Priv tickets in the late 1990s

[Taunton]

There must have been many jobs which required staff to travel around, such as fitters going out to different locations every day, or accounts auditors going around offices. How were they handled?

 

[Dr Hoo]

There must have been many jobs which required staff to travel around, such as fitters going out to different locations every day, or accounts auditors going around offices. How were they handled?

Presuming that you are talking about railway staff, you would have been issued with a ‘duty pass’ or ‘bearer pass’ e.g. valid for your area, division or region.
Woe betide anyone using this for non-duty purposes, such as commuting.

 

[Route115?]

Staff were issued with duty passes, which may have been valid for a particular route or region. These were marked 'For duty purposes only' You could also be issued a staff ticket for one off jobs. I think tyhat a certain type of stripe indicated that you did not need to show an ID card. As an aside, after Sectorisation but before privatisation, there could be restrictions on duty tickets and one exasperated department told a member of staff to buy and public ticket and claim it back on expenses as it was the only way they would get home before very late.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 15 Nov 2025 ==

Presuming that you are talking about railway staff, you would have been issued with a ‘duty pass’ or ‘bearer pass’ e.g. valid for your area, division or region.
Woe betide anyone using this for non-duty purposes, such as commuting.

I was forgetting about bearer passes.

 

[Gloster]

There were various types of duty pass that were appropriate to the staff member’s role. During my brief period as a relief signalman I had one for all lines west of Plymouth that was endorsed as valid in brake vans.

 

[Tester]

To summarise. prior to privatisation staff got the following:

75% discount on full fares after six months. This did not generally extend to discount fares. Shortly after joing the railway I bought a return ticket from Victoria to Gatwick for £1.50 with my still valid student rail card. A priv would have cost £1.50.

Free residential travel up to 12 miles later extended to 40 (as discussed above) also a 75% discount on a London Transport travelcard.

Up to the early 80s you got four free return tickets per year after a years service. This later changed to 10 'boxes' offering 48 hours free travel per year. I believe that this increased to 14 after 10 years service - I'm not sure. Management staff also got additional boxes.

Spouses and common law spouses got the same entitlement together with dependent children inclusing I think students. No buddy pases like the airlines.

First Class travel started at MS1 (later raised to MS4).

You were entitles to a regional status pass after reaching a certain point on the MS2 scale (pay was incremental) or in any case MS3. You could choose your region.

You got an all station pass at MS4, and if London based an LUL pass at MS5.

Your family received a status pass if you reached Exective Grade, but only for leisure purposes.

On retirement you kept your entitlement to privs and also any skept tatus pass / LUL pass held, but the number of boxes was halved.

You were entitled to free European travel after a year (slightly different if you worked for a subsidiary like BREL). This was a FIP card (50% off public fares) plus one coupon per year per administration. (With Switzerland you had separate passes for each operator, later consolidated to SBB, BLS & Swiss Private.) Salaried staff got two coupons per year on NS Dutch Railways. There werer various entitlents for families by administration (BLS included spouse & dependents, SBB didn't for example). After retirement you got one pass within 15 months of retirent and a second within I think 39 months (can't really remember). A few railways (Benelux operators, + Italy I think) also issued passes to retired staff.

Active staff could use status passes for residential, duty & leisure, other staff travel was strictly leisure only (although I believe that privs could be used for up to two weeks residential travel).

It could be a sackable offence to buy a priv for someone who was not authorised (it certainly happened) and you had to show your staff ID card when using a priv so a friend using a priv could be found out.

I'm happy to be corrected on anything - my memory is hazy in places.

That's a pretty good summary.

Some minor things from memory.....

I started in 1972, and I'm pretty sure it was only one month to get the priv card (originally green - changed to blue soon after).

10 boxes up to 10 years is right, but I think 16 over 10 years - the conversion formula was two boxes per ticket plus two extra boxes (nominally a 'spoilage allowance'). I ended up in 1992 as MS2 equivalent, with 20 boxes.

