Penzance to Totnes / Torquay Fare Anomaly?

[Essexman]

I’m travelling from Penzance to Torquay on Wednesday next week, leaving on the 9.10 GWR London train and breaking my journey at Totnes (hence can’t buy an Advance).

Penzance to Totnes First Class Anytime Single is £28.50 (about 80 miles I think) but it is £47.15 Penzance to Torquay (about 95 miles I think). (Fares from GWR website).

I’ll obviously use split tickets but why the large (69%) difference in fare for only about another 20% extra mileage.

 

[JonathanH]

I’ll obviously use split tickets but why the large (69%) difference in fare for only about another 20% extra mileage.

£28.50 is First Class Anytime Single fare from Penzance to Totnes with a railcard. The undiscounted fare is £43.20.

It rises quite steeply to Newton Abbot - £39.45 / £59.80.

It would appear that they feel there is less capacity to offer lower first class fares beyond Totnes.

There is also a considerable jump between Plymouth and Totnes for fares from Penzance.

 

[Watershed]

I’m travelling from Penzance to Torquay on Wednesday next week, leaving on the 9.10 GWR London train and breaking my journey at Totnes (hence can’t buy an Advance).

Penzance to Totnes First Class Anytime Single is £28.50 (about 80 miles I think) but it is £47.15 Penzance to Torquay (about 95 miles I think). (Fares from GWR website).

I’ll obviously use split tickets but why the large (69%) difference in fare for only about another 20% extra mileage.

Rail fares aren't priced on a rational or mileage basis. They are priced based on many years of TOCs trying to squeeze out the most revenue possible and adjusting the fares in such a way to achieve that.

 

[Essexman]

£28.50 is First Class Anytime Single fare from Penzance to Totnes with a railcard. The undiscounted fare is £43.20.

It rises quite steeply to Newton Abbot - £39.45 / £59.80.

It would appear that they feel there is less capacity to offer lower first class fares beyond Totnes.

There is also a considerable jump between Plymouth and Totnes for fares from Penzance.

That's interesting.
Maybe they want to save the first class capacity for those travelling long distance rather than within Devon.

 

[kieron]

Another issue is that you're looking at flexible single tickets. The prices for these vary a lot more than return fares do.

As an example, if you bought the cheapest first class return rather than the single, you would pay an extra 29% for Penzance-Totnes or 12% for Penzance-Newton Abbot, but you would save 5% for Penzance-Plymouth or Penance-Torquay. These are all off peak returns; the singles are all anytime ones as GWR don't price many first class off peak singles at all.

Another is that the cheapest standard class Penzance-Newton Abbot single ticket costs more than the cheapest return.

Regarding your journey, it may be worth looking if a bus would work better for Totnes-Torquay. The train to Torquay is indirect and infrequent, so buses may suit your needs better.

 

[dciuk]

That's interesting.
Maybe they want to save the first class capacity for those travelling long distance rather than within Devon.

I read on another thread recently that Totnes tends to attract a high average fare, so perhaps first class fills up north/east of Totnes with long distance first class travellers

Regarding your journey, it may be worth looking if a bus would work better for Totnes-Torquay. The train to Torquay is indirect and infrequent, so buses may suit your needs better.

I have not checked the fares, but suspect with a railcard the train would be cheaper (based on a standard class rail fare as there is first class on the GOLD bus service that runs between Totnes and Torquay rail stations). Frequency will be about the same with typically 2 to 3 trains per hour Totnes to Newton Abbot (about 10 minute journey time); 2 trains per hour Newton Abbot to Torquay (about 10 minute journey time), I thought the Gold service would take about 35 minutes, but looking at the timetable it now appears to only run as far as Paignton so would then need to change to a different local bus service (or catch the train) between Paignton and Torquay. Personally I would probably do the train from Totnes to Torquay unless the bus stopped at a more convenient location than the rail station

 

[pepperpot80]

This is a reflection of there being generally higher fares east of Totnes and cheaper fares east of Newton Abbot. This reflects a few things - the particular socioeconomics of southeast Devon, the needs of the Plymouth commuter market, and competition with the Falcon and other Stagecoach bus services. Lob in a quite substantial commuter market from Totnes / Newton Abbot toward Bristol and London, and the pricing starts to be logical. This, of course, leaves the kinds of split ticketing opportunities that will arise when there is a border between different pricing strategies.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Rail fares aren't priced on a rational or mileage basis. They are priced based on many years of TOCs trying to squeeze out the most revenue possible and adjusting the fares in such a way to achieve that.

That's a very polite way of putting it. The phrase I would have used is "pin the tail on the donkey".