Oxfordshire Day Ranger - should it be updated

[A0wen]

Just looking at the Oxfordshire Day Ranger - and now that Chiltern run into Oxford am I the only one who thinks this Ranger could do with an update in its validity to include Bicester - both Bicester North - Banbury and Bicester Village to Oxford in its validity?

It would only be adding stations which are genuinely in Oxon into the Ranger - it already includes Kings Sutton which is in Northants !

What do others think?

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

I agree. It is ridiculous for a ranger that is so clearly intended to be about a particular county - in this case Oxfordshire - not to include stations that are within the area the name describes!

Of course, if one stuck purely to stations within Oxon then, since the boundary of Oxon/Berks is predominantly formed by the river Thames on the approach to Reading from Didcot, they could say they're changing the validity such as to stop at Goring & Streatley, as the railway crosses to the southern bank of the Thames shortly thereafter. But then that would also mean excluding Kings Sutton, which of course is in Northants, leaving Banbury as an island with no way of getting to any other station in Oxon by rail!

A case of "careful what you wish for", I think!

 

[A0wen]

I understand the point that it goes 'out of county' in getting to Reading - I can actually understand why Bicester wasn't included previously in some ways because there was only a very limited Oxford service and most services were from Bicester North and beyond. Just seems that now that's changed and the Ranger probably ought to as well.

 

[Kite159]

I understand the point that it goes 'out of county' in getting to Reading - I can actually understand why Bicester wasn't included previously in some ways because there was only a very limited Oxford service and most services were from Bicester North and beyond. Just seems that now that's changed and the Ranger probably ought to as well.

I'm pretty sure Oxford - Bicester Town was included before the line was closed for rebuilding

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Let me just say this - if you went to the ticket office at Oxford, bought an Oxfordshire Day Ranger and travelled to Oxford Parkway, the barrier staff at Oxford Parkway would look very silly indeed if the ticket didn't work the barrier and they took umbrage to it, saying something like "oh no, an Oxfordshire Day Ranger isn't valid to travel from Oxford to Oxford Parkway".

 

[30907]

Let me just say this - if you went to the ticket office at Oxford, bought an Oxfordshire Day Ranger and travelled to Oxford Parkway, the barrier staff at Oxford Parkway would look very silly indeed if the ticket didn't work the barrier and they took umbrage to it, saying something like "oh no, an Oxfordshire Day Ranger isn't valid to travel from Oxford to Oxford Parkway".

Why would they look silly, when the validity of the ticket is clearly advertised?
(I agree it should be changed, but would people pay a corresponding increase in price - 20-25%?

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Why would they look silly, when the validity of the ticket is clearly advertised?
(I agree it should be changed, but would people pay a corresponding increase in price - 20-25%?

Because the name is highly misleading if the validity is so very, very different to what the name implies!

If they called it a Southern Central Day Ranger, for instance, (though of course that's not nearly as catchy a name!) then it would be more understandable. But there is a fundamental implication if you get a ranger named the "Oxfordshire" Day Ranger that, I don't know, it's valid throughout all of Oxfordshire!

If the ticket office staff didn't refer to any terms and conditions either when selling the ticket (e.g. not saying "the map of validity is shown online, please check it", "are you aware of where this ticket is valid?" or "you're aware this ticket isn't valid towards Bicester?") then I am minded to believe that there could be a potential legal case for misrepresentation if any train company took umbrage to the use of the ticket in a way that the name would imply is permissible, but which the train companies don't actually want to permit. Of course, that's all rather theoretical. At the end of the day, they either need to change the validity of the ticket or change the name. But the current situation is not really palatable.

I don't think they would need to increase the price, from the perspective that the Ranger is currently priced at just more than what I think is the most expensive Off-Peak Day Return that is covered by it - Moreton-in-Marsh to Reading. That's £16.80 and the Ranger is £17.50. I can't find any Off-Peak Day Return to or from the Oxford-Bicester Village branch that would be more expensive than £16.80, so there wouldn't be any revenue risk as such.

That's, of course, not to say that the price wouldn't be increased to reflect the additional validity, but it would be rather unfair (in a way) for this to happen, given that the branch used to be included!