I chased the 'white card' (first class travel), but sadly it eluded me - the goalposts moved ahead of me

You could choose your region for the status pass, but I had to make a bit of a fuss to get an LMR pass, rather than the SR one deemed appropriate.

The FIP card came after a year, but for the 'wages grades' (mere plebs like me then) the only 'foreign' free travel at that point was for Ireland. The rest came afer four years (having been five years not long before).

The international coupons started in 1979 - before that it was one return (or two singles) for each country (double for France and Belgium).

The general FIP discount was indeed 50%, but France and Belgium were 75%.

There were also free and reduced rate travel possibilities in other countries - sometimes formalised (Canada was very generous) and sometimes vague - you would be issued with a 'letter of introduction' inviting foreign administrations to give such concessions as they saw fit (worked well in New Zealand).

I can't speak for retirement as I didn't get that far!

The travel concessions were a big motivation in choosing the railway as a career, and it was quite a shock to find that the average railway employee wasn't that bothered about them!

 

[Rescars]

Staff were issued with duty passes, which may have been valid for a particular route or region. These were marked 'For duty purposes only'

These could be tailored for specific requirements. Travellers-Fare train catering admin staff in relevant roles were provided with duty passes stamped with wording along the lines of "Valid first class in restaurant cars only".

 

[Gloster]

Recollection is that the FIP card was valid for CIE and NIR, and also for MAV in Hungary after one year, but (as said) you had to wait to four years for the rest. I am sure we had someone who in 1988 paid his way all the way to Hungary just so that he could get a kick out of using a free ticket. And he wasn’t even an enthusiast.

 

[edwin_m]

Woe betide anyone using this for non-duty purposes, such as commuting.

I was stopped on one occasion travelling on one of these on a Friday evening in casual clothes with a large backpack. I ended up showing the inspector that it contained hundreds of memory chips to be plugged into York IECC during a weekend commissioning.

 

[Falcon1200]

Presuming that you are talking about railway staff, you would have been issued with a ‘duty pass’ or ‘bearer pass’ e.g. valid for your area, division or region.

When I joined Glasgow Control in 1984 the Deputy Chief Controller (ie Duty Manager) had a couple of Regional passes which could be used for line visits, or attending meetings. Post privatisation Railtrack and later Network Rail staff had to pay full fare for such things and claim it back!

 

[Belperpete]

I got a regional pass as an MS1. It was because I was being paid more than the basic MS2 salary (the pay ranges overlapped). I think the entitlements to the different levels of pass were based on achieving set MS grades or equivalent salary. They were called status passes, as the higher your status, the more you were entitled to. First class passes were called leather passes, although in practice they were white card (to distinguish them from the green standard class passes).

I seem to recall that someone travelling with a leather pass was entitled to have someone with a standard class pass or ticket travel with them in first class (to save the leather pass holder having to slum it in standard class with the lower ranked colleague).

My pass came with a whole list of other places it was valid, such as odd bits of the underground, and various lines that had once been part of that region. Passes were also endorsed as to whether they were valid on ferry services or not. As lines transferred from one region to another, those staff who already had a regional pass would have their passes endorsed to say that it was still valid between xx and yy. Staff who became entitled to a pass after the transfer didn't get the endorsement. The endorsements were hand stamped on the passes. It must have been a nightmare administering it, working out who was entitled to which endorsements.

At one point, I had a residential pass to get me to work, two educational passes, plus my regional duty pass. And then when I was seconded to LT, I also got an LT staff card, which seemed to be valid for duty and leisure travel. I recall BR also issued hospital passes, but fortunately I never needed the full set!

For work journeys that weren't covered by my duty pass, such as if I had to attend a meeting somewhere off region, I would need yet another ticket. Sometimes I would be given a blue Edmondson written out for the specific journey, other times I would be loaned one of the department's stock off all stations bearer passes - which I would have to hand back promptly the next day.

