Oyster Season Ticket vs National Rail Season Ticket

[simon1984]

I commute from Swanley to London, and need the travelcard component to travel on the underground.

Looking at the national rail website, I can see a season ticket + London Travel card costs £3,332. However, a Zone 1-8 Oyster Travel card costs £3,200. As far as I can see the Oyster travel card gives me the same options for travel, but is £132 cheaper.

Is there any reason why I shouldn't go for the Oyster Travel card? Why is the national rail season ticket more expensive?

 

[kieron]

You can buy it for the same price as a paper ticket. If you ask for a travelcard with an origin of Cheshunt or somewhere, it costs £3200 as the Oyster version does. I don't know what advantages a paper ticket may have, though.

 

[Starmill]

Why is the national rail season ticket more expensive?

Because Southeastern are overcharging for it.

 

[MikeWh]

Is there any reason why I shouldn't go for the Oyster Travel card?

Absolutely none.

Why is the national rail season ticket more expensive?

Because Southeastern are overcharging for it.

It's a little more complicated. It's the negative impact of fares regulation. Originally it was a Sawnley to zones 1-6 ticket and as that fare is regulated it can't actually be removed from the system. Since the zone 8 boundary was stretched to include Dartford and Swanley they are both now eligible for the zone 1-8 inboundary version. Dartford was ok as that was slightly more expensive, Swanley was the other way round.

I can't find the email from industry sources that I received a year or so ago explaining this, but I was assured that staff at Swanley are well aware of the issue and won't allow the more expensive ticket to be sold. If it is possible to buy then perhaps that needs to be taken further.

 

[higthomas]

Absolutely none.


It's a little more complicated. It's the negative impact of fares regulation. Originally it was a Sawnley to zones 1-6 ticket and as that fare is regulated it can't actually be removed from the system. Since the zone 8 boundary was stretched to include Dartford and Swanley they are both now eligible for the zone 1-8 inboundary version. Dartford was ok as that was slightly more expensive, Swanley was the other way round.

I can't find the email from industry sources that I received a year or so ago explaining this, but I was assured that staff at Swanley are well aware of the issue and won't allow the more expensive ticket to be sold. If it is possible to buy then perhaps that needs to be taken further.

Can't they just change the price so that it matches?