Worst Value Day (bus) ticket

[Simon75]

Following our from best value, what about the worst ?
Staffordshire you have gor the whole county the Staffordshire Knot for £7

First Potteries have a First Day Network for £7.50, appart from Stoke-on-Trent/Newcastle, can only travel as Crewe, Leek, Stafford and Uttoxeter

 

[railwaytrack]

Following our from best value, what about the worst ?
Staffordshire you have gor the whole county the Staffordshire Knot for £7

First Potteries have a First Day Network for £7.50, appart from Stoke-on-Trent/Newcastle, can only travel as Crewe, Leek, Stafford and Uttoxeter

The worst value ticket by far is the Stagecoach South Dayrider Gold for £9.10 which gives unlimited travel on all Stagecoach South buses for one day.

For 10p cheaper at £9.00 you can buy a Discovery ticket which also gives you the same unlimited travel on all Stagecoach South buses for one day but in addition to that you also get unlimited travel on around thirty other bus operators around the South East area.

 

[Statto]

That First Potteries day ticket is really poor value for such a limited area, when you have likes of Arriva North West & Wales day ticket for £6.10.

High Peak, £7.50 for the network day ticket, area is Peak District, Macclesfield area of Cheshire, as well as 199 Skylink to Manchester Airport, 441 Buxton to Ashbourne, TP2 & TP3 Buxton to Derby.

 

[Ken H]

£12 for a Stagecoach one in the north west. Ok you get a huge area but most people would want a cheaper Cumbria only one. But then, bus fares in Cumbria are eye wateringly expensive.

 

[lxfe_mxtterz]

The worst value ticket by far is the Stagecoach South Dayrider Gold for £9.10 which gives unlimited travel on all Stagecoach South buses for one day.

For 10p cheaper at £9.00 you can buy a Discovery ticket which also gives you the same unlimited travel on all Stagecoach South buses for one day but in addition to that you also get unlimited travel on around thirty other bus operators around the South East area.

Despite the Discovery ticket being £9.00 everywhere else, Stagecoach sells them for £9.10! Quite irritating if the first bus you need to take is a Stagecoach one.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Southern Vectis's day tickets are quite expensive at £10, though they are 24 hours rather than a calendar day. A weekly is £26. This is however quite deliberate - it's a weekend tourist tax, and it might well represent good value for tourists as it's simple.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Despite the Discovery ticket being £9.00 everywhere else, Stagecoach sells them for £9.10! Quite irritating if the first bus you need to take is a Stagecoach one.

I don't think 10p will irritate too many people

 

[Bletchleyite]

I don't think 10p will irritate too many people

It still appears Arriva MK gives you a 10p discount for paying by contactless (or charges 10p extra for cash, whichever you prefer) - you can see the amount changing on the machine when the payment method is selected. I don't think even Arriva have noticed, as there is no publicity at all for this difference!

This has been the case since they started taking card payments, which is a couple of years now.

 

[lxfe_mxtterz]

I don't think 10p will irritate too many people

It isn't a lot, but when you have to pay the extra 10p to buy one for the commute to work, as I do, it soon starts to add up...

 

[NorthOxonian]

First's day tickets in the rural South West aren't particularly good value. A day ticket for Somerset is £13 (or £12 on the app), and a day ticket for their Dorset network is also £13 (and that doesn't even cover much of the county).

Contrast that with equivalent tickets covering other rural counties in the region. The Stagecoach West Explorer covers all of their buses in Gloucestershire (and beyond) for £7.50/£7.30, the Wiltshire Day Rover covers all operators in Wiltshire for £8.50, and Stagecoach charge £9.10 for an Explorer in Devon (or for £9.60 you can get a ticket covering all the operators). First's day ticket for Cornwall was very expensive, but the new multi-operator day ticket is £9 which is more in line with the rest of the West Country. Compared to these prices, the fares in Dorset and Somerset are noticeable outliers.

There may be an element of "tourist tax" pushing up the price in Dorset, similar to what you find in the Lake District or on the Isle of Wight. But I don't think that justification works for Somerset, a county which sees much less tourism (outwith Minehead anyway).

