Dumfries and Galloway Discovery Ticket

[ChrisC]

Does anyone know anything about this ticket or has any experience of actually purchasing one and using it?

I’m staying for a week in Dumfries this summer and was thinking of spending some days discovering the area by bus. Looking at daily and weekly tickets available on the Stagecoach West Scotland website I saw the Dumfries and Galloway Discovery Day Ticket advertised at £8. At only 20p more than a Stagecoach Day Rider this also allows travel to Carlisle and according to the Stagecoach website is valid on most bus services throughout Dumfries and Galloway. I can’t find any other reference to this ticket anywhere except on the Stagecoach website. No mention anywhere on Houston’s Coaches website who run a large number of bus services in the area.

I was originally thinking of getting a Stagecoach Dumfries and Galloway 7 Day Megarider which is very reasonably priced at £23 but if the Discovery Ticket is valid on all operators it is worth thinking about instead. Many of the more remote locations, especially along the Solway Coast are only accessible on routes operated by other various smaller companies.

 

[Flying Snail]

Have you looked up the local authority website?

 

[ChrisC]

Have you looked up the local authority website?

No mention of it anywhere on the local authority website.
The only place I can find it is on the Stagecoach West Scotland website where it is listed amongst their day tickets as a paper ticket available to buy on the bus.
As it is not listed on any other website I am beginning to think that it is just a Stagecoach ticket that in addition to the Dumfries and Galloway Dayrider area it also allows travel to and from Carlisle.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

No mention of it anywhere on the local authority website.
The only place I can find it is on the Stagecoach West Scotland website where it is listed amongst their day tickets as a paper ticket available to buy on the bus.
As it is not listed on any other website I am beginning to think that it is just a Stagecoach ticket that in addition to the Dumfries and Galloway Dayrider area it also allows travel to and from Carlisle.

It is on the Cumbria CC website as a Stagecoach ticket so think you’re probably correct in your presumption https://www.cumbria.gov.uk/elibrary...931/6907/42977135143.pdf?timestamp=4352816301

 

[Samuel88]

No mention of it anywhere on the local authority website.
The only place I can find it is on the Stagecoach West Scotland website where it is listed amongst their day tickets as a paper ticket available to buy on the bus.
As it is not listed on any other website I am beginning to think that it is just a Stagecoach ticket that in addition to the Dumfries and Galloway Dayrider area it also allows travel to and from Carlisle.

It is on the Cumbria CC website as a Stagecoach ticket so think you’re probably correct in your presumption https://www.cumbria.gov.uk/elibrary...931/6907/42977135143.pdf?timestamp=4352816301

I used to attend boarding school in a small village near Dumfries and having used this ticket a number of times to travel from there to Carlisle I can categorically state that the Discovery ticket is multi operator!

 

[ChrisC]

I used to attend boarding school in a small village near Dumfries and having used this ticket a number of times to travel from there to Carlisle I can categorically state that the Discovery ticket is multi operator!

Thanks. Yes you are correct. I emailed Stagecoach West Scotland and I have received a reply. It is a multi operator ticket and is valid on all operators in the area. It is priced £8, only available from the driver in paper form on the day of travel. I was assured that all other operators will accept it including Houston Coaches which is the main one I will be wanting to use in addition to Stagecoach.

I’m not going up there until June but it will be interesting to see how easy it is to purchase and whether drivers on some buses will have actually seen one before. Apart from being hidden away on the Stagecoach website I have not seen any reference to it anywhere else.

 

[Samuel88]

Thanks. Yes you are correct. I emailed Stagecoach West Scotland and I have received a reply. It is a multi operator ticket and is valid on all operators in the area. It is priced £8, only available from the driver in paper form on the day of travel. I was assured that all other operators will accept it including Houston Coaches which is the main one I will be wanting to use in addition to Stagecoach.

I’m not going up there until June but it will be interesting to see how easy it is to purchase and whether drivers on some buses will have actually seen one before. Apart from being hidden away on the Stagecoach website I have not seen any reference to it anywhere else.

They've been around a long time, I left school in 2006 and the tickets were well known then. In fact, back then Stagecoach in and around Dumfries didn't even sell their own day ticket, only singles, returns and the Discovery ticket.

 

[randyrippley]

You'd best contact Houston and see if they actually sell it.............big difference between accepting it and actually offering it

 

[ChrisC]

You'd best contact Houston and see if they actually sell it.............big difference between accepting it and actually offering it

I have done that and received a very prompt positive reply from Houston. They say that The Dumfries and Galloway Discovery Ticket is a local council ticket and is available to buy on all buses from all operators in the county. Very strange that it is not advertised anywhere apart from amongst Stagecoach list of day tickets. Houston hope I enjoy using it and bring them some good weather. I will see how it goes in June!