hairyhandedfool
Established Member
- Joined
- 14 Apr 2008
- Messages
- 8,837
I don't disagree - a ticket is a ticket. However, if one purchases a "Southern Only" ticket from Southern's website which proudly displays Gatwick Express on the Southern Route Map - it is reasonable to expect this ticket to be valid on the Gatwick Express service "operated by Southern"....
'Reasonable' is open to interpretation. Is it not reasonable to read a contract before agreeing to it? I could say plenty of things about reasonableness, but whatever I say it does not change the fact that the NRCoC is part of the contract and many other things are not.
....As others have said you're taking a trading name listing as a "company name". I'd really love to see Southern try and make that hold up in court:
Your honour - we are asking for the prosecution of x for fare dodging. An agent of the plaintiff, Southern Railway Ltd., found the defendant on board one of their services running under the Gatwick Express brand in possession of a ticket marked as valid on "Southern Only". Clearly they are in breach of the Railway Act, as they were not travelling on Southern operated service but a Gatwick Express service (which is operated by Southern).
I'm not taking a trading name listing as a "company name". The NRCoC says that if there is a restriction to or prohibition from the services of a particular train company it needs to be shown on the ticket. The NRCoC defines a train company with that list in Appendix C, I haven't changed anything to suit what I am saying. I haven't resorted to letters or email correspondence from the DfT (who are regularly criticised by certain forum members, on this very forum, on a regular basis, when it suits them) which form no part of the contract that the passenger agrees to when they buy a ticket.