Excessing Bradford - Manchester ticket to a Bradford - Gatley ticket

[phil35]

I have purchased and collected a Bradford Yorks Stations - Manchester Stations Anytime Return (route: via Hebden Bridge) for travel this coming Tuesday, returning Wednesday. This cost me £11.35 with YP railcard discount.

I now know that I need to go as far as Gatley on Tuesday, returning to Manchester the same day, and then going back to Bradford from Manchester as originally planned on Wednesday.

I'm wanting to excess my ticket. I've just had a quick look, and a Bradford Yorks Stations - Gatley Anytime Return (route: via Hedben Bridge) is also £11.35. How should I go about this? Upon arrival at Bradford, should I asked for a £0 excess, changing the destination station from Manchester to Gatley?

 

[Max]

Some clerks may try to avoid performing the transaction as I believe there is additional paperwork involved in a 'zero' transaction, but yes, you should in theory be able to do this at the booking office before travel. You would just ask for an over-distance excess and you will be charged nothing.

 

[phil35]

Thanks for confirming. I will try at the booking office in Bradford, and if I have problems I'll have a word with the conductor on the train instead.

 

[Max]

I managed to get one without question at (the notorious) Sheffield station last week, so hopefully you'll be okay! If convenient you could always try the day before in case you get a no first time.

 

[calc7]

For reasons like this I often buy tickets to the next small station past the major city (e.g. Levenshulme/Trafford Park) as this would permit the excess to also be obtained at Manchester Piccadilly (where the staff are usually knowledgeable). A ticket just to Manchester Stns should not be excessed once the OUT portion has been used to get to a member of Manchester Stns.

In your specific example, phil35, you may come across staff who claim that your ticket is only valid to Manchester Victoria, and that you can't get from Manchester Victoria to Gatley so they "can't do the excess". This is of course wrong but some staff seem to find any excuse they can think of to avoid doing the "holy grail" zero-fare excess.

(To be fair, my success rate is probably around 90% on such excesses)

 

[phil35]

I had no idea there was such a problem with the zero excess thing! I shall just see what happens. The worst case scenario is that I have to pay an extra £2 or so for an off peak day return from Manchester to Gatley. But I'll try my best to avoid that happening!

 

[yorkie]

How should I go about this? Upon arrival at Bradford, should I asked for a £0 excess, changing the destination station from Manchester to Gatley?

Yes, before departure at Bradford. However if you are at a ticket office before the travel date, try to get it done before. If the booking office won't do it, try asking the guard.

You may have to "shop around" to obtain an excess, especially a zero fare excess, as a significant number of staff won't do them due to either lack of knowledge or lack of willingness. Some TOCs insist that staff fill in a form for a zero excess, and this can result in staff not wanting to issue it in order to avoid filling in the form. I think an SWT RPI told me that SWT are particularly keen for zero fare excesses not to be issued. EC are generally good with excesses. Bradford is operated by Northern and their staff are quite variable. ATOC want to abolish these excess fares and make passengers buy new tickets instead. So far the DfT has not been willing to approve these plans.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

For reasons like this I often buy tickets to the next small station past the major city (e.g. Levenshulme/Trafford Park) as this would permit the excess to also be obtained at Manchester Piccadilly (where the staff are usually knowledgeable). A ticket just to Manchester Stns should not be excessed once the OUT portion has been used to get to a member of Manchester Stns....

Unless the rules have been changed recently and no-one has told me, the over distance excess fares are only to be done before travel, unless there was no facility to do so before travel. This is not to say it won't ever get done after travel has commenced, as staff knowledge can vary, but just that, afaiaa, it's not the current rules.

 

[calc7]

Unless the rules have been changed recently and no-one has told me, the over distance excess fares are only to be done before travel, unless there was no facility to do so before travel. This is not to say it won't ever get done after travel has commenced, as staff knowledge can vary, but just that, afaiaa, it's not the current rules.

Indeed - this is my understanding of the rules - I should have made it clearer in my post. What I was on about is that a ticket just beyond Manchester gives you another opportunity (albeit not strictly permitted as you mention) to excess the ticket, if the staff at the station where you commence the OUT journey are resisting the legitimate request.

95% of Virgin Trains staff at both Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston I have dealt with have been very good at doing excesses, waiving £10 admin fees etc. so just something for the OP to bear in mind.

 

[maniacmartin]

If the staff at the origin station refuse to do it, then there is no opportunity to do so before boarding, so the first opportunity may well be on-board or at Manchester! Of course convincing staff of that may not be easy.

If a TOC decides to introduce an internal policy whereby a zero fare excess requires lots of paperwork to be completed by the clerk, then that is of no interest of the passenger, given that the NRCoC gives them the right to buy the excess.

 

[phil35]

On a side note, assuming I excess this ticket to a Bradford - Gatley Anytime Return, is it valid on the Metrolink to get me from Victoria to Picadilly? I don't mind if not, I'll just walk it. But if it is valid I may as well take the tram!

 

[hairyhandedfool]

The short answer is no.

 

[phil35]

And the long answer is...

 

[johnnychips]

And the long answer is...

There is a free bus between the stations I think?

 

[hairyhandedfool]

The long answer is nooooooooooooooo.

Single and return tickets are only valid on Metrolink in the city centre if they are routed 'Metrolink (GM)', or are to a destination of Manchester CTLZ, or are to a Metrolink destination. Tickets routed 'Metrolink (GM)' will only be found on tickets for journeys wholly within the TfGM area for which a trip on the Metrolink is required (well actually this isn't entirely true, but it is what the rules say). Some Rovers and Rangers allow travel on the Metrolink, but not all, and there are season tickets wholly within the TfGM area that allow it by similar rules.

 

[phil35]

Well, eventually I managed to get my zero fare excess. I went to Bradford Interchange the day before travel, and the woman there was pretty helpful. She kept saying things like "I'm not sure if the system will let me do it. I don't think I can do it." Then she went round the back and made a phone call, came back and said it was fine, pressed a button and out came the tickets. She had to fill in a zero fare form, as some people suggested she would have to.

But yes I got my ticket!