Cheltenham - Manchester: Another off peak query!

[The Snap]

Hi,

My Dad needs to travel to Cheltenham from Manchester in the next fortnight during the working week . He'd travel down on the 19:07 from Piccadilly, then return the following day after 16:00. Looking at on the XC app, there's a 16:40 direct back to Piccadilly...

The query then is this...why is the XC app offering me an off-peak return ticket for this journey? Is the 16:40 not a peak train? Surely off peak tickets aren't valid on that train?

Thanks.

 

[yorkie]

The Off Peak fare is regulated; it can't have an evening peak restriction. Only London and the surrounding stations can have evening peak restrictions on regulated ex-Saver fares.

Restrictions can be looked up on BRfares.com

http://www.brfares.com/#!faredetail?orig=MAN&dest=CNM&tkt=SVR

This fare was, of course, traditionally unrestricted. Arriva XC imposed heavy restrictions on their longer distance flows a few years ago, but they can only do morning restrictions.

If regulation was removed, the fare would be even more restricted and even more expensive!

 

[Romilly]

The restriction for that ticket is 2V, which says that neither the outward journey, nor the return journey, may start before 0930.

There are not uniform peak/offpeak times. Rather the tickets called "offpeak" have a variety of individual time restrictions.

In addition, the total price would be reduced to £55 if the OP's father bought separate offpeak returns for Manchester-Wolverhampton and for Wolverhampton-Cheltenham. Although he would then have to use trains that call at Wolverhampton, on a weekday evening that only seems to rule out the return trains that leave Cheltenham at 1911 and 2011.

 

[The Snap]

Thanks guys.

I thought the XC app had thrown a wobbler and offered me off-peak tickets for peak times...but reading your posts, it obviously hadn't and the off-peak return is indeed valid.

Thanks again.

 

[button_boxer]

There are a number of off-peak day returns (CDR) in the Birmingham area that have afternoon peak restrictions but the regulated off-peak returns (SVR) do not. Leading to the situation where it's cheaper to get a ticket valid for a month than one valid for a day if you're doing, say, Derby to Birmingham out mid morning but returning at 5pm the same day.

 

[yorkie]

There are a number of off-peak day returns (CDR) in the Birmingham area that have afternoon peak restrictions but the regulated off-peak returns (SVR) do not. Leading to the situation where it's cheaper to get a ticket valid for a month than one valid for a day if you're doing, say, Derby to Birmingham out mid morning but returning at 5pm the same day.

Indeed. And the bizarre situation where the Guard might say "Sorry, your off peak day ticket isn't valid. I'm going to have to charge you a 70p excess fare to travel at peak time" and issues an off peak excess.

In fact one Guard (who is now a driver) on this forum told me he stopped issuing them as it was just a silly situation to be in.

 

[bnm]

Indeed. And the bizarre situation where the Guard might say "Sorry, your off peak day ticket isn't valid. I'm going to have to charge you a 70p excess fare to travel at peak time" and issues an off peak excess.

In fact one Guard (who is now a driver) on this forum told me he stopped issuing them as it was just a silly situation to be in.

Alternatively you'll get a CrossCountry Train Manager attempt to ching you for an Excess up to the Anytime fare, reasoning that, "We only sell Anytime tickets on board if your ticket is not valid."

That's what I had happen to me recently. Fortunately I was able to call up the Excess Fares Procedure and the National Rail Conditions of Carriage on my laptop to convince this TM that I should only be paying the 50p difference between the Off Peak Day Return and Off Peak Return. But not before saying I'm only prepared to pay 50p or give my name and address.