PhilipW
Member
At the beginning of January SWT introduced Off-Peak fares at certain times of the day on Saturday, Sundays and Bank holidays. Until then Super Off-Peak fares were applicable all day.
The effect of this is that day returns have increased by 20% if you travel up to London in the morning and back in the early evening.
These increases were introduced with no publicity at stations or by a News Release on their web-site. Indeed, the first I knew about it was when I was booking a ticket and the ticket seller asked me what time I was travelling back in the evening.
On investigation, I did find mention of the tickets in the fares section on the web-site. However I find it highly misleading as it implies that some fares are now 15% cheaper. I enclose the section below. True, the section may be factually correct and not break any advertising standards rules but I do find it highly misleading in that implies that fares have been reduced.
https://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/tickets-explained/tickets/super-off-peak/
To compound matters further:
-- These weekend fares have different time restrictions to their weekday equivalent.
-- "Super Off Peak" still applies all days to stations west of Brockenhurst on the SWML and west of Salisbury on the Exeter line.
Just as the talk this week from the Railway industry has been of fare simplifications and some proposals put forward, SWT is going in the opposite direction with fare complication.
Is all this this going to cause confusion ? Will the general public understand all these new rules ? I think we all know the answer to those questions.
If only there was some organisation out there battling away on behalf of passengers fighting stealth increases. Some say they are, but the increases still happen. The DfT couldn't care. No, the passengers just have to accept what is given to them, it seems. Sad, but there you are.
The effect of this is that day returns have increased by 20% if you travel up to London in the morning and back in the early evening.
These increases were introduced with no publicity at stations or by a News Release on their web-site. Indeed, the first I knew about it was when I was booking a ticket and the ticket seller asked me what time I was travelling back in the evening.
On investigation, I did find mention of the tickets in the fares section on the web-site. However I find it highly misleading as it implies that some fares are now 15% cheaper. I enclose the section below. True, the section may be factually correct and not break any advertising standards rules but I do find it highly misleading in that implies that fares have been reduced.
https://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/tickets-explained/tickets/super-off-peak/
To compound matters further:
-- These weekend fares have different time restrictions to their weekday equivalent.
-- "Super Off Peak" still applies all days to stations west of Brockenhurst on the SWML and west of Salisbury on the Exeter line.
Just as the talk this week from the Railway industry has been of fare simplifications and some proposals put forward, SWT is going in the opposite direction with fare complication.
Is all this this going to cause confusion ? Will the general public understand all these new rules ? I think we all know the answer to those questions.
If only there was some organisation out there battling away on behalf of passengers fighting stealth increases. Some say they are, but the increases still happen. The DfT couldn't care. No, the passengers just have to accept what is given to them, it seems. Sad, but there you are.
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