GWR Half price singles replacing Off-peak Returns

[infobleep]

Buy it once you do.



Split your ticket at the break point. It might even be cheaper!

Yes, OK, you can't break overnight on a whim, but exactly how many people do that? I'd venture somewhere around the 0 mark.

I certainly break my journey from time to time. In the past 2 months, I've broken my journey twice and continued it on another day in both cases.

If we include day tickets then I've done it another time too.

 

[embers25]

I break my journey overnight on a regular basis and am sure I'm not alone.

 

[RPI]

Let's not forget that a huge proportion of people use E Tickets now which will be quite simple with this type of pricing

 

[Bletchleyite]

I certainly break my journey from time to time. In the past 2 months, I've broken my journey twice and continued it on another day in both cases.

If we include day tickets then I've done it another time too.

How many times have you broken your journey overnight and on a whim, though? If you want to do it on a planned basis with singles it's easy to split your tickets, and often that'll save you money, too.

 

[Paul Kelly]

A key question is if the half price single will be half of the period i.e. 30 day return or the day return.
Taking Cheltenham to Weston Super Mare
Off-peak period return is £26.80
Off-peak day return £19.00

If the single is £9.50 fine
If the single is £13.40 a day return jumps £7.80 ......

Is Ashchurch for Tewkesbury to Bristol Temple Meads really going to be £5.30 one way, off peak? That's excellent value if so but also a very grave concern if it is going up significantly from that...

A less controversial way of doing it for these journeys that have a period return (SVR) is to reduce the off-peak day single (CDS) to half the price of the SVR, but leave the off-peak day return (CDR) intact. The clever thing about that is it makes it simpler for on-the-fly fares calculations as you can settle everything charged at the end of each day like Oyster/Contactless does in London - if the passenger has come back that day charge them the CDR - if they haven't returned yet charge them the CDS, and when they eventually do come back charge them another CDS in the reverse direction, and they won't have paid any more than the former SVR price. Although as the SVRs on these routes tend to have an earlier end to the morning peak than the CDS/CDR, such a scheme would still be a back door increase for some passengers.

 

[infobleep]

How many times have you broken your journey overnight and on a whim, though? If you want to do it on a planned basis with singles it's easy to split your tickets, and often that'll save you money, too.

In this particular case it would have cost me more.

 

[RPI]

A less controversial way of doing it for these journeys that have a period return (SVR) is to reduce the off-peak day single (CDS) to half the price of the SVR, but leave the off-peak day return (CDR) intact. The clever thing about that is it makes it simpler for on-the-fly fares calculations as you can settle everything charged at the end of each day like Oyster/Contactless does in London - if the passenger has come back that day charge them the CDR - if they haven't returned yet charge them the CDS, and when they eventually do come back charge them another CDS in the reverse direction, and they won't have paid any more than the former SVR price. Although as the SVRs on these routes tend to have an earlier end to the morning peak than the CDS/CDR, such a scheme would still be a back door increase for some passengers.

CDR's are being kept its just the SVR and SOR fares being removed i believe

 

[Bletchleyite]

CDR's are being kept its just the SVR and SOR fares being removed i believe

That probably makes some sense, as as others have said it's not hard to reconcile two singles on the same day to a CDR at the end of the day, but having to reconcile journeys into a month-long period return is impossibly complex.

 

[Starmill]

Presumably the CDS will have to be kept too as well as the CDR (however it could be the same price) in cases where the SVR costs more than double the CDR. Bit odd for where there's only a CDR and an SDR too. Will those go half price? Going to be some big cliffs if so.

 

[JonathanH]

This appears to be a bit of a damp squib

So, if I look at Bath to Bristol, there is no change to fares before and after 16 May

For Cheltenham to Bristol, current fares are

Off-peak day single £10.50, Anytime day single £14.00
Off-peak day return £10.60, Anytime day return £19.00
Off-peak return £20.40, Anytime return £28.00

From 16 May, these become
Off-peak day single £10.20, Anytime day single £14.00
Off-peak day return £10.60, Anytime day return £19.00
and the two period returns are withdrawn.

That seems to just be tinkering and removal of flexibility on period returns (although over a short distance such as Cheltenham to Bristol, I am somewhat surprised at the availability of period returns in the first place).

 

[Ashley Hill]

Just when you get used to one thing it's all change again. Bring back the Blue Savers.... :?

 

[Dai Corner]

This appears to be a bit of a damp squib

So, if I look at Bath to Bristol, there is no change to fares before and after 16 May

For Cheltenham to Bristol, current fares are

Off-peak day single £10.50, Anytime day single £14.00
Off-peak day return £10.60, Anytime day return £19.00
Off-peak return £20.40, Anytime return £28.00

From 16 May, these become
Off-peak day single £10.20, Anytime day single £14.00
Off-peak day return £10.60, Anytime day return £19.00
and the two period returns are withdrawn.

That seems to just be tinkering and removal of flexibility on period returns (although over a short distance such as Cheltenham to Bristol, I am somewhat surprised at the availability of period returns in the first place).

Or you could buy a Cheltenham-Bristol Advance for as little as £5 ....

 

[Starmill]

This appears to be a bit of a damp squib

So, if I look at Bath to Bristol, there is no change to fares before and after 16 May

For Cheltenham to Bristol, current fares are

Off-peak day single £10.50, Anytime day single £14.00
Off-peak day return £10.60, Anytime day return £19.00
Off-peak return £20.40, Anytime return £28.00

From 16 May, these become
Off-peak day single £10.20, Anytime day single £14.00
Off-peak day return £10.60, Anytime day return £19.00
and the two period returns are withdrawn.

That seems to just be tinkering and removal of flexibility on period returns (although over a short distance such as Cheltenham to Bristol, I am somewhat surprised at the availability of period returns in the first place).

Indeed. They are now there. It seems to me that it amounts to nothing more than a cut of a few pence in single fares which cost more than half of the equivalent period return. That's uhm, it.

 

[Starmill]

A single from Cheltenham Spa to Weston-super-Mare goes down by a slightly more respectable £5.50, from £18.90 to £13.40.

But is a key enabler for a contactless scheme. And I guess by binning off period returns it stops people using them multiple times.

True. These changes are pretty easy to deal with as they just involve withdrawing some tickets and cutting the prices of others. One could say that they should have begun being worked on several years ago when this was first mentioned.

 

[Harold Hill]

I still don't understand how to use my GWR Smartcard

 

[Paul Kelly]

These changes are pretty easy to deal with as they just involve withdrawing some tickets and cutting the prices of others. One could say that they should have begun being worked on several years ago when this was first mentioned.

I have no insider information but I doubt DfT would have given permission for the regulated SVR fares to be withdrawn several years ago. This is partly why I think it's such a positive step - some evidence of fares reform, really actually happening!