Scotrail Kids Go Free question

[PaxVobiscum]

Just heard about this today although it happened a few weeks ago.

Young adult travelling Uddingston to Glasgow Central with young brother on a Saturday afternoon asks for 1 adult and 1 child return to Glasgow Central. Ticket office issues 1 adult "Kids Go Free" outward and 1 adult "Kids Go Free" return ticket (total two card tickets). Travel without incident to GLC - so far so good.

Young adult then leaves young brother at an activity centre in town and returns from GLC to UDD. Ticket inspector on train states that adult "Kids Go Free" return ticket not valid without child. Young adult is articulate professional person and will have none of this and leaves the train without having to pay more or incur any penalty.

Was the Kids Go Free return ticket valid without the kid?

No railcards were involved here.

A search here failed to produce the answer but that doesn't mean that this question isn't asked every other week and fully answered (I don't seem to have much success with the searches).

 

[class156]

Couldn't find any restrictions on Avantix but found this on the Scotrail website.

Kids Go Free tickets are not subject to availability and do not need to be booked in advance. Outward and return travel must be made on the same day. All members of the group must travel together on both the outward and return journeys. Valid on all operators services on routes wholly within Scotland.

So it appears that the ticket examiner was correct to refuse travel.

 

[reb0118]

I think this used to be the case but now an adult can travel on one leg (outward or return) without the child/children.

This is to facilitate one parent families transferring the children from one parent to the other but in reality it does not matter why (and the railway does not care in any case). There is no revenue loss to the railway either as the equivalent of the full off peak return has been purchased unlike someone using a FF RC without a child present.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

At my local station the other day I tried to buy 2 adult returns + 1 child single on the assumption that there might still be problems in attempting to return without the child. However the member of staff in the ticket office insisted that I take a Kids go Free ticket (plus an adult return) instead as the instructions to staff have now been clarified, and the child/children do not require to travel on both journeys.

I hope the on train staff have been told as well.

Can't find a full T&C for Kids go Free so far on the ScotRail website, although there is a FAQ.

Thanks to yorkie for reopening this thread on request.