[Travel] Can someone explain train fares

[arfer guinness]

I have the OP on ignore but took a peek.

What a

And thick, too. I can navigate between offpeak, super offpeak and split fares. The fair structure is idiotic, but the staff will sort you out if you ask sensible questions, and don't act like a prick

And that's before we even begin to turn to the racism.

What a plum.

You appear to have an obsession with racism that doesn't exist. My post concerned an anomaly, to which I gave an example of, whereby you can use the same time trains at two different rates. The obvious first call is to the helpline provided by National Rail to query this, which I did. I spoke to someone, based in this country or abroad, who had problems understanding my question, merely kept quoting the fares. I felt the communication was difficult because there was a language discrepancy. I do not see how this is racist, I experience the same in the US when I am told I talk too fast. This is neither insulting nor racist.

 

[bhafc99]

I wish we could bring back Nationalised rail it would be so much easier. The crazy things like a ticket from A to F can sometimes cost more than breaking down your ticket and buying a ticket from A to B, another from B to C and another say from C to F is madness.

My wife had that the other week, traveling between Brighton and Winchester. It was cheaper to buy two tickets for different parts of the journey than just one. Same train, same journey, but almost 30% cheaper just by doing nonsense like that.

 

[arfer guinness]

So you asked someone if a ticket starting in Worthing i.e. Worthing to Victoria, can be used to travel from Victoria to Worthing? I'd say it's obvious you cannot; I can see why the call-centre person didnt understand you.

I was enquiring if a Worthing-Victoria-Worthing ticket costing £21.20 could be used for a journey Victoria-Worthing-Victoria ticket costing £34.50 The National Rail website displays all the trains these tickets can be used on and in both cases, they are the same time trains. The lady in the call centre could not answer this question but kept quoting the prices.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Of course, this wouldn’t happen on Deutsche Bahn.

 

[Durlston]

The strikers don't set the fares!!

No. But there are some particularly intimidating staff at the barriers at Haywards Heath station. Usually they give you a look of being a fraudulent ticket holder. There was a horrible man that questioned me about my ticket not long before Covid and I noticed I'd bought the wrong one. No "honest mistake, guv" allowed. I ended up going to court over it several months later. A bookie pal knew the fella and knew what a bully he was. The fine wasn't a lot but with court costs added, it left a very sour taste towards train staff.

I should have spotted the error sooner and informed him that I'd pay the difference but I was made to feel like Al Capone.

 

[kentgully]

I am not prejudiced to any foreign national. I don't know if the call centre was in this country or abroad. I am merely stating the conversation was difficult because she did not seem to understand my question.

Dont take any notice, they're not happy unless they can find something to be offended by and probably still live at home.

 

[kentgully]

Regardless of whether you support the strikers or not - the workers on srike are not the ones that set the price of the tickets. I agree with you about pre-9am tickets though.

And the drivers are on 100 grand a year plus over time and end of salary pension, there's me a poor dentist.

 

[kentgully]

No. But there are some particularly intimidating staff at the barriers at Haywards Heath station. Usually they give you a look of being a fraudulent ticket holder. There was a horrible man that questioned me about my ticket not long before Covid and I noticed I'd bought the wrong one. No "honest mistake, guv" allowed. I ended up going to court over it several months later. A bookie pal knew the fella and knew what a bully he was. The fine wasn't a lot but with court costs added, it left a very sour taste towards train staff.

I should have spotted the error sooner and informed him that I'd pay the difference but I was made to feel like Al Capone.

Should of lamped him...

 

[Durlston]

Kentgully, do you take NHS patients?

Do you explain fully what you're going to do and promise that it's not going to hurt?

If you answered yes to both questions, you have a new patient potentially.

 

[Bakero]

A family member wishes to come down to Worthing by train. As an example, Victoria to Worthing return today quotes £34.50 super off peak return, ticket can be used on all available trains. Yet if I search Worthing to Victoria today it quotes £21.20 super off peak return, ticket can be used on all available trains. I called the national Rail helpline to ask if the ticket starting from Worthing could be used in reverse but, unfortunately, the operative had English as a second language and didn't seem to understand the question. Can the great and good on NSC explain this.

I just looked on a fare splitting website and found a return from London Vic to Worthing next Tuesday for 14.50.

