Telegraph: Staff Travel 'angers commuters'

[RichmondCommu]

Well we all know one particular TOC who's trains, in the most part, are far from long enough

Any guesses !!

Do i a win prize for guessing Cross Country? That said i don't actually mind the Voyagers and at least the trains are frequent and reliable. I just think DfT vastly under estimated how popular train travel would become. Its just a pity that they didn't order more Voyagers to meet demand like they did with the Pendys. Hind sight eh?

 

[yorksrob]

You would have to have a seriously large number of Priv travellers on one particular train on a regular basis before the TOC had to start pricing other travellers off of it. The whole argument is a bit of a red herring IMO.

 

[Minilad]

Wasn't really an argument just a comment on the fact sometimes PRIV tickets cost more than normally available tickets

 

[es373]

Wasn't really an argument just a comment on the fact sometimes PRIV tickets cost more than normally available tickets

How can PRIV rate cost more than the ticket price when PRIV is worked out by 75% off of the ticket?
personally I've never encountered that.

 

[Clip]

How can PRIV rate cost more than the ticket price when PRIV is worked out by 75% off of the ticket?
personally I've never encountered that.

I think he was referring to advance tickets which you cant buy with a PRIV its only the full ticket price you can get discount on.

 

[harz99]

I think he was referring to advance tickets which you cant buy with a PRIV its only the full ticket price you can get discount on.

Yep; an example being Weds 14/9/11 1215 MAN-EUS advance single @£17 - priv anytime single £34.90.

So using priv is over 100% dearer!

 

[es373]

Ah, didn't know that one!

Don't book in advance then?

I think that's the answer.

 

[Minilad]

Not just advance tickets. Sometimes even off peak tickets are cheaper or around the same price

 

[Anvil1984]

Also Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston return is VERY close between the PRIV Anytime Return price versus the Off Peak Return price, we don't get discount on Anytime tickets, not Off-Peak or Advance tickets

 

[harz99]

Also Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston return is VERY close between the PRIV Anytime Return price versus the Off Peak Return price, we don't get discount on Anytime tickets, not Off-Peak or Advance tickets

Think you mean "we only get discount on Anytime tickets, not ................."

 

[RPM]

Priv travel increasingly isn't worth a w**k and the problem is that is is calculated using the standard open (SO) fare. These days the SO fare tends to be very expensive as it is not so much a fare that is priced to be attractive to pax, but it is more of a benchmark against which all the various discounted fares can be calculated. I really think it is about time the priv fare was revised to be a 75% discount on the cheapest available *walk-on* fare. Perhaps we should press the unions to go for this in the next pay talks? After all, in these straightened times it would be a convenient soft option.

 

[harz99]

Priv travel increasingly isn't worth a w**k and the problem is that is is calculated using the standard open (SO) fare. These days the SO fare tends to be very expensive as it is not so much a fare that is priced to be attractive to pax, but it is more of a benchmark against which all the various discounted fares can be calculated. I really think it is about time the priv fare was revised to be a 75% discount on the cheapest available *walk-on* fare. Perhaps we should press the unions to go for this in the next pay talks? After all, in these straightened times it would be a convenient soft option.

Personally, I think the status quo is okay, although not ideal.

Trouble with pressing for a better deal is that it will only be a matter of time before the unions will find themselves being presented with an offer to buy out privs for ever.

And believe me there are plenty of rail staff and retirees who do not use their privs and would be happy to sell out - obviously I am not one!

 

[Anvil1984]

Think you mean "we only get discount on Anytime tickets, not ................."

Yeah sorry long day

 

[Flamingo]

To put this whole arguement into perspective, I could count on both hands the number of PRIV tickets I see in a week (out of anything up to 4-5000 passengers at a conservative guess). Boxes, probably about 6 a day (usually obviously retired).

 

[455driver]

How can PRIV rate cost more than the ticket price when PRIV is worked out by 75% off of the ticket?
personally I've never encountered that.

Because PRIV is only available on the STANDARD OPEN tickets and is not available on any other ticket!

If I know when I am travelling it can be cheaper to buy a normal advanced ticket rather than use the PRIV.

Do you think we get 75% off all tickets?
Well we dont, but if we did then the PRIV would actually be useful.

 

[dk1]

I always try to work out the best use of my privs. For most longer distance journey's i use my 'boxes' but try to save them for 48hr trips thus making use of both days free travel. As we also get unlimited free travel on NXEA services it is often better to save boxes if going to Bournemouth & buy a priv as only the Waterloo-Bournemouth part would need paying for. Some of my colleagues use NX Norwich-Cambridge then change onto an Ipswich-Peterborough service & vice-versa to get across country. This can though mean quite a bit of messing about & i'd rather by a priv for around £5 to travel direct with EMT.

 

[Butts]

To put this whole arguement into perspective, I could count on both hands the number of PRIV tickets I see in a week (out of anything up to 4-5000 passengers at a conservative guess). Boxes, probably about 6 a day (usually obviously retired).

How many Gold Silver and Bronze passes do you see in a week - and are the "fabled medallions" still seen.

 

[RPM]

Trouble with pressing for a better deal is that it will only be a matter of time before the unions will find themselves being presented with an offer to buy out privs for ever.

And believe me there are plenty of rail staff and retirees who do not use their privs and would be happy to sell out - obviously I am not one!

Fair point. That would not be a good situation to get into.

As I understand it the ASLEF policy is to press for full reinstatement of the safeguarded staff travel facilities for everyone. Personally I don't think that is a realistic goal. Better to improve the availability of the current system by allowing the priv discount to apply to the Saver fare (or whatever it is called now). I don't really understand what the TOCs think they have to lose by doing this - as others have pointed out, the amount of priv travellers is and always will be miniscule.

 

[Flamingo]

How many Gold Silver and Bronze passes do you see in a week - and are the "fabled medallions" still seen.

The "network rail" passes? Again, a dozen or so, mostly 1st class.