Ridiculous Rail ticket pricing structure..
Ridiculous Rail ticket pricing structure..
Author
Discussion

thatone1967

Original Poster:

4,252 posts

221 months

Friday 24th June 2011
quotequote all
Been getting a train from Farnborough to Basingstoke all week, £6.20 return, seems reasonable...

Only needed a one way ticket this morning, so I thought, it's clearly not going to be half the price, so I expected, £4, may be £5, but no.... £6.10, the discount for going one way as opposed to return.. 10p....


Roll on my car bing fixed....


Vipers

33,514 posts

258 months

Friday 24th June 2011
quotequote all
And they want us to go "Green"..........

Couple of years ago I wanted a single from Aberdeen to Dundee to join a boat, £17.00 single, but only £18.00 for a 30 day return, WTF. Bought the return, and good job as well, job finished on day 29, but the price structure is just nuts.




smile

torqueofthedevil

2,088 posts

207 months

Friday 24th June 2011
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It has always been that way. Ridiculous. I caught a bus a few weeks back for a trip I usually walk. About 1 mile. £1.80!

Looked at booking train to Paris and I could not believe the prices. Any journey must be chapter and 10x more convenient in a car.


VeeFour

3,339 posts

192 months

Friday 24th June 2011
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Just booked off-peak from Newport to Paddington.

Company only pays standard class - which was £59.

But the site I used offered a 1st class upgrade for 6 quid return.

Bizarre, but it would be rude not to. I hate travelling standard class.

.Mark

11,104 posts

306 months

Friday 24th June 2011
quotequote all
Went to Paris last year with wife and daughter. Thought it might be fun to go on the train. Feck that.

For less than the price of the rail fare alone, we drove (train through tunnel), stayed 2 nights in a cheap hotel, bought a new europe wide sat nav, parked, used the autoroutes and ate too.

Looking forward to doing it again.

Oh and a 5 mile bus ride off the island here cost near on £6 return.

CharlieHotel

9,080 posts

195 months

Saturday 25th June 2011
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It encourages fare evaders to consider paying the minimal extra for a return ticket instead of paying for a single fare and evading paying for the return leg.

chard

29,045 posts

213 months

Saturday 25th June 2011
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Quite agree the whole pricing structure puts me right off. Particularly if you have to go anywhere near London @ peak times. Eurostar + TGV combo can be good but you have to book ahead for a decent rate.

davepoth

29,395 posts

229 months

Saturday 25th June 2011
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If you've got a car already, driving is usually cheaper as a car gets cheaper the more miles you use it (as there are fixed costs involved) but if you have a car and just use it for the particular trip you're pricing up and nothing else, it usually works out a tiny bit cheaper.

wainy

800 posts

273 months

Sunday 26th June 2011
quotequote all
VeeFour said:
Just booked off-peak from Newport to Paddington.

Company only pays standard class - which was £59.

But the site I used offered a 1st class upgrade for 6 quid return.

Bizarre, but it would be rude not to. I hate travelling standard class.
Just travelled from London to Birmingham for work...

Std class (one way) £42
First advance (one way) £38

Add in the free food, free drink, free wifi and not having to sit with Chavs it will be going through my expenses!

sneijder

5,231 posts

264 months

Sunday 26th June 2011
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Are you all talking about those things that convicted drink drivers go on ?

I saw one once.

VeeFour

3,339 posts

192 months

Sunday 26th June 2011
quotequote all
sneijder said:
Are you all talking about those things that convicted drink drivers go on ?

I saw one once.
You've never driven into central London, have you?

Anyway... first class is a completely different experience to sitting with the poor people at the back.

VeeFour

3,339 posts

192 months

Sunday 26th June 2011
quotequote all
swerni said:
Not anymore.
It use to be worth it when they had the old "slam door" rolling stock
I'll be travelling in one of First Great Western's Intercity 125s. So you get pretty much the full-on 1st class experience.

BliarOut

72,863 posts

269 months

Sunday 26th June 2011
quotequote all
Pubic transport? Pish.

I tried to get on a bus in London and buy a one day pass for our of us Oh no, you can't buy one on the bus or even at the bus stop, you have to wander off somewhere else and buy one, but no-one seemed to know where.

Fine if you've got something called an "Oyster" but those of us who don't live in London don't have one.

banghead

Puggit

49,821 posts

278 months

Sunday 26th June 2011
quotequote all
sneijder said:
Are you all talking about those things that convicted drink drivers go on ?

I saw one once.
So you don't use the Flytoget to get to work?

sneijder

5,231 posts

264 months

Sunday 26th June 2011
quotequote all
Puggit said:
So you don't use the Flytoget to get to work?
No, I get a call every other day from late staff due to that contraption.

Top tip if you use it, buy a senior citizen ticket from the machine, that way your 19 minute journey (in theory) only costs £8. It's all automated, no checks.

Are you back upto gold yet ?

pacman1

7,324 posts

223 months

Monday 27th June 2011
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Had to collect a car from London the other weekend. 100 mile trip, 4 trains, 3 hours and £16 lighter, I was driving home.
The trip back cost me 20 quid in fuel! silly

Huntsman

9,394 posts

280 months

Monday 27th June 2011
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Its crap isnt it.

I like to catch the train to work with my bike, get off with about a 5 mile cycle to the office and then cycle the whole 20 miles home.

On the days I do that it costs me 10p less, plus, if I take advantage of that and its starts to pour with rain I have to pay double (all bar 20p).

Its crap.


IainT

10,040 posts

268 months

Monday 27th June 2011
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Been using Virgin lately and it's much cheaper to buy two singles than a return on their inter city routes.

Trustmeimadoctor

14,370 posts

185 months

Tuesday 28th June 2011
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just booked a trip down to london f£20 return per person not too bad really. slightly earlier or later and its about 160 though lol