RDG trial/Budget announcement: 26-30 Railcard from Spring 2018

[BigCj34]

I suspect it'll be much the same as the existing 16-25 Railcard, namely you'll be able to buy one up until the day before your 30th birthday (week before your 28th birthday if they do a three year version) and it'll be valid until two days before your 31st birthday.



I suspect it may be generic, given Green is traditionally the colour for the Disabled Persons Railcard.

Surely it is more likely you can buy a railcard until the day before you turn 31, or buy a three year one the day before you are 29, and thus be able to have one until the day before you turn 32?

 

[Haywain]

I suspect it'll be much the same as the existing 16-25 Railcard, namely you'll be able to buy one up until the day before your 30th birthday (week before your 28th birthday if they do a three year version) and it'll be valid until two days before your 31st birthday.

They are not doing a 3-year version, and it's online purchase only so it might be necessary to be a bit clever with the timing for the last year option.

I suspect it may be generic, given Green is traditionally the colour for the Disabled Persons Railcard.

Rather generic as it is only going to be available as a digital railcard.

 

[Bletchleyite]

That assumes that when launched nationally it will be a separate Railcard. I strongly suspect it won't, the 16-25 will just become a 16-30.

 

[Ianno87]

Surely it is more likely you can buy a railcard until the day before you turn 31, or buy a three year one the day before you are 29, and thus be able to have one until the day before you turn 32?

A 16-25 can be bought up to an including the day before one's 26th birthday.

So a "16-30" card by implication would be puchasable up to the day before one's 31st burthday.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Most probably yes. But note a 3 year 16-25 can't be bought at 25-and-364-days - you can only get a maximum of 364 days of additional validity, not 2 years and 364 days.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

This is what is on the RDG web site: https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/media-centre/press-releases/2017/469773493-2017-11-22.html

“It is also good news that the government has chosen to build on the forthcoming trial of the 26-30 Railcard by Greater Anglia on behalf of the wider industry. A key commitment in our long-term plan is to enable more people to travel by train and that is why we developed this proposal”.

I should think the DfT will be funding the trial, and probably indemnifying the TOCs for any losses for an initial period of the national scheme.

 

[BigCj34]

This phantom Greater Anglia trial that has supposedly taken place is very puzzling. MoneySavingExpert has written that the GA trial starts on 6 December.

 

[Merseysider]

Government deciding they're pushing ahead with it regardless of how the trial goes?

 

[jon0844]

This phantom Greater Anglia trial that has supposedly taken place is very puzzling. MoneySavingExpert has written that the GA trial starts on 6 December.

Can whoever has confirmed the trial was a great success also give me the Lotto numbers for next week?

 

[bunnahabhain]

Here is the staff brief covering the trial launching in the Anglia region.

 

[CyrusWuff]

Surely it is more likely you can buy a railcard until the day before you turn 31, or buy a three year one the day before you are 29, and thus be able to have one until the day before you turn 32?

Sorry. Had a brainfart moment there. Long day at work! You are, of course, correct.

 

[Be3G]

The story is now completely different compared to when I read it (and made my post) at 4.50am this morning.

I cannot see a quote from RDG in there (as of 3.36pm the story says "1 Hour ago") but it does contain the line "The national roll-out of the card comes after a successful test of the discounted card in East Anglia" which is broadly similar to one of the lines in the story I recall from this morning; the point remains that as far as I (and others) can see, no trial has commenced, and this morning's iteration of the story contained at least one more reference to this trial.

Yes it seems there's been a lot of confusion around the subject; at the time I posted previously there was an RDG quote on there saying something along the lines of ‘we're pleased the government is building on the trial of this railcard’ – the quote definitely didn't make it clear that the trial hadn't yet begun!

Anyway, for anyone reading this thread, the Independent has got a good summary of what has and hasn't happened regarding the railcard here.

 

[BigCj34]

Sorry. Had a brainfart moment there. Long day at work! You are, of course, correct.

There will be no 3 year one anyway. Oh well.

 

[Kite159]

That assumes that when launched nationally it will be a separate Railcard. I strongly suspect it won't, the 16-25 will just become a 16-30.