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

There may be an element of "tourist tax" pushing up the price in Dorset, similar to what you find in the Lake District or on the Isle of Wight. But I don't think that justification works for Somerset, a county which sees much less tourism (outwith Minehead anyway).

Especially when you can buy a First West of England Plus and it permits travel on BoS for £12.00

 

[Flange Squeal]

Diamond South East Adult Surrey Network = £7/£3.50 adult/child

Surrey County Council 'Acorn' paper ticket = £7/£3.50 adult/child

Both are valid on the entirety of Diamond South East's (formerly Hallmark) Surrey routes (458/461/555/557), but for the same price the county council's Acorn ticket additionally lets you use a number of other services run by other operators. Interestingly when the Acorn ticket was launched, Hallmark's own day ticket was £8 adult/£4 child, so more expensive than the multi-operator Acorn that also covered all their routes.

 

[ChrisC]

Trent Barton’s day ticket is very reasonably priced at £6.50 but only if you travel after 9.00am. If you travel before 9 on Mondays to Fridays it is very expensive at £10.50. I’m finding it really annoying at the moment because due to shortage of drivers Trent Barton regularly keep cancelling the bus which passes through the village where I live at 0940. I’m using my car more often because I’m not paying £10.50 to travel on the earlier bus at 0830.

 

[Mugby]

Trent Barton’s day ticket is very reasonably priced at £6.50 but only if you travel after 9.00am. If you travel before 9 on Mondays to Fridays it is very expensive at £10.50. I’m finding it really annoying at the moment because due to shortage of drivers Trent Barton regularly keep cancelling the bus which passes through the village where I live at 0940. I’m using my car more often because I’m not paying £10.50 to travel on the earlier bus at 0830.

On the face of it, TrentBarton's day ticket is reasonably priced but the one drawback is that several of their services aren't linked.
For example, if you go to Chesterfield, you can only go back to where you started because TB don't operate any other services from Chesterfield.
Similarly, if you go to Ashbourne or Uttoxeter, the only way from there is back to Derby, Matlock and Bakewell are the same.

There was a time when such towns were cross linked by other services, most of which have been given up to other operators in the ensuing years.

 

[Flying Snail]

On the face of it, TrentBarton's day ticket is reasonably priced but the one drawback is that several of their services aren't linked.
For example, if you go to Chesterfield, you can only go back to where you started because TB don't operate any other services from Chesterfield.
Similarly, if you go to Ashbourne or Uttoxeter, the only way from there is back to Derby, Matlock and Bakewell are the same.

There was a time when such towns were cross linked by other services, most of which have been given up to other operators in the ensuing years.

It was almost more annoying that their day ticket wasn't valid on the Nottingham - Chesterfield Pronto when they did partially operate it.

 

[Statto]

On the face of it, TrentBarton's day ticket is reasonably priced but the one drawback is that several of their services aren't linked.
For example, if you go to Chesterfield, you can only go back to where you started because TB don't operate any other services from Chesterfield.
Similarly, if you go to Ashbourne or Uttoxeter, the only way from there is back to Derby, Matlock and Bakewell are the same.

There was a time when such towns were cross linked by other services, most of which have been given up to other operators in the ensuing years.

Doesn't help TrentBarton Peak District area operations is now shared with Centrebus as separate company, that you have to buy separate tickets if you don't want to double back on the same route, or buy the subsidised Derbyshire Wayfarer instead.

 

[Typhoon]

Despite the Discovery ticket being £9.00 everywhere else, Stagecoach sells them for £9.10! Quite irritating if the first bus you need to take is a Stagecoach one.

Interesting. I've tried to find what my local Stagecoach company (SE) sells them for, nothing obvious on the tickets section (Stagecoach only tickets); a search for multi-operator tickets gives 'no tickets of this type available in this area' (for four distinctive parts of the region).
While it may only be 10p now, I am concerned that the gap may widen. I remember when there was a joint Stagecoach/ Arriva ticket (possibly Explorer) and it cost about a quid more to buy the Arriva version, it made sense in those places served by both companies to buy the ticket from Stagecoach, get off at the next stop and travel on Arriva buses for free.