My recollection is that "priv tickets" were the tickets that you bought at 25% by presenting your priv card. You only bought these if you anticipated using up all your "free tickets". Priv tickets are just like any normal ticket. The problem was that it was 25% of the full anytime fare, so a Priv ticket could cost more than a member of the public buying say a saver ticket with a Railcard discount..

As well as the priv tickets, you also got an annual allowance of free tickets. These had to be applied for in advance from the admin section, with something like a week's notice if you were out based. You had to specify where you were travelling to and from, and on what date, but the ticket was valid for a month after that date. It was very rare for these to ever be clipped, so they were effectively a month season ticket between the two stations on the ticket. In theory, you could return them if you didn't use them.

I discovered that my admin office used the list of stations in the index to the GB National Timetable book as their reference. So they were quite happy to issue me with free tickets to TanyBwlch on the Ffestiniog Railway. Although they weren't actually valid on the Ffestiniog Railway, they did allow me to travel there via either the Conwy Valley or the Cambrian. They did get some surprised looks from BR guards and TTIs!

The free tickets were later replaced by the priv card with about twenty boxes, which you filled in on the day you wanted to travel, allowing more spontaneity. As I recall, each box was valid for the date you entered, and the day after? And you could travel anywhere on those two days. Staff who weren't entitled to all the boxes would have cards where the last boxes were filled with pre-printed xx. Unfortunately there was no way to get a box "refunded" if you decided not to travel, or made a mess of filling in the box. As I recall, when they moved from the Edmonsons to the boxes, staff were allocated a couple more boxes a year than the number of tickets they used to be entitled to, to allow for this. Staff travelling in this manner were said to be travelling "on the box" (as opposed to "on the cushions").

As I recall, staff who attended railway first aid courses and passed the exam were entitled to extra days holiday and an extra free box? I think that you got extra days holiday depending on how many years you had been doing the course, and an extra ticket/box for passing the exam each year?

 

[Gloster]

The free tickets for us wages grade were I think four up to ten years service and seven thereafter, although I think that those who rose to a the highest steps in the wages grades, such as Signalman D, also got the seven. When the boxes were brought in they went up to, if I remember correctly, ten boxes for the lower and sixteen for the higher. Each box was valid for two days and you could use them how you wanted, not just for a single journey. I once made two out and back journeys to different places from home on consecutive days.

The First Aid arrangement was, if I remember, an extra day’s leave each year and an extra free ticket as long as you kept up your certification. There may also have been a token financial payment. I am not sure what the arrangement once the boxes came in was.

 

[Tester]

The First Aid arrangement was, if I remember, an extra day’s leave each year and an extra free ticket as long as you kept up your certification. There may also have been a token financial payment. I am not sure what the arrangement once the boxes came in was.

My understanding is that first aid tickets remained as blue Edmondson cards even in the box era.

 

[Falcon1200]

I got a regional pass as an MS1. It was because I was being paid more than the basic MS2 salary (the pay ranges overlapped). I think the entitlements to the different levels of pass were based on achieving set MS grades or equivalent salary.

When I started in Control MS1 and above got First Class travel. When I finally made it to MS1, it was MS2 and above, and when I later became MS2 (or its equivalent, as Grade titles were messed around with), it was MS3 and above! I did eventually qualify for First Class, but not immediately because, working for Network Rail rather than a TOC, there was a quota in operation, so basically waiting for someone else to lose the privilege before I could get it.

 

[station_road]

These could be tailored for specific requirements. Travellers-Fare train catering admin staff in relevant roles were provided with duty passes stamped with wording along the lines of "Valid first class in restaurant cars only".

I had a named duty pass stamped as "Valid First Class if accompanying First Class ticket holder" for when I was travelling to meetings with my boss and he didn't want to slum it!

