Bustitution when a train is running

[a_c_skinner]

Last time this happened I swore I'd not fall for it again, but I did.

Tomorrow I'm off Arnside (Lancaster) to Shoreham by Sea. National Rail site shows busses from Three Bridges. Booked this at Oxenholme some time ago, no advance tickets in their system despite showing on the www site. Booking clerk very helpful and after a bit of work booked me to Three Bridges at my suggestion as trying anything else wouldn't offer advanced prices. Planned to get picked up there to avoid the bus.

Now looking at RTT the train I am on is going to Brighton via Littlehampton stopping at Shoreham (there is one every half hour), so I'm happy, I'll buy a ticket for the rest (TBD to SSE) in Lancaster but honestly can't the system cope with this? As I alluded it happened before, I guess it is routine but as the bus is quicker the systems don't show it. Why it stops you buying advanced but only from ticket offices not the www site I've no idea.

I know this hasn't helped, won't produce any solution but I feel better.

 

[AnkleBoots]

Am a bit confused but are you unhappy that you weren't able to buy an advance ticket for a journey using a diverted route?

It would seem to make sense to discourage travel during engineering work by not selling advance tickets, if that is what they are doing.

 

[a_c_skinner]

Sorry I've put two irritations in one post!

make sense to discourage travel during engineering work by not selling advance tickets, if that is what they are doing.

To be fair I'd not thought of that, though I doubt not selling advanced from Lancaster will reduce the numbers getting busses at Three Bridges. I'd like to think this is deliberate but advanced appeared on the www site but not on the Oxenholme ticket clerk's system, so I doubt it is more than cock up.

I'm also mildly cross that National Rail advised me to get off a through train to my destination to get on a bus at TBD without the option to sit on the train and take a little longer, though it is offered if you put in Victoria to Brighton instead of Lancaster.

But I'm really cross to have fallen for this one again, they got me on a bus a few years ago and collected by family too on a previous occasion.

 

[AnkleBoots]

As you plan your trips in advance, it's probably worth asking every time about them on here.

There's always something that you won't have thought of that someone will come up with to help improve your journey / price!

 

[fowler9]

When I hear the word Bustitution I always think of something like a Wonderbra. Apologies for wandering off topic.

 

[a_c_skinner]

No further off topic than some of mine.

AnkleBoots offer is kind, but I just feel the information systems should have given me the, well, information. I'll get an extra ticket at VIC and all is well, assuming I remember to move from first to standard at TBD.