London to Wymondham route excess query

[Techniquest]

Hi all,

I'll be brief, as Chrome failed on me miserably on my previous attempt to make this post!

I'm having to travel from London to Wymondham and back on 25th September 2010, but I'm curious on something:

I already have the fares gen I need, £22.70 for a Y-P London Terminals to Wymondham Via Cambridge Off Peak Return. However, I'm not well versed on excessing fares, so I need some help from the gurus of ticketing.

Basically the query is how do I request a route excess should I decide to return via Norwich? I'm expecting either the ticket office to be closed when I intend on returning to the station (about 1700) thus needing to request said excess from the TM, who I expect I'll get not much more than a "You want what? Sorry mate, can't do them" kind of response. Which, before anyone thinks it, is not a dig at staff. It's a dig at the lack of training generally given to staff these days. I've got around 30 minutes at Norwich, should I go that way, but I don't want to have to risk not being able to get my ticket sorted.

So if someone could help me with some sort of idea on what I may (or may not) need to tell them in order to do such an excess, that would be most appreciated.

Finally, I know the difference between the Via Cambridge and Via Norwich fares is £5.60. For excessing it in just one direction, the excess should only be £2.80. However, I don't have the hugest amount of confidence in that being the case somehow. Which is where having, for lack of a better way of putting it, instructions on how to issue the correct excess would be extremely useful.

Thanks in advance all.

 

[Sleepy]

If the guard is unable to process this the ticket office at Norwich is open until 2045 7 days a week.
HTH.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

You should excess the ticket before you board the train, if you do it on the train the guard/conductor will charge you the difference between the fare paid and the cheapest single/return valid for travel on that service (Railcards apply if the original ticket was discounted). 'The Manual (FRPP) does not suggest how this is calculated.

[The options would be the difference between the return fares (you would pay both directions), or, the difference between what you actually paid for the return journey (probably not that much) and a the single fare, a guard/conductor on here would probably know better than me which is used]

[EDIT:That only applies if the ticket office was open]

At the ticket office, the actual proceedure would depend on the machine in use, but the excess fares proceedures can be found in 'the Manual' (FRPP) under "Excess fare to charge where there was 'no opportunity to buy' before boarding the train" in the 'Excess fares' section. Ask them to check 'change of route' part, if they are lost or incorrectly try to charge for both directions.

You should only get charged half the fare for change of route in one direction.

 

[yorkie]

Excess is £2.80 for rtn portion only.

 

[Techniquest]

Thanks chaps, most appreciated

 

[tony_mac]

Is there any reason you can't excess just the return leg before you leave London?

That might give you a bit more time, and a larger station, to do it.

 

[Techniquest]

That would be a sensible idea, for sure, but the only problem is I wouldn't know for absolute certainty I'd be returning via Norwich until the afternoon in question.

Still not a bad idea, if I have a firmer journey plan before I leave London I'll get it sorted there. Thanks for the idea

 

[yorkie]

I don't think they can charge more on the train, as there are no instructions to do it differently, are there??

 

[John @ home]

I don't think they can charge more on the train, as there are no instructions to do it differently, are there??

I agree. I don't know of any instruction that

You should excess the ticket before you board the train

In the absence of an instruction, the passenger's right to excess should result in the same fare being charged at the booking office and on the train.

13. The route you are entitled to take
(e) If you make your journey by a route other than those referred to in (a) and (b) above, you will be liable to pay an excess fare. This excess fare will be the difference between the price paid for the ticket you hold and the price of the lowest priced ticket(s) available for immediate travel that would have entitled you to travel by that route.

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/system/galleries/download/misc/NRCOC.pdf

 

[hairyhandedfool]

Well I did say a guard/conductor might know better how it is calculated, but the exact instruction in The Manual (FRPP) is....

Change of route or travel on a day/train for which the ticket is not valid

Charge the difference between the fare paid and the cheapest single/return fare, available for immediate travel, for the journey being made. Railcard holders are entitled to a discount only if the original ticket was discounted.

This is different to where there was no opportunity before boarding the train. My thought is that this does conform to condition 13.

Change of route....

Return Ticket - Change of route in one direction only

Half the difference between the price already paid and the price of the cheapest return fare, available for immediate travel that allows the customer to use the route and train services of their choice.