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fair fares

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Chris.waring

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Hi
I was looking on the NXEC site for fares for various destinations for a trip from Grantham on 14 June and came across this interesting anomaly.

07:25 Grantham to Doncaster Single £19.50.

07:25 Grantham to Leeds Single (same train but change at Doncaster for Leeds) £8.45.

Both are on the same train as far as Doncaster and both are the cheapest fares possible according to NXEC.
Is this anomaly a common occurrence? If so if these anomalies were publicised perhaps on this site forum members could perhaps save a considerable amount of money.

Chris Waring
 
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yorkie

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You are comparing the walk-on Saver Single price (bear in mind that the return will be about 10p more) which is valid on any train, with an advance purchase specific-train ticket with a quota, and is not sold for short journeys such as Grantham-Doncaster.
 

Chris.waring

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I am comparing two prices given to me by the same web site, at the same time for the same day and the same train. The only difference is thst the cheeper quote is for a longer journey.

If i can get to Doncaster for less than half the price surley the web site should mention this when i click the cheepest fare radio button.
 

hairyhandedfool

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I am comparing two prices given to me by the same web site, at the same time for the same day and the same train. The only difference is thst the cheeper quote is for a longer journey.

If i can get to Doncaster for less than half the price surley the web site should mention this when i click the cheepest fare radio button.

You get what you ask for. You ask for a ticket to Doncaster thats what you get.You wanna spend hours trawling through fares? Be my guest, just don't ask me to do it.

To be fair though, I see Chris's point here, the fare to Donny should be less than the fare to Leeds, but that's not to say that the tickets are comparable as the AP fare to Leeds is very restrictive but the fare to Donny is not.

You can't just turn up and get the AP fare to travel now or indeed just turn up and use it at any time. The comparision is therefore false, or misleading.
 

yorkie

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I am comparing two prices given to me by the same web site, at the same time for the same day and the same train. The only difference is thst the cheeper quote is for a longer journey.
But one is fully flexible and available on the day, the other isn't.
If i can get to Doncaster for less than half the price surley the web site should mention this when i click the cheepest fare radio button.
No, it shouldn't, because they are only obliged to show the cheapest fare between the two points, and not combinations or travelling further and stopping short.

The problem isn't with the website, the problem is that NXEC are not offering cheap advance purchase singles on short distance journeys. You could suggest to them that they do that from now on?

Although I suspect most people making such a journey would probably want a return, and for the sake of £2.60 extra the Saver is far better value for full flexibility.
 
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