Weekly more expensive than Daily? [SWT]

[LucaZone]

Hiya,

Not sure if ive missed something but Ive gone back to taking the train from Brookwood to Guildford after a stint of driving into work.

My week ticket cost £33.20 (covering 7 days of travel)
Out of curiosity, I checked a ticket machine for a peak return to Guildford that day and it was £4.20. So if I bought a return every day, for 7 days, it would only cost £29.40.

Why is a week ticket £3.80 more expensive? (54p for every day)

I thought the point of handing over all my money at the start of the week so it sits in SWT's bank and earns them interest is because they give me a discount?

 

[OwlMan]

The fares from Brookwood - Guildford are as follows

7 day season....................£33-20
Anytime Day Return............£7-10
Off Peak Day Return............£4-60 (valid all day Saturday & Sunday and after 0923 weekdays)**

**The off-peak ticket is officially not valid before on trains that arrive in London before 10:00 on Mondays - Fridays. (which is effectively before 09:23 from Brookwood).

The cost of buying 7 day tickets at peak times is therefore 5x£7-10 plus 2x£4-60 which equals £44-70.

 

[LucaZone]

Cheers for the response.

However, what is the £4.20 Standard return that the ticket machine offered me then? Time was about 08:25.

Regards

 

[cuccir]

Don't know, but the machine will offer you tickets for any time of day; you might not be able to use them at the moment of purchase. If you've got time tomorrow morning, could you look at the machine again and give us a full description of the ticket, as I can't find a fare of that amount on the online booking systems. Someone with better local knowledge might know off the top of their head.

 

[wibble]

The Anytime Day Return prices are:

Guildford - Brookwood: £4.20
Brookwood - Guildford: £7.10

Brookwood to Guildford is classed as peak travel towards London, whereas Guildford to Brookwood is classed as contra-peak travel and is priced at a lower rate.

Where a peak and contra-peak price exists, the season ticket price will always be based on the higher of the two fares.

When you buy a season ticket, the money does not go straight to the TOC. The money is split and paid to the TOC over the validity of the ticket - i.e. with a 7 day season ticket, the TOC receives 7 daily payments.
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Don't know, but the machine will offer you tickets for any time of day; you might not be able to use them at the moment of purchase. If you've got time tomorrow morning, could you look at the machine again and give us a full description of the ticket, as I can't find a fare of that amount on the online booking systems. Someone with better local knowledge might know off the top of their head.

SWT TVMs would not off an Off Peak ticket if it is not valid. e.g. until 0925 only Anytime tickets available; from 0925-1055 Anytime and Off Peak available; 1055 or later Anytime, Off Peak and Super Off Peak

 

[LucaZone]

Excellent info Wibble thank you so much for the insight.

Dam! I should be buying my tickets from Guildford then! ha

Much happier now thanks.

 

[tony_mac]

I don't think it was serious - but just to make sure, you can't buy a return ticket and use the two parts the wrong way round.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

The outward portion of a return ticket is only valid with an unused return portion, although guards and RPIs rarely seem to ask for both parts.

 

[swt_passenger]

The outward portion of a return ticket is only valid with an unused return portion, although guards and RPIs rarely seem to ask for both parts.

In my expereince in south Hants, both SWT and SN guards nearly always ask to see both portions when on the out half of a return. Maybe I'm just unlucky...
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

SWT TVMs would not off an Off Peak ticket if it is not valid. e.g. until 0925 only Anytime tickets available; from 0925-1055 Anytime and Off Peak available; 1055 or later Anytime, Off Peak and Super Off Peak

Down here in Hants SWT's machines offer Offpeak and Super Offpeak at some time before the first service they become available on.

Those times are consistent near London (within an hour's travel is it?), but significantly further away, eg at Eastleigh, the Offpeak is displayed in time for the 0843, and the Super Offpeak is displayed around 1030, in time for the 1043, both services to Waterloo.

But the main point you make is perfectly correct, the machines will only display fares that are applicable at the relevant time of day.

 

[wintonian]

I have rarely been asked on either the outward or return journey.

Also a return portion is valid with an unused out portion as long as the out ticket is in the bin/ handed in before it is used/ stuck through a shredder etc. as long as it is not used after the return is.

 

[CarterUSM]

I have rarely been asked on either the outward or return journey.

Also a return portion is valid with an unused out portion as long as the out ticket is in the bin/ handed in before it is used/ stuck through a shredder etc. as long as it is not used after the return is.

Quite a common occurrence where i am, i find myself asking for return portions rather too frequently for my liking.

 

[wintonian]

Maybe they do for period returns more as I normally buy cheap day returns or standard day ones or advance singles.

Rather more difficult to defraud on a day return when you haven’t got the return with you I would have thought.

 

[yorkie]

You (almost certainly) will find yourself being asked to show the unused return portion if you are using the outward on a day after the first day of validity (e.g. an Anytime Return valid for outward travel starting on 10 OCT being used on 11 OCT; this is valid providing the unused rtn portion is presented) I would be very surprised if you were not asked for the rtn portion in such a case. Equally I would be very surprised if you were in any other circumstance.

Prior to "simplification" the rule was only in place for Open Returns (SOR/FOR), now called Anytime Returns (without the "Day" suffix) and not for any other ticket type. In practice it is only required/enforced for SOR/FORs.

This is for obvious reasons!!

 

[dan_atki]

Also a return portion is valid with an unused out portion as long as the out ticket is in the bin/ handed in before it is used/ stuck through a shredder etc. as long as it is not used after the return is.

Which is what I agree the NCoC says. However, apparently The Manual disagrees: http://www.railforums.co.uk/showpost.php?p=447208&postcount=17.

I do not know what the penalty for this is, and what offence you are committing by doing so, but where this is made available publicly I do not know!

 

[wintonian]

physically and legitimately completed

What’s the difference there then? If I want to go to Southampton on the first train cause I have never been on a 450 before and straight back on the next one then that is legitimate, obviously I would use the Outward portion first, but how is legitimate different from being physically possible? Perhaps I jump through the window as we go through Eastleigh without stopping?

 

[MikeWh]

What’s the difference there then? If I want to go to Southampton on the first train cause I have never been on a 450 before and straight back on the next one then that is legitimate, obviously I would use the Outward portion first, but how is legitimate different from being physically possible? Perhaps I jump through the window as we go through Eastleigh without stopping?

I'm guessing but it looks like it means where there wouldn't have been a train which you could have made the outward journey on within the validity of the ticket. It's probably to stop someone getting a cheaper ticket by fiddling the system.