Annual season tickets

[fandroid]

Simple question:

How are the prices of annual season tickets calculated? I assume that they have a direct relationship with "Any permitted" Anytime fares.

 

[jfollows]

See https://www.brfares.com/!info?type=SEASON

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SEASON TICKETS

Season tickets are identified by a blue header in the query results. They allow unlimited travel over all permitted routes between the origin and destination for the period of validity of the ticket, up to and including 04:29 on the day following the last day of validity. They have no validity restrictions and allow unlimited break of journey at all intermediate stations. They can usually only be purchased a few days (at the most) in advance of the beginning of their validity period.
Season tickets are normally available either for a period of 1 week, or for any period between 1 month and 1 year. In most cases the price of a longer period season is calculated using the weekly season as a base rate, according to the following formula:
3.84 x (no. of whole months) + 0.64 x (no. of 5-day periods) + 0.13 x (no. of remaining days)
with the result rounded up to the next 10p. Note that any period between 10 months 13 days and 1 year is calculated at a flat rate of 40 times the weekly base rate, so there is no point in buying a season with a validity within this range; an annual season will be the same price.
Selecting the relevant weekly ticket from the fares enquiry results will load the Season Ticket Calculator, which can be used to quickly and easily calculate the price of a longer period season for any period of your choosing. For commuters who only travel Monday to Friday, it is often advantageous to buy a season with an odd number of days, e.g. to start on a Monday and end on a Friday, and avoid paying for some weekends when the ticket would not be used.
Some journeys (mainly long distance journeys to London) have a separate base rate for calculating the price of a monthly or longer season. This is generally at a more advantageous rate than if the weekly price were to be used as a base rate (or indeed there may not even be a weekly season available for the journey). This is known as a market-priced season and where it exists, is shown separately to the weekly season in the fares enquiry results.
Further information is available in the Multi-Journey Tickets section of the RailUK Fares & Ticketing Guide.

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So the 7 day base for Wilmslow-Manchester is £47.70, an annual season ticket costing £1,908.
It is possible to buy season tickets restricted to specific operators, for example, for which a different 7 day base cost will be defined. I could buy an Avanti-only season ticket for £42.80/£1,712. There’s also a cheaper TfW-only rate.

 

[Haywain]

Simple question:

How are the prices of annual season tickets calculated? I assume that they have a direct relationship with "Any permitted" Anytime fares.

At 40 times the price of a 7-day season in most cases (a monthly season is 3.84 times the 7-day rate). In a few longer distance examples the 7-day season is set at a slightly higher rate and a 'special' 7-day rate appears for calculation of monthly and longer seasons.

 

[fandroid]

Thanks!

 

[Mcr Warrior]

How are the prices of annual season tickets calculated? I assume that they have a direct relationship with "Any permitted" Anytime fares.

Not necessarily. Using the Wilmslow->Manchester example, the Anytime Day Return fare is currently £14.20. The weekly season, at £47.70 means it's 3 36 times more expensive. You'd likely have to make four (peak hours) day return trips to make the weekly season better value. Are folk travelling that often, these days?

For Southampton Central to/from London Terminals, the Anytime Day Return is £111.00. The equivalent weekly season at £186.90, so is only 1.68 times more expensive. Just need to make two (peak hours) day return trips to be cheaper. Much longer journeys, though! Wonder how often folk make that journey every week?!

 

[jfollows]

Manchester-London is one of the “separate base rate for monthly season” ones, £1,883.60 for one month versus £386 anytime return, that’s less than 5x the day return fare.
For a week, an all line rover is an option, which I used to use before they introduced restrictions on it.

 

[MrJeeves]

I had initially interpreted the question to be to do with how a TOC sets the price of season tickets compared to daily fares, so I might as well post what I wrote.

Typically, this would be set somewhere between 3-5 times the Anytime Day Return, but the price can be surprisingly variable depending on the journey.

For example, a weekly season Southampton-London is £186.90, which is only £75.90 more than one Anytime Day Return (1.68x the day return). But the same flow also has a "via Three Bridges" fare, where the 7-day season is £154.20 but the Anytime Day Return is £76.90 (2x the day return).

You also get tickets (sometimes with additional cost) with "also available at" locations to add extra flexibility for passengers.

To add to the growing list of examples of different weekly and monthly prices, you've also got Hatton-Lapworth where the monthly season is 10 pence more than the 7-day, which is very much a special case.

 

[FenMan]

At the other end of the scale, the weekly season between Blackwater and Reading, priced by GWR, is not exactly attractive.

5 x Anytime Day Returns @ £11.60 = £58.00
The 7 day season is £54.80, saving those who travel 5 days a week the princely sum of £3.20.*

*Before anyone says, yes I know the unit cost of the Flexi 8 in 28 product offers better, but hardly stellar, value @ £10 a day.

 

[30907]

Not necessarily. Using the Wilmslow->Manchester example, the Anytime Day Return fare is currently £14.20. The weekly season, at £47.70 means it's 3 36 times more expensive. You'd likely have to make four (peak hours) day return trips to make the weekly season better value. Are folk travelling that often, these days?

For Southampton Central to/from London Terminals, the Anytime Day Return is £111.00. The equivalent weekly season at £186.90, so is only 1.68 times more expensive. Just need to make two (peak hours) day return trips to be cheaper. Much longer journeys, though! Wonder how often folk make that journey every week?!

In this case I think the Southampton Anytime fare is not regulated so has increased relative to the season, but even in the 70s longer distance season's broke even around 2 journeys a week while over short distance it was at least 4. Your clerk from Wimbledon worked a 5-day week, your city gent from Winchester probably didn't come in every day.