priv discount to be allowed on off peak tickets

[Haywain]

Priv will be allowed on all walk-up ticket types* from (and on) September 7th. Pity that the longest trip of the football season is this Saturday!

*I suspect that this may exclude London Travelcards in their various forms.

Travelcards are excluded.

My source is an internal advice to relevant staff within the TOC who employ me. This is not a rumour and will be happening.

 

[RJ]

Just checked. It doesn't show the future fares.

Mine didn't either last Saturday, maybe the button has appeared prematurely. I guess they will show from next week.

 

[Llanigraham]

Travelcards are excluded.

My source is an internal advice to relevant staff within the TOC who employ me. This is not a rumour and will be happening.

NR and TOC or FOC staff?

 

[Solent&Wessex]

Those who are sceptical because it's not yet at the stage where an official announcement can be made ought to take a deep breath and chill out! The provisional date given is September anyway - are people usually so anxious to get hold of walk up tickets so many weeks in advance?

It depends whether a PRIV discounted SVR will be cheaper than a Full Price Advance - which should be booked now - I suppose. If it will definitely be happening then someone may not purchase an Advance but will hang back to buy a PRIV SVR. I purchased full price Advance fares for my journeys last weekend as they were cheaper than the Priv fares - but a Priv discounted SVR would have been cheaper.

 

[bb21]

I seriously doubt there are many cheaper full-price APs than PRIV SVRs. They do exist, but I struggle to find many.

For the flexibility I would rather pay a little extra for flexibility.

 

[Llanigraham]

I wish people wouldn't use acronyms!!
AP?
SVR?

 

[RJ]

It depends whether a PRIV discounted SVR will be cheaper than a Full Price Advance - which should be booked now - I suppose. If it will definitely be happening then someone may not purchase an Advance but will hang back to buy a PRIV SVR. I purchased full price Advance fares for my journeys last weekend as they were cheaper than the Priv fares - but a Priv discounted SVR would have been cheaper.

Pence and shillings surely?

 

[Solent&Wessex]

For the flexibility I would rather pay a little extra for flexibility.

And as it stands at the minute I would rather pay a little less to get a guaranteed seat reservation with my friends who do not have priv and cannot afford walk up tickets, so we buy 3 advance fares together, benefit from the East Coast Small Group Discount and all get a seat reservation sat together.

 

[reb0118]

I wish people wouldn't use acronyms!!
AP? = Advance Purchase
SVR? = Saver Return

SVR or Saver is the old name for the Off Peak Return.

 

[bb21]

I wish people wouldn't use acronyms!!
AP?
SVR?

Yes, apologies. I thought in a dedicated discussion about staff travel, ticket types would be fairly well know. reb0118 has provided an explanation for me.

And as it stands at the minute I would rather pay a little less to get a guaranteed seat reservation with my friends who do not have priv and cannot afford walk up tickets, so we buy 3 advance fares together, benefit from the East Coast Small Group Discount and all get a seat reservation sat together.

Ah, that's slightly different than travelling alone then.

Yes, some people would probably prefer to have a reserved seat. Each to their own. If the train is anticipated to be busy, I imagine that some staff would also prefer paying for a full-price AP so that they don't have to give up the seat.

 

[Haywain]

NR and TOC or FOC staff?

Those who currently have priv. This is an extension of what can be bought, not who gets Priv rate.

 

[yorkie]

NR and TOC or FOC staff?

I wish people wouldn't use acronyms!!
AP?
SVR?

AP is best avoided, as sometimes people use it to mean "Advance Purchase" and occasionally "Any Permitted"

SVR is technically not an acronym, but is the code for the ticket type 'Off Peak Return' (formerly Saver Return - the name changed, but the code remains unchanged) as used by all booking systems/websites.

 

[Llanigraham]

Yes, apologies. I thought in a dedicated discussion about staff travel, ticket types would be fairly well know. reb0118 has provided an explanation for me.

Not if you're a signalman!!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Those who currently have priv. This is an extension of what can be bought, not who gets Priv rate.

Thanks.
As I thought, b all for us newcomers!
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

AP is best avoided, as sometimes people use it to mean "Advance Purchase" and occasionally "Any Permitted"

SVR is technically not an acronym, but is the code for the ticket type 'Off Peak Return' (formerly Saver Return - the name changed, but the code remains unchanged) as used by all booking systems/websites.

