Price question BRI to EVE

[Re 4/4]

I've got an off peak day return from Bristol (BRI) to Evesham (EVE). The ticket office charged £24.10 for this, with restriction W5 (only via Worcester).

GWR's online tool tries to charge me £64.20 for what seems the same journey.

What causes this difference?

 

[Watershed]

The fare you're seeing on the GWR website is the Super Off-Peak Return routed "not via Reading". It's therefore valid via either Worcester or Didcot.

It's more expensive than your "via Worcester" fare both because of the validity via Didcot, as well as the fact it's a period return ticket (i.e. the return portion is valid for a month) rather than just a day return.

In historic terms the "not via Reading" fare would also have been priced by the Intercity sector of BR rather than the Regional Railways sector. Intercity tended to charge higher fares in their drive towards becoming profitable, and in so doing abolished most day returns for journeys above 50 miles.

 

[signed]

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GWR's online tool tries to charge me £64.20 for what seems the same journey.

£64.20 is a Super Off-Peak return routed NOT VIA READING

£24.10 is a Super Off-Peak day return

 

[Re 4/4]

That clears things up - thanks for the very quick answers! Is there some trick to making sure you get the cheaper price if that's what you need?

The railforums ticket engine finds the cheaper one without needing to set a via point or anything.

 

[signed]

Use the railforums website, since it's based on TrainSplit it's probably one of the best journey Planner you can get

 

[Watershed]

That clears things up - thanks for the very quick answers! Is there some trick to making sure you get the cheaper price if that's what you need?

The railforums ticket engine finds the cheaper one without needing to set a via point or anything.

Enter Worcester as a via point, I would suggest. But better journey planners will surface overtaken journeys if they are cheaper.