GWR Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington (and reverse) advances not available

[WelshBluebird]

This has been flagged by someone on reddit and I'm seeing the same thing - it doesn't seem like there are any advance fares available on the direct services right now regardless of what day or time you chose. Any ideas?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Sep 2024 ==

Edit - Two days later and this now seems to have been fixed after GWR replies to lots of people on social media they were looking into it - but that is little comfort to those who had to travel or book whilst not being able to book the cheapest tickets.

 

[moose5000]

This seems to have happened again now. Previously lots of cheap advances on at least the Bristol Parkway to London Paddington flow (and stations in-between), pretty much up to departure. The only tickets available now and throughout October and November are either walk-up fares, or a couple of advances which are only slightly cheaper. I wonder what's causing this?

Edit - typo.

 

[crablab]

I've noticed this too. Prices between Reading and Bristol for dates in October I was looking at have doubled since I last did the journey for ~£25 a month or so ago

 

[Benjwri]

I've noticed this too. Prices between Reading and Paddington for dates in October I was looking at have doubled since I last did the journey for ~£25 a month or so ago

Reading and Paddington has never had advances for tickets between the two. This will be because you’re travelling at a different time or not splitting.

 

[MarlowDonkey]

Reading and Paddington has never had advances for tickets between the two. This will be because you’re travelling at a different time or not splitting.

Almost every train to Wales and the West of England stops at Reading, so it's almost a metro frequency.

 

[crablab]

This will be because you’re travelling at a different time or not splitting.

Splitting at Swindon; I was referring to me entire journey rather than the exact tickets. The point I was making is that advances along the route have got more expensive.
(I also meant Bristol, not Paddington. Which explains your confusion!)

 

[piers]

I've been regularly getting the 0547 from Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington for the last couple of years and it costs £42 when buying an advance. This week the price has increased to £83 even with a split ticket at Didcot. Does anybody have any idea why this might have changed so dramatically? I've reached out to GWR but not heard back.

 

[mrmartin]

Has the easement changed? 09:58 from Bristol Temple Meads; (also valid between 02:00 and 05:04). Perhaps the 0547 was included before?

 

[Benjwri]

Has the easement changed? 09:58 from Bristol Temple Meads; (also valid between 02:00 and 05:04). Perhaps the 0547 was included before?

I believe int his case we’re talking about advances. It’s likely they have just sold out by the time the OP is looking. I can find £42 advances for this service looking far into the future towards end of November.

It’s also possible GWR has decreased the advance quotas yet again.

 

[John R]

Has the easement changed? 09:58 from Bristol Temple Meads; (also valid between 02:00 and 05:04). Perhaps the 0547 was included before?

I don’t think the concept of easements exists for Advance tickets. Each flow is priced separately. Maybe with commuter traffic picking up GWR has decided that the fare needs to be higher.

 

[Mark J]

I've been regularly getting the 0547 from Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington for the last couple of years and it costs £42 when buying an advance. This week the price has increased to £83 even with a split ticket at Didcot. Does anybody have any idea why this might have changed so dramatically? I've reached out to GWR but not heard back.

GWR fares seem to have risen by around 10% this year.

4.9% in March, and around the same again last month.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I don’t think the concept of easements exists for Advance tickets. Each flow is priced separately. Maybe with commuter traffic picking up GWR has decided that the fare needs to be higher.

This is why things like the "LNER trial" are bad - no obvious fare increase date is needed, you just mess with quotas to charge more as you wish with little or no adverse publicity.

 

[mrmartin]

I don’t think the concept of easements exists for Advance tickets. Each flow is priced separately. Maybe with commuter traffic picking up GWR has decided that the fare needs to be higher.

Sorry, I mean the £42 is £1 cheaper than the super off peak single at £43, which is usually what GWR price advances at. This makes me think it was previously a super off peak time?

 

[John R]

This is why things like the "LNER trial" are bad - no obvious fare increase date is needed, you just mess with quotas to charge more as you wish with little or no adverse publicity.

Exactly!

 

[crablab]

The return Advance fares between Reading and Bristol have gone from £25-30 over the summer to around £50-60.

I'm not entirely sure why, as the services in question are not ones I've experienced being busy.

Given a tank of diesel is ~£50 and you use maybe a quarter of that to Bristol and back, the railway looks rather like a distress purchase...

 

[JonathanH]

I'm not entirely sure why, as the services in question are not ones I've experienced being busy.

The unfortunate reality is that yield management doesn't necessarily rely on trains being busy to ensure the maximum return if you can get those who need to travel to pay more.