Thanks Yorkie.
I think people forget that it isn't just "ticket wallahs" that post on here, but also lots of other people, both railway and not, and as you have shown the use of these "acronyms" can be very confusing.
I'm sure there are plenty who would very confused if we signallers used our's all the time without an explanation.

 

[yorkie]

Indeed. That's why I try to, at least initially, put the ticket name in full, with the code in brackets (with a hyperlink if possible), and then use the ticket code after that once it's been introduced. Likewise with stations. Of course, we can sometimes forget!

 

[RJ]

It's standard practise when writing in continuous prose to explain what the acronym refers to the first time it is used. It would be useful is people did this as a matter of course.

 

[Haywain]

As I thought, b all for us newcomers!

You get what you signed up for. I get less than many of my colleagues, and less than some who work for other TOCs but have no more service than me. You may not have the benefit, but at least you don't have a benefit that can be taken away, which is what new entrants have with their Priv.

 

[Llanigraham]

I knew what I wasn't going to get when I joined but it still doesn't make the system fair, does it?

 

[Andy-mc]

So what's the catch? Seems a bit of a random thing to give train operator staff a better deal for nothing in return, not complaining at all but usually you'd expect cuts
Unless it's to persuade the few staff who manage to get a free ride on other operator services to buy tickets now

 

[Moonshot]

So what's the catch? Seems a bit of a random thing to give train operator staff a better deal for nothing in return, not complaining at all but usually you'd expect cuts
Unless it's to persuade the few staff who manage to get a free ride on other operator services to buy tickets now

Nobody has actually mentioned this priv discount at work - are we sure this is happening?

 

[Haywain]

Further information: the extended discounts will not be available/visible in TIS until September 7th.

 

[Shaggy]

Unless it's to persuade the few staff who manage to get a free ride on other operator services to buy tickets now

This.

Almost all TOC's (barring certain Virgin staff I've encountered) on-train staff are very generous when it comes to other TOC staff travelling on the services they are working (thank you!).

TOC management know this too. They have turned a blind eye to it (one senior manager at my TOC was amazed I actually pre-bought a PRIV rather than asking a guard) so this is one way to recoup an element of the (potential) lost revenue.

Makes sense too.

 

[Moonshot]

This.

Almost all TOC's (barring certain Virgin staff I've encountered) on-train staff are very generous when it comes to other TOC staff travelling on the services they are working (thank you!).

TOC management know this too. They have turned a blind eye to it (one senior manager at my TOC was amazed I actually pre-bought a PRIV rather than asking a guard) so this is one way to recoup an element of the (potential) lost revenue.

Makes sense too.

That is a fair point.....I myself must encounter staff from other TOCs on mine a least a dozen times a week. If thats an average figure, multiply that by the number of guards up and down the UK and the numbers do add up somewhat.

 

[RJ]

So what's the catch? Seems a bit of a random thing to give train operator staff a better deal for nothing in return, not complaining at all but usually you'd expect cuts
Unless it's to persuade the few staff who manage to get a free ride on other operator services to buy tickets now

It's almost a big enough carrot for me to stop using loopholes to reduce the fare on my commute between London and the East Midlands, which resumes next month...

 

[ANorthernGuard]

I would certainly purchase more tickets if this does actually come in to being.

 

[455driver]

It's almost a big enough carrot for me to stop using loopholes to reduce the fare on my commute between London and the East Midlands, which resumes next month...

I bet the EMT guards are looking forward to that!

 

[Andy-mc]

Nobody has actually mentioned this priv discount at work - are we sure this is happening?

Defo coming in, it was in our latest retail brief
Starts 7th of September but won't appear on any TIS until that date

 

[Mutant Lemming]

It's almost a big enough carrot for me to stop using loopholes to reduce the fare on my commute between London and the East Midlands, which resumes next month...

I thought straight PRIV tickets were for leisure travel only and for residential commuting to work journies a PRIV season was required ?

 

[yorkie]

I thought straight PRIV tickets were for leisure travel only and for residential commuting to work journies a PRIV season was required ?

He wouldn't be using it for work purposes.

 

[RJ]

I thought straight PRIV tickets were for leisure travel only and for residential commuting to work journies a PRIV season was required ?

That is true. However, my commute is classed as a leisure journey, which RSTL have agreed with. If I had safeguarded entitlement, I'd be entitled to free tickets for the whole 100+ mile journey!

 

[westcoaster]

Anyone able to explain what the £2 max fare is in laymens terms. Is it really £2 max fare or minimum I'm confused with the wording.