rate.

NR will certainly lose business from me, but may gain from others who have no choice but to use the train.