GWR Fare rises in Devon and Cornwall

[Gwrdevon]

From the 11th June 2023 it seems that off-peak day tickets prices are going up in Devon and Cornwall.
Here are some examples

EXD - PGN £9.20 going up to £9.70
EXD - PLY £12.80 going up to £13.40
TRU - FAL £5.40 going up to £5.70

This is consistent across almost all tickets within Devon and Cornwall. You can see this by putting a journey in either before or after 11th June to find the difference. There seems to have been absolutely nothing announced about this from GWR which is rather sneaky, especially given the fare rise that already happened in March.

 

[Haywain]

Well, the fares increase in March was the January fares round (now almost traditionally delayed) so the changes in June must be what used to be the May fares round. The latter always has happened much more quietly.

 

[55018ballymoss]

Was there not historically also an October fares round where the majority of fares were adjusted downwards slightly? I am thinking back to the early 2000s where there was three fares rounds, with the one in May increasing the fares for the summer season and the October one adjusting for the autumn and winter

 

[Haywain]

There is an autumn fares round, although you might be imagining fare reductions!

 

[paul1609]

From the 11th June 2023 it seems that off-peak day tickets prices are going up in Devon and Cornwall.
Here are some examples

EXD - PGN £9.20 going up to £9.70
EXD - PLY £12.80 going up to £13.40
TRU - FAL £5.40 going up to £5.70

This is consistent across almost all tickets within Devon and Cornwall. You can see this by putting a journey in either before or after 11th June to find the difference. There seems to have been absolutely nothing announced about this from GWR which is rather sneaky, especially given the fare rise that already happened in March.

I wouldn't shout about it if I were you. A day return for Ipswich to Norwich a slightly shorter trip with similar ic rolling stock is well over £20.

 

[AlterEgo]

From the 11th June 2023 it seems that off-peak day tickets prices are going up in Devon and Cornwall.
Here are some examples

EXD - PGN £9.20 going up to £9.70
EXD - PLY £12.80 going up to £13.40
TRU - FAL £5.40 going up to £5.70

This is consistent across almost all tickets within Devon and Cornwall. You can see this by putting a journey in either before or after 11th June to find the difference. There seems to have been absolutely nothing announced about this from GWR which is rather sneaky, especially given the fare rise that already happened in March.

Those are still excellent value fares, if you compare it to other parts of the country.

Leeds to Manchester are much bigger and more nationally important cities than Exeter and Plymouth, are the same distance apart, and the Off Peak Day Return is £26.00 - and with an hour’s less validity in the morning, too.

 

[Watershed]

Some operators do increase their unregulated fares (such as Off-Peak Day Returns) at a different fares round to their regulated fares. GWR are one such operator, and so although price increases are clearly unwelcome, and they could do with being more forthright about this, it's not like these fares are increasing twice in a year.

The same sadly can't be said for LNER, who are sneaking through a significant further price hike - including to regulated fares - as part of their dishonest, half-baked "single leg" pricing change in the June fares round. Sadly the government is all for it, believing (wrongly IMHO) that this will increase revenue.

 

[CyrusWuff]

Some operators do increase their unregulated fares (such as Off-Peak Day Returns) at a different fares round to their regulated fares. GWR are one such operator, and so although price increases are clearly unwelcome, and they could do with being more forthright about this, it's not like these fares are increasing twice in a year.

Au contraire. Taking Exeter St Davids - Paignton as an example:

Before the March fares round, the Off-Peak Day Single (CDS) was £7.20, and the Off-Peak Day Return (CDR) was £8.70.
In the March fares round, that became £7.60/£9.20.
And for the June fares round, it's going up to £7.60/£9.70.

 

[Dr Day]

Limiting 'permanent' fares changes to three opportunities a year no doubt makes things more manageable for the back end databases and retailing systems, as well as giving TOCs an opportunity to address anomalies or pursue pricing strategies to respond to market changes (subject to regulation, where applicable) in smaller incremental steps over the course of a year.