Depends if the T&C's will be the same

Which gathering from that attachment posted in post 190:
" The £12 minimum fare will NOT have a July and August easement" they will be slightly different

 

[whhistle]

Apart from stats, why they don't just make it a 16-30 railcard I don't know.

I would agree with you if your argument is simply that there should be a Railcard available to all.

Hmm.

Then what's the point in having one? If anyone can get a discount card, then you may as well just reduce the price of fares by a third. If not, those that use the railway only a few times a year (holidays?) will be disadvantaged as they're unlikely to use one.

I agree, there needs to be ONE railcard to rule them all, but I guess then it'd be complicated to merge the conditions of all the different railcards without affecting revenue.

Sort of reminds me of Alton Towers tickets...
Walk up price is hugely expensive, yet there's discounts available from nearly anywhere like they're going out of fashion. Some staff members even have spare vouchers to give out at the entrance! I'm not a fan of that model of pricing.

 

[yorksrob]

Apart from stats, why they don't just make it a 16-30 railcard I don't know.


Hmm.

Then what's the point in having one? If anyone can get a discount card, then you may as well just reduce the price of fares by a third. If not, those that use the railway only a few times a year (holidays?) will be disadvantaged as they're unlikely to use one.

Two reasons:

1, The railway receives revenue from the sale of the railcard itself - which it wouldn't get if you just dropped prices.

2, You get the psychological effect of people travelling more to recoup the sunk cost of the railcard.

You are correct that there are offers all over the place, but a lot of these are too gimmicky and short lived to encourage a shift in attitude towards rail travel.

 

[jon0844]

£30 for a digital railcard is good money, and clearly not everyone will get one. Some won't know about it, some won't think they need it as they don't travel enough and so on.

 

[Haywain]

£30 for a digital railcard is good money

I'm not sure what you mean by that, are you suggesting it's too much or too little?

 

[jon0844]

I'm not sure what you mean by that, are you suggesting it's too much or too little?

Good money for the industry.

 

[pemma]

Good money for the industry.

If you just buy an off-peak return costing £5 every other weekend buying the rail card will save you money.

Question is perhaps does a holding a railcard make more people travel more often?

 

[bb21]

Then what's the point in having one? If anyone can get a discount card, then you may as well just reduce the price of fares by a third. If not, those that use the railway only a few times a year (holidays?) will be disadvantaged as they're unlikely to use one.

Nothing wrong with rewarding repeat customers by effectively offering them a discount on every subsequent purchase.

 

[AlterEgo]

Then what's the point in having one? If anyone can get a discount card, then you may as well just reduce the price of fares by a third. If not, those that use the railway only a few times a year (holidays?) will be disadvantaged as they're unlikely to use one.

The idea is that purchasers will travel more to get as much mileage as possible out of their purchase. It’s all about the psychology of recovering a sunk cost; a very old and successful way of marketing.

 

[island]

View attachment 39695
This was just posted on HM Treasury’s twitter feed. Not sure if an indication of the actual colours or just a generic image.

Well, it has the wrong abbreviation for December for starters

 

[pemma]

Well, it has the wrong abbreviation for December for starters

Why do the railways use DMR for December?

 

[30907]

Why do the railways use DMR for December?

Wasn't it to do with DEC being too easy to forge? Or was that JUL?

 

[island]

The intent of using the five non-conventional month abbreviations was, I gather, to make it more difficult to forge tickets by changing a month to a different month, and/or to catch out people who are bad at forging tickets.

 

[jon0844]

You can now add the DfT to the list of not being very good then.

 

[mrmartin]

List of trial postcodes here (starting 6th December) here. I'm in the area, anyone know where applications will open? Would be great as I do a lot of long distance trains over xmas: http://metro.co.uk/2017/11/28/you-c...u-live-in-these-postcodes-7114621/?ito=social

 

[Ianno87]

Liking seeing CB5 on that list

 

[greatkingrat]

List of trial postcodes here (starting 6th December) here. I'm in the area, anyone know where applications will open? Would be great as I do a lot of long distance trains over xmas: http://metro.co.uk/2017/11/28/you-c...u-live-in-these-postcodes-7114621/?ito=social

Applications are via the website http://www.26-30railcard.co.uk/ which will presumably go live on 6th December.