 

[thedbdiboy]

All railway employees would have been able to purchase privilege tickets for their partner/spouse and children/dependents. They would not be able to obtain tickets for other relatives including nieces.
Very senior staff would have unlimited travel for themselves with unlimited leisure travel for dependents. However these would still not be able to obtain reduced price tickets outside the immediate family.

Not in the late 1990s. 'Safeguarded' Privilege ticket concessions were not available to anyone joining after April 1996 so by the late 1990s not everyone got them. People joining after that date got 75% off public fare for themselves only, whilst in employment, plus whatever their TOC might offer them.

That's my recollection too. At Management Staff grade 4 about this time I had a network "status pass" for unlimited first class travel, which became a taxable benefit at privatisation worth about £2k of income I think. I was in Research so the grading was different, but for comparison I recall a vacancy at MS4 for station manager Kings Cross. I think for higher grades the pass was still provided as a medal (mine was like a credit card). MS3 got a regional status pass, Standard only I think, and grades below that various numbers of boxes which each gave two consecutive days of travel. Those not entitled to a status pass could get a "priv season" between nearest stations to home and work, but I think had to pay for this. In BR days status passes could also be used for duty travel, and those not entitled to one could sign out a "duty pass". Graduate trainees got a two year all-network pass (Standard only) and encouragement to familiarise themselves with the railway in their own time. After privatisation travel facilities were for leisure and travel to work (at an ex-BR company) only.

Spouses and dependents only got boxes, the number varying by grade of the employee. Everyone entitled to any of this had to carry a photocard, and stringency extended to entrusting a future spouse's pass to the vicar to be handed over only on completion of the wedding (common law spouses passes were allowed but only after living together for several years). I was aware of people losing their entitlement for a period if caught cheating the system, typically by altering a used box from a 1 to a 4 or whatever. So I would agree it's very unlikely that an employee could obtain a staff travel facility for a non-dependent relative.

There were however the amazing blue Edmondson tickets that could be made out by hand for anyone from anywhere to anywhere. I got one issued only once, for a supplier representative we took on a test train for him to demonstrate one of the first GPS navigators (we broke it). I guess if a manager had control over issuing of these then there might be some scope for fraud.

To summarise. prior to privatisation staff got the following:

75% discount on full fares after six months. This did not generally extend to discount fares. Shortly after joing the railway I bought a return ticket from Victoria to Gatwick for £1.50 with my still valid student rail card. A priv would have cost £1.50.

Free residential travel up to 12 miles later extended to 40 (as discussed above) also a 75% discount on a London Transport travelcard.

Up to the early 80s you got four free return tickets per year after a years service. This later changed to 10 'boxes' offering 48 hours free travel per year. I believe that this increased to 14 after 10 years service - I'm not sure. Management staff also got additional boxes.

Spouses and common law spouses got the same entitlement together with dependent children inclusing I think students. No buddy pases like the airlines, but I think that carers were entitled.

First Class travel started at MS1 (later raised to MS4).

You were entitles to a regional status pass after reaching a certain point on the MS2 scale (pay was incremental) or in any case MS3. You could choose your region.

You got an all station pass at MS4, and if London based an LUL pass at MS5.

Your family received a status pass if you reached Exective Grade, but only for leisure purposes.

On retirement you kept your entitlement to privs and also any skept tatus pass / LUL pass held, but the number of boxes was halved.

You were entitled to free European travel after a year (slightly different if you worked for a subsidiary like BREL). This was a FIP card (50% off public fares) plus one coupon per year per administration. (With Switzerland you had separate passes for each operator, later consolidated to SBB, BLS & Swiss Private.) Salaried staff got two coupons per year on NS Dutch Railways. There werer various entitlents for families by administration (BLS included spouse & dependents, SBB didn't for example). After retirement you got one pass within 15 months of retirent and a second within I think 39 months (can't really remember). A few railways (Benelux operators, + Italy I think) also issued passes to retired staff.

Active staff could use status passes for residential, duty & leisure, other staff travel was strictly leisure only (although I believe that privs could be used for up to two weeks residential travel).