 

[jcdenton08]

Maybe you should go and work in their country and take calls from the xenophobes in their language and then come back with your question

You should be ashamed of yourself. Embarrassing reply.

 

[luge]

So when i lived in London, i found out after a while that it was far more expensive to get a return ticket from Sydenham to Sussex for a game, than the other way round. By up to a tenner. So i just booked ahead and used the return portion first. Sometimes it was also cheaper to get a travelcard from Haywards Heath for the day if working in the smoke.

All of this is not permissable, but no one checks or knows.

They punish trips from london for some reason.

 

[drew]

No. But there are some particularly intimidating staff at the barriers at Haywards Heath station. Usually they give you a look of being a fraudulent ticket holder. There was a horrible man that questioned me about my ticket not long before Covid and I noticed I'd bought the wrong one. No "honest mistake, guv" allowed. I ended up going to court over it several months later. A bookie pal knew the fella and knew what a bully he was. The fine wasn't a lot but with court costs added, it left a very sour taste towards train staff.

I should have spotted the error sooner and informed him that I'd pay the difference but I was made to feel like Al Capone.

Surely it would have been better to bite the bullet and pay whatever excess fare he was after (assuming that was an option)?

 

[drew]

So you asked someone if a ticket starting in Worthing i.e. Worthing to Victoria, can be used to travel from Victoria to Worthing? I'd say it's obvious you cannot; I can see why the call-centre person didnt understand you.

Well not really, wasn't the question whether you could use the return ticket first?

 

[Westdene Seagull]

And the drivers are on 100 grand a year plus over time and end of salary pension, there's me a poor dentist.

Drivers start in the £40 grand mark and get to £65k after 20 years service - none of them earn £100k. Now let's compare that to the average salary for a dentist in the UK - a miserly £75k. Many earn well over a £100k ! Oh you're so poor.

 

[Durlston]

Surely it would have been better to bite the bullet and pay whatever excess fare he was after (assuming that was an option)?

It wasn't an option, drew. And the more flustered I got - which led to me getting quite upset at the thought of going to court - the more they seemed to enjoy saying I could get fined up to £1,000 and all over a pathetic £1.20 I think it was.

So that's the reason why I will always have a chip on my shoulder when it comes to train employees. It's hard to forgive when I have severe anxiety issues anyway. They seemed to spot that. Complete *rse**les.

 

[South Stand Bonfire]

Train fares before 9am are an absolute scandal AND they have the audacity to strike!

Posties work in all conditions with no shelter. I have sympathy for them with the cost of living at the moment.

I agree about the cost of Peak rail fares. And it is really gruelling to see the money going straight out of the back of the ticket machine directly into the train drivers/On board assistant/Cleaners pockets.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

It wasn't an option, drew. And the more flustered I got - which led to me getting quite upset at the thought of going to court - the more they seemed to enjoy saying I could get fined up to £1,000 and all over a pathetic £1.20 I think it was.

So that's the reason why I will always have a chip on my shoulder when it comes to train employees. It's hard to forgive when I have severe anxiety issues anyway. They seemed to spot that. Complete *rse**les.

They or one person working at HH?

 

[Live by the sea]

Maybe you should go and work in their country and take calls from the xenophobes in their language and then come back with your question

Woh slight over reaction !!! Are you a waiter from Barcelona by any chance ? Hehe

 

[clapham_gull]

So when i lived in London, i found out after a while that it was far more expensive to get a return ticket from Sydenham to Sussex for a game, than the other way round. By up to a tenner. So i just booked ahead and used the return portion first. Sometimes it was also cheaper to get a travelcard from Haywards Heath for the day if working in the smoke.

All of this is not permissable, but no one checks or knows.

They punish trips from london for some reason.

It's because the streets are made of gold, I was outside polishing mine this evening.

Actually it's because the ticket "up" is marketed as a London "Have a banana, follow the van, Chas and Dave, they only murder their own but love their mother Away Day Weekend Special" with a free tube map thrown in and an exclusive chance to win back row seats at The Phantom of the Opera (terms and conditions apply).

Simple marketing to get you go to London for the day, stopping at Rejection, Disappointment, Backstabbing Central and Shattered Dreams Parkway.