How can passengers be attracted to return to rail?

[stevetay3]

It certainly isn’t 70% discounted in my area in the south east I posted in an earlier thread anytime returns with 33% discount save 60p each day against 7 day season ticket costs.based on travelling 5 days per week If some seasons are being discounted by 70% as you say they must be the cheapest tickets of all and as such should be heavily restricted at peak times.

 

[Aictos]

A dedicated bus connection is a bit over the top, but being able to purchase PlusBus from any station in a PlusBus zone rather than a specific list of interchange stations (e.g. buying a Portsmouth PlusBus with a Cosham to Bristol ticket) and a way to obtain PlusBus tickets without having to get them from the station first (or hoping you got them long enough in advance for them to arrive in the mail) are two things that would make the current PlusBus offering highly more attractive.

You should be able to purchase Plusbus from any station in a Plusbus zone, I used to purchase a Plusbus for Peterborough at Stevenage so it's possible already, the next step I think is to retail Plusbus on the ticket vending machines as at times when the ticket office is closed, it can be difficult to purchase a Plusbus.

 

[swt_passenger]

It certainly isn’t 70% discounted in my area in the south east I posted in an earlier thread anytime returns with 33% discount save 60p each day against 7 day season ticket costs.based on travelling 5 days per week If some seasons are being discounted by 70% as you say they must be the cheapest tickets of all and as such should be heavily restricted at peak times.

Have a look at places like Southampton to Waterloo.

But there have been a number of threads in the last few months explaining how, (for some flows), part time seasons are effectively useless because the ratio between weekly season and daily fares is ridiculously low.

 

[stevetay3]

I take your point regarding the Southampton to Waterloo but this says to me that the whole thing needs looking at urgently .Is it fair that a season ticket holder can make a 80 mile journey at peek time for 30 quid a time whilst the occasional traveller has to pay up two twice as much to do the same thing but is barred from using the 30 pound punters trains. Is it not the occasional passengers the railways need to win back now that lots of the commuters are gone for ever.

 

[Alex365Dash]

You should be able to purchase Plusbus from any station in a Plusbus zone, I used to purchase a Plusbus for Peterborough at Stevenage so it's possible already, the next step I think is to retail Plusbus on the ticket vending machines as at times when the ticket office is closed, it can be difficult to purchase a Plusbus.

I was referring to purchasing PlusBus tickets to/from stations that are in a PlusBus zone but not interchange stations - in the example of a Peterborough PlusBus you referred to, this would be the equivalent of purchasing a Peterborough PlusBus with a Whittlesea to Cambridge ticket.

The station of Whittlesea is in the PlusBus zone of Peterborough, but a PlusBus Peterborough cannot be purchased with a ticket issued to/from Whittlesea as it is not an interchange station.

 

[miklcct]

I take your point regarding the Southampton to Waterloo but this says to me that the whole thing needs looking at urgently .Is it fair that a season ticket holder can make a 80 mile journey at peek time for 30 quid a time whilst the occasional traveller has to pay up two twice as much to do the same thing but is barred from using the 30 pound punters trains. Is it not the occasional passengers the railways need to win back now that lots of the commuters are gone for ever.

In order to win commuter more affordable London-style integrated tickets need to be made, and timetables need to be rewritten to prevent lengthy changes for a short-haul journey of 2 to 3 stops, for example, one which covers unlimited train + bus travel in Bournemouth and Poole across all operators. In the current system commuters who live in Hamworthy and works in Westbourne are being ripped off by the train connection at Poole that even a Hamworthy - Branksome journey requires lengthy change between hourly trains, and the ridiculous fare of a seasonal train ticket + morebus ticket. In an ideal system all stoppers on the line should stop all the way from Weymouth to Brockenhurst until it can be passed by a fast train, and a season ticket should be available for the coverage across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area on all buses and trains.