It could be a sackable offence to buy a priv for someone who was not authorised (it certainly happened) and you had to show your staff ID card when using a priv so a friend using a priv could be found out.

I'm happy to be corrected on anything - my memory is hazy in places.

Just a couple of corrections -
'Priv' facilities were always a taxable benefit in kind. but following a Lords ruling in the 1980s this was charged at the marginal cost to the employer. For BR there was nothing to pay. After privatisation it remained zero rated if you were employed by a TOC or ATOC but not if you were employed anywhere else (e.g. Railtrack) hence the introduction of a tax charge for these employees.
The issue of new Regional status passes were removed after the abolition of the regions. If you already had one you retained it whilst employed, or if you retired. Priv travel facilities were also retained if you were made redundant after a certain number of years.

 

[Rover]

but I think that carers were entitled

You could also get one for "Housekeepers", I got one for my mother who I lived with me.

 

[WesternLancer]

You could also get one for "Housekeepers", I got one for my mother who I lived with me.

Yes. I recall that wording clearly used in the explanatory literature I received with mine when I received it in 1986.

 

[PeteK]

When I started in Control MS1 and above got First Class travel. When I finally made it to MS1, it was MS2 and above, and when I later became MS2 (or its equivalent, as Grade titles were messed around with), it was MS3 and above! I did eventually qualify for First Class, but not immediately because, working for Network Rail rather than a TOC, there was a quota in operation, so basically waiting for someone else to lose the privilege before I could get it.

As my father was a railway worker I always had a Priv ID card. This was rather oversized for a wallet, lasted 4/5 years and had to be returned to the personnel dept for validation each year. A limited number of free passes were available but had to be applied for with something like a weeks notice. When I joined in 1973 I kept my entitlement until my probation period finished. I thought the introduction of the staff travel card with the boxes was a great innovation as it meant you could just jump on a train when you felt like it (subject to the number of boxes). In one of my future roles after depot computing systems were introduced I had to supervise the printing of the cards each year for the depot staff. Also, as a trackside worker, I had a duty pass also stamped valid in First if travelling with a manager.

Like several members above, moving up the grades meant gaining first class and then all stations first class. Now retired, this is a continued perk which I still value (and no Benefits In Kind tax issues).

 

[6Gman]

When I started in Control MS1 and above got First Class travel. When I finally made it to MS1, it was MS2 and above, and when I later became MS2 (or its equivalent, as Grade titles were messed around with), it was MS3 and above!

Been there. Got the t shirt. But not the First Class card!

 

[Ashley Hill]

I remember seeing the medallions in leather wallets as a young ticket examiner back in the 1980s. The ones I saw the most were in the shape of the old lion holding a wheel pattern. Later on more and more plastic credit card style status passes became more common, both in gold and silver. I had a green/red WR bearer pass for when travelling out of my area during training. A guard once took it off me not believing that a 16yr old could have one.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I remember seeing the medallions in leather wallets as a young ticket examiner back in the 1980s. The ones I saw the most were in the shape of the old lion holding a wheel pattern. Later on more and more plastic credit card style status passes became more common, both in gold and silver. I had a green/red WR bearer pass for when travelling out of my area during training. A guard once took it off me not believing that a 16yr old could have one.

Think I mentioned before - but BR recalled all the old senior officers medallions at some point and they were destroyed and replaced by plastic cards.

 

[pitdiver]

I joined LUL in June 89 as a Booking Clerk. For some strange reason I was entitled to priv fares on BR and obviously free travel on LT services. I was also entitled to one free ticket per year for myself and family on BR. In 2005 i took Voluntary Severance because of this i kept my PTAC for myself and my wife if i had resigned I would not had any Priv travel entitlement.
Back in 89 I was living in Milton Keynes so I had a Priv Season to London Euston but only paid to Watford Junction for obvious historical reasons. I assume this situation still exists.