 

[Haywain]

Limiting 'permanent' fares changes to three opportunities a year no doubt makes things more manageable for the back end databases and retailing systems, as well as giving TOCs an opportunity to address anomalies or pursue pricing strategies to respond to market changes (subject to regulation, where applicable) in smaller incremental steps over the course of a year.

This is true. The additional fares rounds were certainly used in the past to accelerate increases to unregulated fares.

 

[AdamWW]

Wasn't it the case in the BR days that "regular" fares went up in January, but Saver fares changed at some point in the Spring and Autumn?

Or am I misremembering?

 

[Dr Day]

The logic of different timings I believe was related to seasonal timetable changes too with ‘leisure’ fares going up just before the summer holiday season and ‘business’ fares at the end, just before business travel picked up after the holidays. Commuters were in between in January - unsure of the logic behind that but it broke things up a bit for pricing managers I suppose.

 

[AdamWW]

The logic of different timings I believe was related to seasonal timetable changes too with ‘leisure’ fares going up just before the summer holiday season and ‘business’ fares at the end, just before business travel picked up after the holidays. Commuters were in between in January - unsure of the logic behind that but it broke things up a bit for pricing managers I suppose.

I assumed that the January increase was just because it was the start of the year and was the traditional time for fares to increase.

Then for whatever reason when Savers came in they decided to set different dates for them.

I also assumed that under BR they could change prices when they felt like rather than it being at fixed times now we have a more complex system of operators and regulated fares.

 

[Haywain]

I assumed that the January increase was just because it was the start of the year and was the traditional time for fares to increase.

Then for whatever reason when Savers came in they decided to set different dates for them.

I also assumed that under BR they could change prices when they felt like rather than it being at fixed times now we have a more complex system of operators and regulated fares.

There were always (well, for a long time) fixed dates because the old paper fares manuals were issued to cover a fixed period. The most significant NFM in modern terms is NFM64 which is relevant to price checks for routeing, and which was in place at privatisation.

 

[sor]

I wouldn't shout about it if I were you. A day return for Ipswich to Norwich a slightly shorter trip with similar ic rolling stock is well over £20.

As someone from Cornwall and now in the GA area I'd totally agree. Definitely more expensive up here (though the infrastructure is more modern and electrified).

Let's not forget that all residents of Devon and Cornwall have the option of getting the local railcard for further discounts, whereas the "Network" Railcard wouldn't cover Ipswich to Norwich or Cambridge.

 

[RPI]

As someone from Cornwall and now in the GA area I'd totally agree. Definitely more expensive up here (though the infrastructure is more modern and electrified).

Let's not forget that all residents of Devon and Cornwall have the option of getting the local railcard for further discounts, whereas the "Network" Railcard wouldn't cover Ipswich to Norwich or Cambridge.

The Devon & Cornwall railcard is now available digitally too.

 

[Sonic1234]

Are the new fares published for dates after the 11th, or is it like in March where we can't see them until after the date?

 

[CyrusWuff]

Are the new fares published for dates after the 11th, or is it like in March where we can't see them until after the date?

New fares went live in retail systems on 14th May for journeys on or after 11th June.

For the September fares round, they'll go live on 6th August for journeys on or after 3rd September.

 

[Mojo]

There is an autumn fares round, although you might be imagining fare reductions!

I don't ever recall there being different summer and winter fares in Devon & Cornwall, but within the first few years of the Greater Western franchise, a number of fares, primarily those within Devon & Cornwall, were reduced to allow them to increase regulated fares on more popular routes elsewhere by the fares cap of RPI+5%, whilst maintaining the overall RPI+1% fares basket.

 

[island]

Not all fares are increasing; for example Crediton to Exeter Central return is going down 10p from £5.70 to £5.60.

 

[RPI]

Not all fares are increasing; for example Crediton to Exeter Central return is going down 10p from £5.70 to £5.60.

There is no Off-Peak Day Return for that flow though. Is only Off-Peak Day tickets going up