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Contactless fares to Heathrow

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miami

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I recently used crossrail with contactless from Reading, which was remarkably cost effective compared to when I used to commute from Twyford to West London.

When trying to work out how much it was going to cost though I used the TFL Single Fare Finder, which worked fine. But then I tried to see how much it would cost to Heathrow Underground (not the ex-heathrow connect service from Hayes+Harlington), so Reading -> Ealing Broadway -> Acton Town -> Heathrow Airport

The fare finder claims "no fares available" for stations from Reading to Iver to Hounslow West, Hatton Cross, or Heathrow underground. To Hounslow Central it's £18.10 / £9.20, which suggests an expected route via Earling Broadway/Acton Town as above.

If you were to do the journey, entering the system at Reading and exiting at one of those stations, what happens?
 
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JonathanH

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If you were to do the journey, entering the system at Reading and exiting at one of those stations, what happens?
Almost certainly charged the same amount as going from Reading to an alternative Zone 6 station passing through the same zones.

Reading to Epping avoiding Zone 1 is £24.90 peak / £10.80 off-peak. Reading to Moor Park is £18.10 peak / £9.20 off-peak via Rayners Lane. Suggests to me the fare from Reading to Heathrow is the same fare as going to Hounslow Central but unpublished.
 
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Watershed

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I recently used crossrail with contactless from Reading, which was remarkably cost effective compared to when I used to commute from Twyford to West London.

When trying to work out how much it was going to cost though I used the TFL Single Fare Finder, which worked fine. But then I tried to see how much it would cost to Heathrow Underground (not the ex-heathrow connect service from Hayes+Harlington), so Reading -> Ealing Broadway -> Acton Town -> Heathrow Airport

The fare finder claims "no fares available" for stations from Reading to Iver to Hounslow West, Hatton Cross, or Heathrow underground. To Hounslow Central it's £18.10 / £9.20, which suggests an expected route via Earling Broadway/Acton Town as above.

If you were to do the journey, entering the system at Reading and exiting at one of those stations, what happens?
There is a set of unpublished fares for "illogical" journeys such as these. TfL refuses to release them under FoI (it's highly questionable whether they are lawful in attempting to apply an exemption, but someone probably needs to make a new request and then raise an appeal to the ICO).

As TfL don't give you any way of ascertaining what the fare is before travel, it can only be a "reasonable" amount, under section 51 of the Consumer Rights Act.

In most cases I think it's unlikely that the price would be seen to be unreasonable but there are some edge cases where it might, and thus would be open to legal challenge.
 

Paul Kelly

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There is a set of unpublished fares for "illogical" journeys such as these.
I always assumed they were calculated by the system "on the fly" rather than being specifically listed as, for example, a Reading to Hatton Cross fare. Do you know if any of the FOI responses have given some clearer info on this?
 

JonathanH

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According to tfl.gov.uk, you pay £7.60 off peak, £13 peak.

I don't know why their single fare finder doesn't list these prices.
That is the Twyford fare. The OP was asking about Reading to Heathrow (Underground) via Ealing Broadway / Acton Town.

Presumably they don't give the fare as an attempt to put people off making the journey and using the bus or Elizabeth Line via Hayes & Harlington instead.
 

MikeWh

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That is the Twyford fare. The OP was asking about Reading to Heathrow (Underground) via Ealing Broadway / Acton Town.
But the principle remains the same. The fare finder doesn't show fares for that journey but the planner does.
Presumably they don't give the fare as an attempt to put people off making the journey and using the bus or Elizabeth Line via Hayes & Harlington instead.
I have to say that if you're going to change at Ealing Broadway then you will have stopped at Hayes and Harlington already and you'd be a fool not to change there and get either the Liz line or the bus. Both will be quicker than the considerable detour via the District line.
 

kieron

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That is the Twyford fare. The OP was asking about Reading to Heathrow (Underground) via Ealing Broadway / Acton Town.

Presumably they don't give the fare as an attempt to put people off making the journey and using the bus or Elizabeth Line via Hayes & Harlington instead.
Sorry, I misread. It's £9.20 off peak and £14 peak in that case.
 

Starmill

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I guess it's not impossible that people might go that way, it's just very unlikely. For example, there were non-stop fast services from Reading to Ealing Broadway a couple of years ago during engineering work. Although this would have to then coincide with there being no train from Ealing Broadway to Heathrow Central!
 

hkstudent

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£18.10 peak surely? Doesn't matter whether via Paddington (first option) or Ealing Common (third option)
https://tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey/r...Station&Via=Ealing+Common+Underground+Station
Fares on TfL journey planner are not fully accurate if on a bit of complex cases like this.

But the principle remains the same. The fare finder doesn't show fares for that journey but the planner does.

I have to say that if you're going to change at Ealing Broadway then you will have stopped at Hayes and Harlington already and you'd be a fool not to change there and get either the Liz line or the bus. Both will be quicker than the considerable detour via the District line.
Seconded.
Though taking a bus from West Drayton to Heathrow would even be much cheaper and not much of time loss compare to change to Elizabeth Line Heathrow branch.
 
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