 

[Trainman40083]

Well, all these posts brought back memories. I started in 1975. Well remember the vast variety of locations used to the blue card tickets. I ended up with 20 boxes . But that brought back a memory of the photo ID card. Can't recall what year they came in, but I do remember I only ever had two. One , maybe around 1978, the other 1995. Every so often, as retired staff, I get asked to show it at the ticket barriers (I think some staff like a laugh to see how much people have changed).. Now I remember the tax liability... If you took early retirement before 60, you could pay a lump sum to pay off the tax due up to 60... But every so often, the taxman put it back on.....

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Well, all these posts brought back memories. I started in 1975. Well remember the vast variety of locations used to the blue card tickets. I ended up with 20 boxes . But that brought back a memory of the photo ID card. Can't recall what year they came in, but I do remember I only ever had two. One , maybe around 1978, the other 1995. Every so often, as retired staff, I get asked to show it at the ticket barriers (I think some staff like a laugh to see how much people have changed).. Now I remember the tax liability... If you took early retirement before 60, you could pay a lump sum to pay off the tax due up to 60... But every so often, the taxman put it back on.....

"Blue" ticket requests were often made out to very unusual locations - say Lostwithiel to a Continental Port or say Cooden Beach to Thurso giving an-all lines Rover ticket effectively. Often shown but not clipped by guards etc , however some TTI's would make a point in asking for them to be removed , examined , and clipped !

Rail Staff Travel emailed me recently to provide a new photo as mine is well over 10 years old and an update is needed ! - fair enough !

I recall when the self dating boxes were introduced certain individuals had their cards confiscated and sent off for analysis as "alterations" were suspected.

 

[Harpo]

"Blue" ticket requests were often made out to very unusual locations - say Lostwithiel to a Continental Port or say Cooden Beach to Thurso giving an-all lines Rover ticket effectively.

Guilty. Cargo Fleet to Manorbier, Forsinard to The Dell etc.. Lucky nobody thought about adding routing restrictions.

 

[Trainman40083]

"Blue" ticket requests were often made out to very unusual locations - say Lostwithiel to a Continental Port or say Cooden Beach to Thurso giving an-all lines Rover ticket effectively. Often shown but not clipped by guards etc , however some TTI's would make a point in asking for them to be removed , examined , and clipped !

Rail Staff Travel emailed me recently to provide a new photo as mine is well over 10 years old and an update is needed ! - fair enough !

I recall when the self dating boxes were introduced certain individuals had their cards confiscated and sent off for analysis as "alterations" were suspected.

I had the odd pass Thurso to Bat and Ball. You always went for an obscure station.. I did have one pass that was clipped so many times, it needed sellotape to hold it together. I guess that counts as a tape recorder

 

[ChiefPlanner]

One my friends became a Machynlleth guard , and asked me about a place she had observed on a blue ticket pass - "Strawberry Hill" - I assured her it was a real place !

 

[Tester]

"Blue" ticket requests were often made out to very unusual locations - say Lostwithiel to a Continental Port or say Cooden Beach to Thurso giving an-all lines Rover ticket effectively. Often shown but not clipped by guards etc , however some TTI's would make a point in asking for them to be removed , examined , and clipped !

The blue tickets could be issued as two singles (counted as one return) - better for clippage!

Thurso to All Channel Ports and All Channel Ports to Wick for me!

 

[Romsey]

There was an art to getting maximum availability, particularly if you held a season ticket into London.
Upwey to Forsinard gave a pretty wide range of routes.
Then there were misinterpretations to be considered...
Penrhyn to Plockton but is that the Cornish one or the Cambrian Coast one? And which Charing Cross?

 

[Tester]

There was an art to getting maximum availability, particularly if you held a season ticket into London.
Upwey to Forsinard gave a pretty wide range of routes.
Then there were misinterpretations to be considered...
Penrhyn to Plockton but is that the Cornish one or the Cambrian Coast one? And which Charing Cross?

With the occasional exception, nobody cared.