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£6,000 per year to get between Stratford and Colchester - any splitting opportunities?

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AnkleBoots

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It looks like Greater Anglia are playing hardball with the poor commuter below, so any tips on saving a bit of money on her commute between Stratford and Colchester so she can pay her fine?

(I don't know the person but if there are big savings to be made it would worth letting her know on twitter)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ket-fined-having-ONE-foot-class-carriage.html

A train passenger who pays £6,000 a year for a season ticket has been fined for standing with just ONE FOOT in a 1st class carriage.

The un-named commuter was stopped by a ticket inspector, Wednesday night on the Greater Anglia Trains Liverpool Street to Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, service.

Taking to Twitter, other commuters vented their frustrations at the treatment of the woman who was overheard saying that she pays £6,000 per year to get between Stratford and Colchester and rarely ever gets a place to sit.
 
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yorkie

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I doubt it; I had a quick look at the results from a popular split ticketing site and saw that for Anytime Singles it is cheaper to split at Chelmsford. But this does not work for Seasons.
 

AnkleBoots

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I doubt it; I had a quick look at the results from a popular split ticketing site and saw that for Anytime Singles it is cheaper to split at Chelmsford. But this does not work for Seasons.
Doesn't work from the point of view of needing to call at Chelmsford, or in terms of the maths?
 

AM9

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It looks like Greater Anglia are playing hardball with the poor commuter below, so any tips on saving a bit of money on her commute between Stratford and Colchester so she can pay her fine?

(I don't know the person but if there are big savings to be made it would worth letting her know on twitter)
According to National Rail Enquiries, a 12 month standard class season ticket from Stratford to Colchester is £5128.00 so there's the first Daily Mail inaccuracy.
The actual fare works out at less than half of the Anytime Day Return (£22.10 vs £51.50), - it's even cheaper than the £25.50 Super Off-Peak Day Return which has a Monday to Friday restriction limiting the window between the peaks to just 4hrs 13mins. Hardly playing hardball with the poor commuter who gets a far better deal than anybody accepting quite draconian restrictions on their off-peak travel for a higher fare.
The other issue is that standard class travel does not entitle anybody to a seat unless available for reservation, irrespective how much their multi journey ticket costs.
 

kieron

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I don't think we can work out which season ticket the customer buys from the information we have. A Colchester-London Zones 3-6 ticket only costs £5292 a year, so the price in the article doesn't help with working it out.

Even if someone were to work out a way to significantly reduce the price this customer pays for rail travel, advertising it widely enough for her to hear about it is probably a good way to ensure that it isn't available for long.
 

MP33

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If this was not an Norwich service, the issue of one foot or not in 1st class will disappear in a few weeks time when there is no longer any 1st class. I have noticed that Greater Anglia appear to be going after the people who are starting the declassification early.

I notice the Daily Mail have not mentioned that, or the new rolling stock.
 

AM9

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I don't think we can work out which season ticket the customer buys from the information we have. A Colchester-London Zones 3-6 ticket only costs £5292 a year, so the price in the article doesn't help with working it out. ...
The article said:
"... she pays £6,000 per year to get between Stratford and Colchester ..."
That seems pretty clear to me. My comment was more about the (typical) hyperbole of the article. Feature articles in newspapers are so often cooked-up to grab attention like this so really there's nothing to see in reality. Add to that as others have said, it is only one side of the story. The headline could have been 'Chancer passenger travelling on standard class ticket is 'fined'* for standing in first class', which is really non-news.
* yes I know that it would have been a penalty, but it seems that the lay public like to see the word fined used. Maybe it should have been 'charged'.
 

Wallsendmag

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The article said:
"... she pays £6,000 per year to get between Stratford and Colchester ..."
That seems pretty clear to me. My comment was more about the (typical) hyperbole of the article. Feature articles in newspapers are so often cooked-up to grab attention like this so really there's nothing to see in reality. Add to that as others have said, it is only one side of the story. The headline could have been 'Chancer passenger travelling on standard class ticket is 'fined'* for standing in first class', which is really non-news.
* yes I know that it would have been a penalty, but it seems that the lay public like to see the word fined used. Maybe it should have been 'charged'.
If we can use "Train Station" I'm sure TOCs can issue fines
 

kieron

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The article said:
"... she pays £6,000 per year to get between Stratford and Colchester ..."
That seems pretty clear to me.
The thing to remember is that, even if you're quite sure no-one would ever say "Stratford" when they commute to somewhere like Pudding Mill Lane, we only have a journalist's word for what someone or other told her the passenger said.

My point remains that we don't know enough to try to help the passenger reduce her outgoings, and we have no realistic way to provide such help in any case.
 

swt_passenger

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If someone buys 12 monthly seasons, that’s what they’ll say they pay per year, even if the annual is £900 cheaper?
 

AnkleBoots

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we don't know enough to try to help the passenger reduce her outgoings, and we have no realistic way to provide such help in any case.
True, not yet. But they're asking at the end of the article that people email them if they know the lady involved.
There'll no doubt be an follow-up article with her Instagram pics..
 

AnkleBoots

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The actual fare works out at less than half of the Anytime Day Return (£22.10 vs £51.50), - it's even cheaper than the £25.50 Super Off-Peak Day Return which has a Monday to Friday restriction limiting the window between the peaks to just 4hrs 13mins. Hardly playing hardball with the poor commuter who gets a far better deal than anybody accepting quite draconian restrictions on their off-peak travel for a higher fare.
Point taken although the hardball thing was about the alleged penalty for having one foot in First Class rather than the cost of her ticket.
 

bhb

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I was surprised that the 18.35 from Liverpool St would be so packed.
but, then I remembered that, due to the Norwich in 90 vanity project, trains to places such as Clacton have been cut.
There used to be an 18.48 from Liverpool St to Clacton, but, now, after the 18.35, there is a large gap until 19.18 (that’s always got plenty of seats, in my experience).
 

BigCj34

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I think there used to be a BOJ opportunity from Colchester to London by purchasing a season ticket to Leigh-on-sea, which some itineraries route via London. However if it existed then this loophole appears to have been firmly closed!
 

yorkie

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I think there used to be a BOJ opportunity from Colchester to London by purchasing a season ticket to Leigh-on-sea, which some itineraries route via London. However if it existed then this loophole appears to have been firmly closed!
They are now routed "Not via London" and if it was posted here then absolutely it would be closed; pricing managers keep a close eye on this forum!
 

BigCj34

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They are now routed "Not via London" and if it was posted here then absolutely it would be closed; pricing managers keep a close eye on this forum!

Wasn't me :D I note that GA have bumped up the Super Off Peak Return price into London (definitely from Colchester and presumably other places too) but they have introduced a cheaper evening return which can be discounted with a railcard.
 

RJ

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It looks like Greater Anglia are playing hardball with the poor commuter below, so any tips on saving a bit of money on her commute between Stratford and Colchester so she can pay her fine?

(I don't know the person but if there are big savings to be made it would worth letting her know on twitter)

There may well be options. But posting them on here or Twitter is a sure fire way to get them removed so it's not in anybody's interests to post them in the public domain or even PM to people unless there is trust with discretion.

For anyone who isn't convinced, refer to the St Albans season ticket drama and how rapidly that was shut down when word got out!

My advice would be to use the tools made available to the public to identify cheaper fares - and quietly get on with it.
 
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