What is Avantix Traveller?

[transportphoto]

Avantix Traveler

What is it?
Is it any good?
Is it available to the General Public?
If so where can I get it from?

 

[WillPS]

It's a pretty basic interface to the fares database, showing every possible fare rather than what's available (in terms of allocation). It can help you find cheap (non Advance) fares.

 

[devon_metro]

Isn't Google wonderful.

http://www.tsoshop.co.uk/bookstore....ok&ProductID=9780117064003&From=SearchResults

 

[transportphoto]

Isn't Google wonderful.

http://www.tsoshop.co.uk/bookstore....ok&ProductID=9780117064003&From=SearchResults

Is there anywhere where I can get a free download of it - or has someone has already purchased the disk and can post me the original disk as they nolonger need it? I want to stay away from piracy.

 

[devon_metro]

If you don't want an illegal copy, you will have to pay for it.

 

[transportphoto]

Is it worth the money when there are free online services?

Thanks 'devon metro'

 

[thefab444]

I want to stay away from piracy.

Then why are you asking for a free copy.

 

[yorkie]

If I want to get a ticket refunded, I am charged an admin fee of £10, however that can be waived at the discretion of the ticket clerk.

If I want to get a copy of the fares, I am charged £9 (+vat + postage), this is less than the admin fee to change a ticket, so as far as I can determine it's just an admin fee for distributing it on CD and we are not paying for the actual software contained on the CD, as I am sure it costs more to produce a CD than to refund a ticket. The program isn't designed for the general public and this is just a spin-off; it is not designed to make money; it is not like downloading music or any other creative work. It contains data that we should have a right to be able to access. I do not see this as "piracy" in any moral sense whatsoever so I do not believe there is anything morally wrong in using it without paying for a CD to be produced for 15MB of data. Indeed, on environmental grounds my opinion is that it is morally wrong to cause extra pollution in manufacturing and transporting a CD needlessly. Others will disagree and that is their choice. The data should be freely available in my opinion. It is scandalous that they want to charge for it.

If you think the information is freely available online, then can I ask where that is, as I am unaware of anywhere else where you can get the full validity restrictions for any ticket?

 

[philjo]

I ordered the CD from my local bookshop (give them the ISBN shown on the TSo site) - that way I didn't have to pay the postage.

or order it from Amazon (free delivery):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Avantix-tra...=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264367854&sr=8-4

 

[Helvellyn]

The data should be freely available in my opinion. It is scandalous that they want to charge for it.

And as I've said numerous times Avantix Traveller is a programme developed by Atos Origin, a private company. My understanding is that anyone buying the CD is in part paying for the right to use the program that displays the fares information. The data and the programme are two separate things, but without the privately developed programme you can't view the data.

ATOC should look at ensuring restriction codes are added to the results of fare enquiries on the National Rail site. I don't believe they should be funding the giveaway of "free" CDs that I'd fully expect Atos Origin would want some payment for at least for the use of their Avantix Traveller program to display the fares.

 

[GodAtum]

How often do they updates the fares?

 

[yorkie]

ATOC should look at ensuring restriction codes are added to the results of fare enquiries on the National Rail site. I don't believe they should be funding the giveaway of "free" CDs that I'd fully expect Atos Origin would want some payment for at least for the use of their Avantix Traveller program to display the fares.

Atos Origin are already paid to produce this, I'm sure, for it's intended purpose, travel agents and the like. I don't believe a CD should be issued free. It should be available as a free download. It's a similar size to the National Rail Timetable. If they want to make the data free but not the program, then that would be fine, we could develop an open source program to interpret the data. Of course, they would be even more opposed to that as they wouldn't want us to easily find cheap combinations of fares!

For me, the moral issue is quite straightforward and it's morally right to have full access to the fares without having to pay for them, and I'm not changing my mind on that.

 

[ralphchadkirk]

Have you asked them Yorkie? Why not ask them for the data so an open source program could be developed?

 

[yorkie]

They charge £hundreds for the raw data!!

 

[ralphchadkirk]

Where do they state that? I would be interested in having a look.

 

[yorkie]

Ranges £400 (for test data for fares & routeing only) up to £27,430 for daily updates of the lot for a year.

http://www.atoc.org/rsp/_downloads/data_feeds/charging.pdf

That's seriously morally wrong...

Thanks to privatisation and boiling frogs:roll:

 

[ralphchadkirk]

Thanks Yorkie, that's interesting. I don't believe they shouldn't be charging, but 27k is ridiculous for it.

 

[glynn80]

And as I've said numerous times Avantix Traveller is a programme developed by Atos Origin, a private company. My understanding is that anyone buying the CD is in part paying for the right to use the program that displays the fares information. The data and the programme are two separate things, but without the privately developed programme you can't view the data.

The program was not privately developed, it was commissioned by ATOC and outsourced to a private company. Atos Origin have not invested any capital into the Avantix Traveller project, I can assure you that.

 

[WillPS]

And as I've said numerous times Avantix Traveller is a programme developed by Atos Origin, a private company. My understanding is that anyone buying the CD is in part paying for the right to use the program that displays the fares information. The data and the programme are two separate things, but without the privately developed programme you can't view the data.

ATOC should look at ensuring restriction codes are added to the results of fare enquiries on the National Rail site. I don't believe they should be funding the giveaway of "free" CDs that I'd fully expect Atos Origin would want some payment for at least for the use of their Avantix Traveller program to display the fares.

Well effectively ATOS Origin have been paid for a license to print money then. That program could have been coded by any decent VB programmer in a couple of days.

They charge £hundreds for the raw data!!

Thousands for anything useful!

Ranges £400 (for test data for fares & routeing only) up to £27,430 for daily updates of the lot for a year.

http://www.atoc.org/rsp/_downloads/data_feeds/charging.pdf

That's seriously morally wrong...

Thanks to privatisation and boiling frogs:roll:

£400 for TEST DATA!!! The mind boggles!

There was a website that had a good algorithm for checking for the cheapest split ticketing fare (something the National Rail Enquiries website should do!) and ATOC demanded £3000 for it despite the fact the website didn't generate any revenue!

 

[oovaavoo]

Hello,

I am new to all this, so if I haven't posted in the right place do let me know.

I was wondering if anyone new what ATO stood for after a fare in Avantix?

Usually it is the train operator's code such as XEA (national express) or FCC (first capital connect) but the ATO seems to set the fares for journeys within the London region (I think).

If anyone could point me in the right direction I'd be very grateful, I'm at my wit's end trying to find it,

Thanks

 

[glynn80]

I am new to all this, so if I haven't posted in the right place do let me know.

I was wondering if anyone new what ATO stood for after a fare in Avantix?

Usually it is the train operator's code such as XEA (national express) or FCC (first capital connect) but the ATO seems to set the fares for journeys within the London region (I think).

If anyone could point me in the right direction I'd be very grateful, I'm at my wit's end trying to find it,

ATO stands for "ATOC (Association of Train Operating Companies)".

Within the London area a zonal fares system operates. To achieve the zonal fares structure a degree of collaboration must occur due to the myriad of different operators running rail services across the capital. However there is a fine line between collaboration and collusion and therefore to satisfy regulatory bodies, the zonal fares within the London area are set centrally by ATOC.