Simple fares - the new ticket naming

[Failed Unit]

This may have been discussed before so I apologise for bringing it back up again, I just didn't want bring a zombie thread back to life.

Nearly 1 year on hasn’t the so called fare simplification made life a lot more complicated. To me the calling the new saver tickets off-peak is a total joke for passengers to understand.

My example myself and a colleague are travelling from Market Rasen – Edinburgh, leaving at 0653 via Newark and returning on the 1600. We have got an “off-peak” ticket at £95.50 and my college was concerned that if we wanted to return on the 1730 service instead we would not be able to as to him that would be a peak service. On this route there are no restriction on “off-peak” tickets, I am sure the same applies on many other routes. You can spend £209 on an open return (sorry anytime) ticket but why would anyone do this now you are no-longer able to break your outward journey anyway the restrictions for this route are in effect the same!

The point of my rant was why didn’t they went the simplified the tickets just make the saver the “anytime” ticket because it is in effect just that now! Confusion gone in an instant! I wonder if anyone has accidently bought the £209 ticket just in case not know that the off-peak isn’t what it says on the tin...

 

[me123]

Nearly 1 year on hasn’t the so called fare simplification made life a lot more complicated. To me the calling the new saver tickets off-peak is a total joke for passengers to understand.

This one is, in my opinion, one of the biggest problems with the whole system. There are several Off-Peak tickets valid at anytime; surely these should be "Anytime" tickets?!? However, AIUI, the "Anytime" tickets are there almost as "penalty fares", for passengers boarding without a valid ticket.

I would rename these 8A Off Peak Tickets to "Anytime Savers". Yes, it's another name which people will say is not simplification, but it shows passengers that the tickets are valid at any time, and that they're not the full price "Anytime" tickets.

If you did that, it would, in my opinion, make several fares much easier to understand.

 

[glynn80]

This one is, in my opinion, one of the biggest problems with the whole system. There are several Off-Peak tickets valid at anytime; surely these should be "Anytime" tickets?!?

I would rename these 8A Off Peak Tickets to "Anytime Savers". Yes, it's another name which people will say is not simplification, but it shows passengers that the tickets are valid at any time, and that they're not the full price "Anytime" tickets.

If you did that, it would, in my opinion, make several fares much easier to understand.

Then you'd have the problem of having the Saver name brought back for some routes and not for others.

The reason they are still allowed to call them "Off Peak" on this flow is that they have a restriction code barring travel on the outward portion (Mon-Fri) on services departing between 0115 and 0400 (when NXEC run no services) but this isn't to say further up the line other operators don't run services at that time. If you were to break your journey at Leeds for example you wouldn't be allowed to catch one of the overnight TPE service that run so the ticket is not really an Anytime either.