Merseyrail saver

[Saperstein]

Hi,

Does anyone know if you need a photocard, to get the one day Merseyrail saver ticket?

Thanks.

 

[Camden]

Hi,

Does anyone know if you need a photocard, to get the one day Merseyrail saver ticket?

Thanks.

No you don't. Be aware there are two kinds though:

A Merseyrail daysaver, which gives unlimited travel on the Northern and Wirral Lines only.

Or a slightly more expensive (as in pennies) Saveaway, which is valid on all buses, trains and ferries in the Liverpool region.

Neither need photo ID for a day ticket.

 

[Joe Paxton]

No you don't. Be aware there are two kinds though:

A Merseyrail daysaver, which gives unlimited travel on the Northern and Wirral Lines only.

Or a slightly more expensive (as in pennies) Saveaway, which is valid on all buses, trains and ferries in the Liverpool region.

Neither need photo ID for a day ticket.

As a matter of principle everyone should buy the latter ticket anyway!

 

[Saperstein]

No you don't. Be aware there are two kinds though:

A Merseyrail daysaver, which gives unlimited travel on the Northern and Wirral Lines only.

Or a slightly more expensive (as in pennies) Saveaway, which is valid on all buses, trains and ferries in the Liverpool region.

Neither need photo ID for a day ticket.

Thanks @Camden My journey will be Chester - Fazakerley- New Brighton. I am a disabled railcard holder but I don’t think there is any further reduction on this ticket and it will still be cheaper (at £5.30 if I’m looking at the correct one) then a Chester to Fazakerley single and a Fazakerley to New Brighton single?

 

[vasidae]

All Area is £5.40 now.

 

[_toommm_]

Although if you try to buy it from a Merseyrail station and don't already have a Walrus card, they will harge you £1, even though it could go on another similar ITSO card.

Any other station will issue you a Saveaway on proper orange stock though.

 

[Merseysider]

If time isn't of the essence then a Stagecoach dayrider for the bus at £4.40 would cover all of your intended journeys.

 

[Polarbear]

If time isn't of the essence then a Stagecoach dayrider for the bus at £4.40 would cover all of your intended journeys.

Nice idea, bur New Brighton would be stretching it on a £4.40 Stagecoach day ticket (or any Stagecoach ticket for that matter). Nearest would be Birkenhead I suspect.

 

[JBuchananGB]

It is correct that either the Daysaver or the Saveaway is good for this trip, and better than two singles. Also true that there are no Railcard discounts on these products. Maybe because Chester is a TfW station they will issue the Saveaway without insisting on charging the extra quid for a Walrus card for a Saveaway.

 

[_toommm_]

It is correct that either the Daysaver or the Saveaway is good for this trip, and better than two singles. Also true that there are no Railcard discounts on these products. Maybe because Chester is a TfW station they will issue the Saveaway without insisting on charging the extra quid for a Walrus card for a Saveaway.

There are no railcard discounts as it is a locally funded PTE product. I believe Chester do it on the orange ticket stock as their ticket office is staffed by TfW.

 

[Saperstein]

Hi,

Thanks for the replies and advice.

When I got back to Chester tonight I purchased said ticket at the booking office for use on Thursday.

I got the one that covers all modes of transport for an extra 10p just in case.

Agree with @Joe Paxton it is a matter of principal - why have two tickets just to confuse everybody?!

Anyway, I can confirm, as other posters said, the ticket was printed on standard orange ticket stock at Chester.

I’ve got something in the back of my mind though, that suggests these tickets were once available from Chester TVMs back when it was Arriva Trains Wales. Can anybody confirm?

Thanks!

 

[M28361M]

Agree with @Joe Paxton it is a matter of principal - why have two tickets just to confuse everybody?!

Because Merseyrail keep 100% of the revenue from a Day Saver ticket, whereas the Saveaway gets split between several TOCs and bus operators. So while it may confuse passengers, it brings in some extra revenue for the company.

I’ve got something in the back of my mind though, that suggests these tickets were once available from Chester TVMs back when it was Arriva Trains Wales. Can anybody confirm?

