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ALR & PlusBus?

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transportphoto

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Hi,

Not that I'm planning on doing a ALR anytime soon - out of curiosity, can you get PlusBus tickets with an ALR?

Would having a valid ALR entitle you to buy any PlusBus ticket you want to?

Or, do you have to pay full bus fare?

TIA
 
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bnm

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From the PLUSBUS website's Q&A.

2. I have already bought my train ticket online/by 'phone/at a station, can I still buy PLUSBUS for my journey?
Yes, if you take your valid train ticket to any staffed train station, ask for PLUSBUS for either your origin or destination town. You will be asked to pay the appropriate PLUSBUS add-on ticket price.
 

jon0844

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That's one advantage of having split PlusBus into a second ticket I suppose, as against having had it before with <Station> +BUS.
 

Bill Badger

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I had a ticket from Winchester to Farnborough and was told that I wasn't able to buy a Plusbus ticket for Basingstoke, as it wasn't the origin or destination shown on the ticket, despite the fact that I was perfectly entitled to break my journey there.

Clearly with an ALR there is no origin and destination as such, so not sure how it works.
 

barrykas

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I had a ticket from Winchester to Farnborough and was told that I wasn't able to buy a Plusbus ticket for Basingstoke, as it wasn't the origin or destination shown on the ticket, despite the fact that I was perfectly entitled to break my journey there.

Perfectly correct, and it says as such on the Plusbus website.

PLUSBUS is a cheap bus pass (like a travelcard) that you buy with your train ticket. It gives you unlimited bus travel around the origin and/or destination town's(sic) of your rail journey...
(Bolding is my emphasis).

Having said that, a bus driver won't ask to check your train ticket...

Cheers,

Barry
 
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In Avantix, for example to sell a Leeds + Bus add on you would put origin Leeds destination Leeds + Bus and it brings up the £3 fare.
 

sonic2009

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I thought if you had an alr. You would be sold. For example.. Cheltenham spa to cheltenham plus bus or leeds to leeds plus bus
 

bnm

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here's an email reply from PLUSBUS I recieved when enquiring into this:

Dear ******,

Thanks for your email and your interest in buying PLUSBUS tickets.

Normally PLUSBUS can only be bought in conjunction with rail tickets types that have an origin and destination station named on the ticket(s). However, you might find that some Train Operating Company retail policies might permit you to buy PLUSBUS tickets with a rail Rover or Ranger ticket.

There is no national policy on this matter, so you'll just have to try and see what happens.

******** ******, PLUSBUS

I'll add that I've never had any problem adding Plusbus to a Rover. Recently did it with a FOSS Rover in both Exeter and Portsmouth and I did it several times last year with an ALR.
 

142094

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Seems a bit stupid that when whoever came up with the idea of Plusbus they did not think of people having rover tickets. Perhaps they should have a "national policy" for this? Would save the confusion, especially if one person says they will sell it then another person at the ticket office says the won't.
 

yorkie

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Pathetic. PlusBus is a joke! No policy? Hardly integrating transport, is it?

It's too expensive, too complicated, too many 'ifs' and 'buts', and too many places where it can't be used. Car travel is not like that. Imagine the thought that you may not be able to drive your car into a certain city because the local council wants to be isolated from the rest of the country! Wouldn't happen. So why should it happen to public transport users?
 

OwlMan

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Having worked in Belgium for 4 years, We are light years behind in using rail for travelling to & from work. All employers must pay 80% of your rail season ticket (and if they are registered with the Government the Government pays the other 20%, If they are not you have to pay the 20%.
If you prefer (as I did) you can have an all line rover for €272 per month less the employers contribution (for example if you travel 20km each way to work your employer pays €53 per month (and if applicable the Government €13.25).
When I was there I worked for anlarge Eropean plc and as I was required to travel between sites at Ostende & Liege most days I got a free all-line railpass. (Any journey over 146 km is a network card rather than a point - point season).
Bus add ons are available (which you have to pay for)are available for between €20 & €30 depending on which area (Flanders, Walloon or Brussels).

Also they do a rail pass which entitles to any 10 single journeys within Belgium cost €74 2nd class, or €113 1st class.

If this country was serious about cutting CO2 and reducing congestion on the roads it can be done

Peter
 

paul1609

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What do people reckon is the best value plus bus in the country?
i'd nominate my own local scheme Rye (sussex) plus bus
Okay so we've only got 2 buses so you have to do a bit of planning but a plus bus ticket will take you from rye Station as far as tenterden (10 miles) or new romney (12 miles) for £2.90. The New Romney service is run by Stagecoach Romney Marsh this is Stagecoach but not as you know it. The buses have specially adopted steering wheels for drivers with 5 fingers and a thumb (or 2) on each hand.
The worst value plus bus is in my opinion is Rye (Sussex) on a Sunday thats is because we dont have any buses on a sunday.
Quite right too because you should be in church on sunday and then in your village pub afterwards. Anybody not complying will be subject to a stoning outside the village pub. (An exemption is possible to holders of a valid tractor tacho card showing a minimum of 15 hours hard labour in the fields during harvest time.)
Just in case you dont believe me:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/promotions/fcd64f0e0a0a00240030c22102b3fecf/details.html
 

bnm

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Brighton's PLUSBUS is very good value. £2.00 (£1.35 with Railcard or £1.30 on WebTIS - go figure!!).

Covers Shoreham-by-Sea to Newhaven, about 20 miles.
 

142094

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I would agree that PlusBus is good value, especially with a railcard. Normally takes me two trips on a bus to get the worth out of it. The offer they had one recently with it being £1, if that was made permanent through some sort of subsidy/levy would take a good few more cars off the road. Also if it was publicised better as well, not sure how many people actually know about the ticket (although I will be finding out later in the year when I do some surveys).
 

reb0118

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Linlithgow + Bus is only £1:50. Ideal for popping down to the "Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway". Also valid for Blackness (has a castle where they filmed Hamlet with Mel Gibson) and Torphichen (has a historic Preceptory for anyone interested in Templarb*ll*cks)
 
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