Drifting from the theme, multi operator tickets need encouraging. There will be no point in implementing the 'Bus Back Better' policy of improved routes and higher frequencies (or even same routes and same frequencies) if it costs an arm and a leg to get anywhere that involves a change of bus.

 

[danielcanning]

Interesting. I've tried to find what my local Stagecoach company (SE) sells them for, nothing obvious on the tickets section (Stagecoach only tickets); a search for multi-operator tickets gives 'no tickets of this type available in this area' (for four distinctive parts of the region).
While it may only be 10p now, I am concerned that the gap may widen. I remember when there was a joint Stagecoach/ Arriva ticket (possibly Explorer) and it cost about a quid more to buy the Arriva version, it made sense in those places served by both companies to buy the ticket from Stagecoach, get off at the next stop and travel on Arriva buses for free.

Drifting from the theme, multi operator tickets need encouraging. There will be no point in implementing the 'Bus Back Better' policy of improved routes and higher frequencies (or even same routes and same frequencies) if it costs an arm and a leg to get anywhere that involves a change of bus.

The problem with the old explorer ticket was the fact that the area of validity depended on who you bought the ticket from. If for example you purchased the Explorer from Stagecoach you could use it as far west as Salisbury on Wilts and Dorset and also on First buses in Hampshire. If you bought an Explorer on an Arriva bus then it wasn’t valid with those companies.

 

[Typhoon]

The problem with the old explorer ticket was the fact that the area of validity depended on who you bought the ticket from. If for example you purchased the Explorer from Stagecoach you could use it as far west as Salisbury on Wilts and Dorset and also on First buses in Hampshire. If you bought an Explorer on an Arriva bus then it wasn’t valid with those companies.

This can't have been an explorer then. This was Stagecoach SE and Arriva Kent and Sussex (as it was then) only. I don't think you could use it on Thameside, and possibly not on Stagecoach in Eastbourne. It may have been the replacement for the explorer you were referring to, certainly it was very limited, there was a map that only included Kent and parts of Sussex, as I would swap to my Old Man's Bus Pass if I was going any further.

 

[Goldfish62]

First's day ticket for Cornwall was very expensive, but the new multi-operator day ticket is £9 which is more in line with the rest of the West Country.

This is reduced to £5 from 10th April.

 

[duncombec]

Interesting. I've tried to find what my local Stagecoach company (SE) sells them for, nothing obvious on the tickets section (Stagecoach only tickets); a search for multi-operator tickets gives 'no tickets of this type available in this area' (for four distinctive parts of the region).

I believe it's £9.

The problem with the old explorer ticket was the fact that the area of validity depended on who you bought the ticket from. If for example you purchased the Explorer from Stagecoach you could use it as far west as Salisbury on Wilts and Dorset and also on First buses in Hampshire. If you bought an Explorer on an Arriva bus then it wasn’t valid with those companies.

This can't have been an explorer then. This was Stagecoach SE and Arriva Kent and Sussex (as it was then) only. I don't think you could use it on Thameside, and possibly not on Stagecoach in Eastbourne. It may have been the replacement for the explorer you were referring to, certainly it was very limited, there was a map that only included Kent and parts of Sussex, as I would swap to my Old Man's Bus Pass if I was going any further.

The "original" explorer ticket issued in Kent used to cover as far as Portsmouth at least, although there was another ticket with a similar name that was valid further west as suggested. Later, the areas divided, with the Hampshire 'end' becoming the Discovery Ticket and the explorer remaining for Arriva and Stagecoach, plus KCC & Medway Council contracted services.

Subsequently, the Discovery Ticket was "reextended" back eastwards to more or less the former Explorer area, the explorer as was disappeared, and individual company tickets returned for those needing them.

Although the Discovery Ticket is itsself available at £9 from all operators - and can also be purchased from the smaller operators, which never used to be the case with the Explorer (as far as I recall), the disparities between it and the operator only tickets are quite noticeable: whilst Arriva's single company ticket is £8.20, Stagecoach's SouthEast Dayrider is £7.30, a Metrovoyager is £7.80... If I'm going out for the day and other operators may be involved, I'm slowly working towards buying a Discovery as standard to get the flexibility for the extra 80p, which is far cheaper than most single fares.

 

[Typhoon]

I believe it's £9.