The Day Saver tickets can be bought from TVMs. Merseyrail's machines have it on the "popular destinations" list on the home screen, at Chester I believe you have to manually type in the "destination" NORTHWIRRALLINES (very user-friendly!). I don't think Saveaways have ever been available on any TVMs.

 

[gray1404]

Totally in Merseyrail's interests then to be the only TOC insisting that Savaways are issued on Smart cards that one must pay a pound for. So it means the passenger has to actually dish out an extra 1.10 so they resort to the ticket that gives Merseyrail all the revenue. When you ask Merseyrail about it they simply blame Merseytravel. The fact is there is nothing physically stopping Merseyrail continuing to issue such tickets on rail ticket stock.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Because Merseyrail keep 100% of the revenue from a Day Saver ticket, whereas the Saveaway gets split between several TOCs and bus operators. So while it may confuse passengers, it brings in some extra revenue for the company.

There's also that they are on normal orange card rather than the stupid Walrus thing.

The Day Saver tickets can be bought from TVMs. Merseyrail's machines have it on the "popular destinations" list on the home screen, at Chester I believe you have to manually type in the "destination" NORTHWIRRALLINES (very user-friendly!). I don't think Saveaways have ever been available on any TVMs.

They are issued in that way (rather than as Day Rangers) precisely so they can be sold from regular TVMs which don't do Rangers and Rovers.

Saveaways I believe have indeed never been available from TVMs. Until not *that* long ago they were preprinted scratchcards, aka "insurance against ever getting PFed".

 

[lyndhurst25]

Because Merseyrail keep 100% of the revenue from a Day Saver ticket, whereas the Saveaway gets split between several TOCs and bus operators. So while it may confuse passengers, it brings in some extra revenue for the company.



The Day Saver tickets can be bought from TVMs. Merseyrail's machines have it on the "popular destinations" list on the home screen, at Chester I believe you have to manually type in the "destination" NORTHWIRRALLINES (very user-friendly!). I don't think Saveaways have ever been available on any TVMs.

Day Savers are the de facto Off Peak Day Returns for any reasonably long journey on the Merseyrail network. At my local Merseyrail station ticket office, if you ask for a return to say Chester outside peak hours then you'll be offered a Day Saver as no Off Peak Day Return fare is available. However, if you use the TVM and select Chester as your destination, then the Day Saver doesn't appear on the list of fares offered. You just get offered the expensive Anytime Day Return fares, which is a bit naughty if you aren't aware if the existence of the Day Saver.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Day Savers are the de facto Off Peak Day Returns for any reasonably long journey on the Merseyrail network. At my local Merseyrail station ticket office, if you ask for a return to say Chester outside peak hours then you'll be offered a Day Saver as no Off Peak Day Return fare is available. However, if you use the TVM and select Chester as your destination, then the Day Saver doesn't appear on the list of fares offered. You just get offered the expensive Anytime Day Return fares, which is a bit naughty if you aren't aware if the existence of the Day Saver.

"Merseyrail"
"naughty"
"ticketing" (I know you didn't use that exact word )

Never.

They still need a firm kick up the backside, and a threat of expulsion from RSP if they don't return to properly complying with the spirit of it, i.e. reintroducing CDRs and training their ticket office staff properly.

 

[JBuchananGB]

Although it has been mentioned elsewhere, in other threads, I always like to mention that for Railcard holders some off-peak journeys on Merseyrail can be achieved by booking to the first non-Merseyrail station beyond their network boundary, e.g. Southport to Halewood off-peak return with railcard is less then Southport to Hunts Cross anytime return with railcard (no off-peak fare available). Meols Cop, Rainford and Edge Hill also offer such opportunities. Such tickets which permit break of journey allow considerable flexibility, not quite as good as a Daysaver, as break of journey is allowed, but obviously no doubling back. I recently used a Birkdale to Halewood off-peak day return for Birkdale to Cressington, then Aigburth to Liverpool Central, then Moorfields to Formby, whence I caught a bus using my ENCTS pass (issued by Lancashire CC)

 

[Saperstein]

Hi,

Just another update, as some posters suggested above, and I was sure I’ve seen Day Savers sold at the TVM’s at Chester. (Possibly when ATW runned it).

I tried tonight but it gets as far as the first “I” in “NORTHWIRRALLINES” before it runs out of letters.

