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Day Passes

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starrymarkb

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Is there any reason why Day Passes in the UK are not valid for 24 hours from first issue/validation as is the case on the continent?
 
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starrymarkb

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Well most UK bus company passes are valid until midnight.

In the continental cities I've visited a day pass lasts for 24 hours, for example in Lille I bought a 5€ Metro pass at 14:40 on Saturday, it was vaild until 14:40 the following day! In Amsterdam a 7.50€ GVB pass was also valid for 24 hours from first use.

Buying a Stagecoach Dayrider/FirstDay/LocalEquivalent in the evening isn't really good value when it expires at midnight
 

Polarbear

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I suspect it may just be tradition that in the UK, bus operators' day passes are only valid to midnight on the day of issue. It's prevelant in the rail industry as well with only a few notable exceptions (such as TFL).

The other issue may be that unlike on the continent, there doesn't tend to be the same level of policing (ticket checks) that exists on the continent. To move day passes onto a 24 hour availability in the UK, the operators would also have to adopt the continental practice of spot checks & heavy fines for non-compliance - which I doubt any of the bus comapnies in the UK would be willing to fund.:roll:
 

WatcherZero

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Some are valid to end of service rather than midnight so upto around 2am.
 

SS4

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NXWM (Daysaver) tickets are valid up until the end of service although that's usually only about 0010. I suspect nbus tickets are the same
 

MCR247

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Nottingham City Transports are valid to 4.30 the following morning or something like that
 

Greenback

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I suspect that the answer is down to both tradition and the 'validation factor', where such tickets abroad are often bought in advance and unmarked, then validated on first use with the time and date.

I doubt that UK companies would be keen to overhaul the systems in order to in all probability reduce revenue.
 

Statto

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Well most UK bus company passes are valid until midnight.

In the continental cities I've visited a day pass lasts for 24 hours, for example in Lille I bought a 5€ Metro pass at 14:40 on Saturday, it was vaild until 14:40 the following day! In Amsterdam a 7.50€ GVB pass was also valid for 24 hours from first use.

Buying a Stagecoach Dayrider/FirstDay/LocalEquivalent in the evening isn't really good value when it expires at midnight

It is good value, when it's cheaper than the single or return fare.

Some day services finish after Midnight, think there's some leeway given that day tickets are valid until the end of service, although i'm not sure vadility on services that finish well into the early hours but not classed as night services?
 

WestCoast

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Personally, I don't think it's anything to do with validation or anything like that. It's about revenue. Transport companies don't want you using the ticket you bought the previous day to travel somewhere the next morning. It may also be incompatible with peak tariffs, which are much less prevalent in continental Europe.

The only exception to the rule in the UK is the tour bus tickets from the likes of City Sightseeing, which are generally valid for 24 hours.

I won't bother listening 24 hours validity tickets on the continent that I know of, since as far as cities/urban areas are concerned anything else is generally the exception to the rule.
 

W-on-Sea

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Day tickets in Oxford - I think those issued for exclusive use on Stagecoach, Oxford Bus Co or Thames Transit, as well as the inter-available ones in the city "smart zone" itself are all valid for 24 hours from the time of issue. But that is the only place in the UK that I am aware of that does that - a pity, as it's a good system.
 

button_boxer

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I imagine it's also partly to do with the fact that in the UK you have to show your ticket to the driver when you get on the bus, and having a ticket where the driver has to visually check the "valid until" time as well as date would slow down boarding. For tickets held on smart cards or with a magnetic strip validated by machine, or in systems where the driver doesn't check tickets at boarding time it wouldn't be such an issue.
 
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