Mansfield to Sheffield - Excessive Price Increase?

[ashworth]

I know that we were all warned to expect large price increases in January but I've just discovered that a local journey to me, Mansfield to Sheffield, is increasing by what seems to be an excessive amount. I am sure that there are many more similar examples but this is one, for a road journey of approx only 25 miles, that may make me decide to travel by bus!

Currently an Off Peak Day Return from Mansfield to Sheffield is a reasonable £10 and I am not particularly disturbed by the increase from January to £11.50.

It's the Off Peak Return that concerns me which is increasing from £12.40 to £17.90! I regularly use this fare if travelling for a few days away to locations in the north as it is usually much cheaper to split at Sheffield.

I know that for a number of years travel from Mansfield to Sheffield has been available via Worksop or Nottingham for the same price and the fare from Mansfield has actually been slightly cheaper than from Nottingham. However, the new fare is now priced the same as from Nottingham yet if travelling via Worksop the distance is much shorter. Surely a cheaper via Worksop only ticket ought to be available.

 

[Chapeltom]

I think I'd take the hourly 53 bus between Mansfield and Sheffield I presume it would be a lot quicker and cheaper

 

[Lad Brookes]

Mansfield's routing points are Worksop and Nottingham.

As a Mansfield-Sheffield SVR was cheaper than a Nottingham-Sheffield SVR, then Nottingham failed the fare-check rule and only Worksop was a valid routing point for this journey.

The only map valid for Worksop-Sheffield would be SH, which only has the direct route between them available. Therefore the only permitted route from Mansfield-Sheffield was via Worksop.

Now that there is from Jan 2nd a Rte Worksop fare, and the Any Permitted fare rises to match the NOT-SHF fare, Nottingham no longer fails the fare-check rule, and can be used as a routing point. Therefore passengers can now travel via Nottingham without those who simply want to travel on the shortest route having to pay more for the extra validity.

 

[WillPS]

The Trainline powered websites have always (well, for at least 2 years) let you do Mansfield - Sheffield via Nottingham on the standard ticket. Couldn't get it to work anywhere else on the Robin Hood Line though.

I've never heard of this 'fare-check rule' - it sounds like it makes sense which makes me doubt it even more!

 

[Lad Brookes]

It's part of the wonderful National Routeing Guide.

More details: http://www.atoc.org/clientfiles/File/RSPDocuments/nrg_detail.pdf

 

[ashworth]

The Trainline powered websites have always (well, for at least 2 years) let you do Mansfield - Sheffield via Nottingham on the standard ticket. Couldn't get it to work anywhere else on the Robin Hood Line though.QUOTE]

The East Coast Website has always (certainly for the last 3 or more years) shown returns to Sheffield valid via both Nottingham and Worksop. from Mansfield Woodhouse, Mansfield, Sutton Parkway, Newstead, Hucknall and Bulwell. For some reason it won't allow you to travel via Nottingham from Kirkby in Ashfield. From the Shirebrook and stations north of there travel is sensibly only via Worksop.

None of this chnages my thoughts in my original posting that a price rise from £12.40 to £17.90 is somewhat excessive for an Off Peak Return for what is a relatively local journey.

 

[Lad Brookes]

The Trainline powered websites have always (well, for at least 2 years) let you do Mansfield - Sheffield via Nottingham on the standard ticket. Couldn't get it to work anywhere else on the Robin Hood Line though.

The East Coast Website has always (certainly for the last 3 or more years) shown returns to Sheffield valid via both Nottingham and Worksop. from Mansfield Woodhouse, Mansfield, Sutton Parkway, Newstead, Hucknall and Bulwell. For some reason it won't allow you to travel via Nottingham from Kirkby in Ashfield. From the Shirebrook and stations north of there travel is sensibly only via Worksop.

Since when has what has been shown as permitted on booking engines ever been the same what is actually permitted?

None of this chnages my thoughts in my original posting that a price rise from £12.40 to £17.90 is somewhat excessive for an Off Peak Return for what is a relatively local journey.

But the fare hasn't risen by that amount. It's risen from £12.40 to £13.10 (5.6%).
In addition, a new fare (range of fares really) has been introduced for the flow, with a higher price in exchange for more validity.
Admittedly, the introduction of the new fares has highlighted the fact that the old fares were never valid via Nottingham anyway, even if I imagine that there were always accepted that way in reality.

 

[ashworth]

Sorry partly my fault for not fully checking.

I see that there is a cheaper £13.10 fare via Worksop ticket available when looking at trainline operated sites as are also cheaper day return fares via Worksop.

This does not, however, appear on the sytem used by the East Coast website which I had used to find this fare. Usually I find this website easier to use and it does usually show more fare options.

 

[Lad Brookes]

It does come up on the Chiltern website, which has the same back-end as the EC site.