The cheapest return offered to Liverpool Stations (Liverpool Central and the like?) is £7.80. I tried Southport as a test and they want £8.90!

I appreciate Chester is not a Merseyrail station but they are selling Merseyrail fares at the end of the day so IMO should sell the full range at the TVM’s.

 

[Saperstein]

Whoops! looking more closely at those pictures it looks like it is on the home screen after all, don’t know why I missed it before! will have another look tomorrow.

My point about the tickets still stand though if one doesn’t know what ones looking for.

 

[Joe Paxton]

Totally in Merseyrail's interests then to be the only TOC insisting that Savaways are issued on Smart cards that one must pay a pound for. So it means the passenger has to actually dish out an extra 1.10 so they resort to the ticket that gives Merseyrail all the revenue. When you ask Merseyrail about it they simply blame Merseytravel. The fact is there is nothing physically stopping Merseyrail continuing to issue such tickets on rail ticket stock.

Apart perhaps from the concession contract between Merseyrail (the TOC, i.e. Merseyrail Electrics 2002 Ltd) and Merseytravel, which might oblige Merseyrail to retail Merseytravel products only on Walrus.

 

[Saperstein]

Whoops! looking more closely at those pictures it looks like it is on the home screen after all, don’t know why I missed it before! will have another look tomorrow.

I had another look tonight and can confirm it’s on the home screen on the TVM’s at Chester.

 

[Djgr]

Totally in Merseyrail's interests then to be the only TOC insisting that Savaways are issued on Smart cards that one must pay a pound for. So it means the passenger has to actually dish out an extra 1.10

Whilst the Walrus card is a bit of a dog's dinner, in the interests of fairness it is worth remembering that the card charge is a one off cost of £1.
The vast majority of Saveaways are sold to local people who purchase on a regular basis. In addition the Walrus card was free for the first year or two and so the card cost for locals as opposed to rail enthusiasts is a bit of a non-issue.

 

[Saperstein]

Saw one of the Merseyrail only saver tickets today “in the flesh” and it does indeed have a box for a photocard number.

The ones I’ve been buying are the multi mode all areas and they have the words “Issued to” on the top left on the orange band. I assume this is for the passengers name?

Maybe it’s just a quirk of the TIS, anyone know?

I do have a Walrus card as well, had to fork out for that for when I’m buying from a Merseyrail station. Handy though because you can top up at a Paypoint place as well.

Saperstein.

 

[_toommm_]

I've noticed a lot of the Rovers have this now, although it's only ever been filled in with my name once on a 4-in-8 rover.

 

[Saperstein]

I was surprised yesterday when my Rainhill issued Saveaway worked the barriers at LVC.

Usually rovers don’t work ticket barriers do they? I know the All lines rover don’t.

Saperstein

 

[plugwash]

I think it depends how popular the rover is. If it's some obscure ticket that few people use they probable won't bother programming the barriers to recognise it. If it's a ticket used frequently by local travellers they probably will.

 

[adamskiodp]

No you don't. Be aware there are two kinds though:

A Merseyrail daysaver, which gives unlimited travel on the Northern and Wirral Lines only.

Or a slightly more expensive (as in pennies) Saveaway, which is valid on all buses, trains and ferries in the Liverpool region.

Neither need photo ID for a day ticket.

Does it include local buses in Chester (to and from the zoo)?

 

[nedchester]

Does it include local buses in Chester (to and from the zoo)?

No it doesn't

 

[bb21]

As a matter of principle everyone should buy the latter ticket anyway!

Agree with @Joe Paxton it is a matter of principal - why have two tickets just to confuse everybody?!

Excuse my pig ignorance but what principle? Surely you buy the most suitable product for your requirements? Occasionally when I visited the area I didn't need the additional validity so why would I pay more for something I don't need? Why should anyone do that?

If by "a matter of principle" reference was to the fact that there are two similar products which may not have been promoted equally and potentially misleading customers into spending more money than necessary for their requirements, wouldn't representation to the authority be a more effective and sensible approach? I struggle to see what a few people buying one ticket over another is going to achieve in that regard, apart from a bit of self-comfort. If the former approach did not work, why would the latter?