Thanks for that - it would be good if the company actually advertised it.

The "original" explorer ticket issued in Kent used to cover as far as Portsmouth at least, although there was another ticket with a similar name that was valid further west as suggested. Later, the areas divided, with the Hampshire 'end' becoming the Discovery Ticket and the explorer remaining for Arriva and Stagecoach, plus KCC & Medway Council contracted services.

Now you write that, this makes sense. I know I have had 'discussions' with drivers about availability. An Eastbourne driver questioned its acceptability and, for some time, I carried round the relevant detail from their website; certainly a Thameside driver refused it because I remember contacting Arriva to ask how a passenger in Sevenoaks is supposed to know that the ticket wasn't acceptable on the 306/ 308 but was acceptable on all other Arriva routes in the town.

I agree with you about buying a Discovery ticket, I learn't the hard way forking out a small fortune for a very short journey out of Tunbridge Wells on a Metrobus!

 

[Llandudno]

First's day tickets in the rural South West aren't particularly good value. A day ticket for Somerset is £13 (or £12 on the app), and a day ticket for their Dorset network is also £13 (and that doesn't even cover much of the county).

Contrast that with equivalent tickets covering other rural counties in the region. The Stagecoach West Explorer covers all of their buses in Gloucestershire (and beyond) for £7.50/£7.30, the Wiltshire Day Rover covers all operators in Wiltshire for £8.50, and Stagecoach charge £9.10 for an Explorer in Devon (or for £9.60 you can get a ticket covering all the operators). First's day ticket for Cornwall was very expensive, but the new multi-operator day ticket is £9 which is more in line with the rest of the West Country. Compared to these prices, the fares in Dorset and Somerset are noticeable outliers.

There may be an element of "tourist tax" pushing up the price in Dorset, similar to what you find in the Lake District or on the Isle of Wight. But I don't think that justification works for Somerset, a county which sees much less tourism (outwith Minehead anyway).

Plenty of tourists visit Bath, but I suspect not many travel by bus, apart from the Park & Ride!

or is Bath not in Somerset anymore…. (Bath and north east Somerset)

 

[Flange Squeal]

Interesting. I've tried to find what my local Stagecoach company (SE) sells them for, nothing obvious on the tickets section (Stagecoach only tickets); a search for multi-operator tickets gives 'no tickets of this type available in this area' (for four distinctive parts of the region).

I selected 'Ashford' as an example of a random Kent area at the top, then 'Buy Tickets', then 'All tickets', then 'Day'. The list then shows Ashford DayRider, South East EveningRider, South East DayRider then the discovery below it for £9.

Stagecoach Bus

 

[Typhoon]

I selected 'Ashford' as an example of a random Kent area at the top, then 'Buy Tickets', then 'All tickets', then 'Day'. The list then shows Ashford DayRider, South East EveningRider, South East DayRider then the discovery below it for £9.

Stagecoach Bus

Thanks, I tried
https://www.stagecoachbus.com/regionaltickets/south-east/ashford/multioperator

 

[Man of Kent]

Thanks, I tried
https://www.stagecoachbus.com/regionaltickets/south-east/ashford/multioperator

Appears to have been an unintended consequence of today's fare increase. I will whisper in certain ears...

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Plenty of tourists visit Bath, but I suspect not many travel by bus, apart from the Park & Ride!

or is Bath not in Somerset anymore…. (Bath and north east Somerset)

Bath is First West of England rather than Buses of Somerset. Don’t think BoS tickets are valid on WOE

 

[HullRailMan]

The day ticket for Hull that is valid on both East Yorkshire and Stagecoach is £5 which I don’t think is great value as it only covers the Hull urban area. You can get tickets that cover whole counties for that!

 

[ChrisC]

The day ticket for Hull that is valid on both East Yorkshire and Stagecoach is £5 which I don’t think is great value as it only covers the Hull urban area. You can get tickets that cover whole counties for that!

You mention East Yorkshire. Their all areas day ticket is quite expensive at £12.50. When I was staying in Pickering last summer that appeared to be the only one of their day tickets which included the Scarborough to Pickering route.

 

[Class465pacer]

Arriva's Medway Day is £5.70. Medway is not big enough to warrant that.