Carnet tickets for the Nation ?

[yorksrob]

I was thinking that a lot of people will do a regular journey throughout the year, but that's not regular enough to be commuting.

I could imagine that these must be difficult to incentivise people out of their cars, particularly if they're not eligible for discounts.

How about offering a carnet ticket between any two stations which would amount to a third off for those fares ? This would have a long validity - maybe a year, or maybe indefinite.

It would help to market the railway to someone who visits Aunty Flo in Bognor throughout the year, or attends regimental dinners in Durham etc.

 

[30907]

I was thinking that a lot of people will do a regular journey throughout the year, but that's not regular enough to be commuting.

I could imagine that these must be difficult to incentivise people out of their cars, particularly if they're not eligible for discounts.

How about offering a carnet ticket between any two stations which would amount to a third off for those fares ? This would have a long validity - maybe a year, or maybe indefinite.

It would help to market the railway to someone who visits Aunty Flo in Bognor throughout the year, or attends regimental dinners in Durham etc.

So railcard discount without a railcard?

 

[yorksrob]

So railcard discount without a railcard?

In a way, yes. But rather than a blanket discount, it would be a discount for paying for a number of the same journey up front.

Like a season ticket.

 

[ainsworth74]

You've basically described the flexi-season product! I agree it's rubbish but that's what we've been given to fulfil that role instead of carnets, indeed carnets I think have been withdrawn from routes where they used to exist. You can thank HM Treasury for them being so rubbish. I seem to recall they insisted that the discount be capped at 10%.

 

[greatkingrat]

Why does making the same journey 10 times a year deserve a discount, but making 10 different journeys in a year not deserve a discount?

 

[swt_passenger]

I was going to say carnets were an obsolete thing. Where they were still in use, weren't there always problems with people ‘forgetting‘ to touch in or otherwise validate their journeys?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Isn't that in effect the flexi-season?

Most of them are very poor value, though, particularly in the South East where almost all of the mid to long-distance ones (i.e. where it wouldn't fall foul of the minimum fare) are significantly undercut by the purchase of an Anytime Day Single for the morning peak outward journey and a Network Railcard discounted one for the way back.

Personally I'd improve the flexi-season discount - a third off the Anytime Day Return per day does seem a good level for it. It'd also be useful for them to last much longer, say a year. I might even buy one then!

I was going to say carnets were an obsolete thing. Where they were still in use, weren't there always problems with people ‘forgetting‘ to touch in or otherwise validate their journeys?

The main issue was of the pen rubbing off when dating them and then people being accused of changing the dates on them.

For all I hate the S-ticket type format it does avoid this issue - go in the app and download a ticket for the day you want to use it.

 

[yorksrob]

You've basically described the flexi-season product! I agree it's rubbish but that's what we've been given to fulfil that role instead of carnets, indeed carnets I think have been withdrawn from routes where they used to exist. You can thank HM Treasury for them being so rubbish. I seem to recall they insisted that the discount be capped at 10%.

Well indeed, although its 8 days in 28, so more suited to commuting than the types of journey I'm looking at. I'm looking at travel several times a year, but not necessarily several times a month.

Why does making the same journey 10 times a year deserve a discount, but making 10 different journeys in a year not deserve a discount?

Same reason making the same journey several times a week does but different journeys don't.

If the whole discount added up to a third off, I guess you could say that it would be like your own personalised local railcard.

 

[Bantamzen]

Well indeed, although its 8 days in 28, so more suited to commuting than the types of journey I'm looking at. I'm looking at travel several times a year, but not necessarily several times a month.

Its not without merit, I'd certainly have a use for carnet for the same journey over longer periods as I do with the current 8 in 28 flexis, and I'm sure plenty of other people would too. And really all it would involve (save working out any discounted price) would be to extend the number of days and where required number of total journeys on the ticket bundles. It might help keep semi-regular users to keep on using trains instead of looking different options prior to each trip.

 

[mangyiscute]

I guess my question would be would the carnet be targeted at peak time users or off peak users, since season tickets are clearly targeted at peak time users and that means its of no use to anyone who does even a fraction of their journeys off peak.
I'd like to see a carnet ticket for off peak journeys, I can think of a couple journeys I certainly do say over 10 times per year, but i don't see it happening. Furthermore, would these tickets be offered as a single or return? Where I am, most off peak day returns are 10p more than a single, so they will either be below the price of half a return offering a massive saving over a single, or they will be a little below the price of a single, meaning for return journeys buying a return is still cheaper.

 

[yorksrob]

In truth, you'd probably need both peak and off-peak versions.

The journey I'd use it for would be pointless as an off-peak as there aren't any suitable off-peak trains when I travel. For others an off-peak version might suit.