Ticket Excess Policy

[dcd]

Just want to check, before complaining to GWR, whether I was treated correctly.
My partner and I bought off peak senior returns from Exeter St Davids to Lympstone Village at £2.85 each, in order to visit the National Trust site A La Ronde which turned out to be over a mile from the station and as we got near we saw a bus going to Exmouth so on our return we caught the bus to Exmouth and asked for a Zero excess on our tickets as the fare from Exeter St Davids to Exmouth was also £2.85. We we told be the ticket office staff member that we would have to buy a single to Lympstone Village at £1.50 each, which we then did. Checking with the guard on the train she said that was correct and "helpfully" suggested we could have spent 10p each extra to get returns to Lympstone Village instead of singles.

Are they correct?

 

[Merseysider]

Officially, there is only provision for extending (excessing) beyond your destination, and this has to be done before your journey begins.

You would need to have asked for the excess before boarding at Exeter St Davids.

On your return, you asked for an excess to reach the origin on your ticket, boarding at a station before the origin, if I understand correctly, which isn't provided for in the Ticketing & Settlement Agreement (ATOC publication). Sometimes it's worth buying a ticket to the furthest point you'll potentially need to travel to/from if the difference in fares is negligible, to give yourself the maximum validity.

What's allowed, and what's possible on a ticket issuing system are two different things, however the staff were correct.

 

[gray1404]

Can I just check does excessing have to be done BEFORE the journey starts? i.e. you cannot do it en-route?

And can you do it having already used the outward portion of a return ticket?

 

[Merseysider]

Can I just check does excessing have to be done BEFORE the journey starts? i.e. you cannot do it en-route?

And can you do it having already used the outward portion of a return ticket?

Yes. And no to your second question.

An Excess Fare may only be Sold if it entitles the Purchaser of it to:-
(i) travel via a different route than the one he would otherwise be
entitled to use;
(ii) travel at a different time or on a different day than he would otherwise be entitled to travel;
(iii) terminate or break and resume his journey at a Station at which he would not otherwise be entitled to do this;
(iv) use a better class of accommodation;
(v) travel beyond the Station to which the Fare he holds entitles him to
travel, but only where he was unable to buy a Fare that entitles him to make such a journey at the Station where and at the time when he started his journey; or
(vi) start his journey at a Station that is on the Permitted Route for the Flow that he is entitled to use, where he would not otherwise be entitled to do this.

Like I said, what's possible and what's allowed are not always the same thing.

 

[Hadders]

I was at Exeter St Davids a couple of weeks ago and had a couple of hours to spare so I decided to take a ride to Exmouth. I'd travelled from Paddington using an Advance ticket.

I approached the man on the gateline who had an Avantix and asked him if I could buy a return to Exeter. I was a bit suspicious when he asked where I'd come from and if he could see my ticket. He then went on to explain that if it was a walk on ticket he'd probably be able to excess it for free.

He sold me a ticket and I went away impressed with his knowledge.

 

[John @ home]

Can I just check does excessing have to be done BEFORE the journey starts? i.e. you cannot do it en-route?

It depends on the type of excess. See Section 4.2 Excesses in our RailUK Fares & Ticketing Guide.

Briefly, there is no penalty for buying on the train for a Change of Route or a Change of Ticket Type excess. Other excess fares, if available, normally cost more if bought on board where there was an opportunity to pay before boarding.

 

[gray1404]

I am very surprised to read though that once you've used the outward portion of a return ticket you can no longer excess it. I've done that a few times, on the return leg wanted to travel further and requested an excess.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

I am very surprised to read though that once you've used the outward portion of a return ticket you can no longer excess it. I've done that a few times, on the return leg wanted to travel further and requested an excess.

As with so many things, there is what is officially allowed, what can be done and what is done, and the three are not necessarily the same (especially when management types change the rules and don't bother telling staff about it).

 

[CfRUK]

I've never had a problem with staff excessing a ticket. I'm guessing both of these are technically no-no's but both were done no problem:

1) Was going to Chesterfield from Leeds but out of habit bought a ticket to Sheffield. Only noticed when the guard asked for tickets and had it excessed to a Leeds to Chesterfield ticket.

2) From Leeds to Manchester accidently bought a single instead of a return and again for whatever reason only noticed when on the train. Guard happily excessed on the neglible amount to make it a return.

 

[dcd]

Thanks for your help with this seems they were correct.

 

[crosscity]

Can I just check does excessing have to be done BEFORE the journey starts? i.e. you cannot do it en-route?

And can you do it having already used the outward portion of a return ticket?

Recently I bought a day return from Kings Norton to Birmingham Stations, and decided a couple of hours after arriving at New St that I needed to go to Wolverhampton. The ticket was excessed without question at New St..