Why are rail rovers the poor relation?

[Metroland]

I recently used an East Midlands rail rover, 3 days (out of seven) travel on any train after 9am over a huge area for £70. The thing was, hardly any of the staff knew about it or had seen one! I was constantly challenged and had to explain to many staff what it was.

One of the things that puts people off about rail travel is the high costs, but the rail companies seem very bad at publicising excellent value rovers, or signing people up to block use of lots of spare off peak capacity, say for unlimited tickets nationally or locally (say paid for by monthly subscriptions) which is the primary reason the railways need to be subsidised and 'on peak' travellers get clobbered.

 

[mallard]

There's no incentive for TOCs to push such schemes. They get their revenue support from the government anyway.

Also, many rovers undercut "normal" fares, so TOCs prefer not to publicise them.

 

[eastdyke]

I echo the comments by 'mallard' re publicity.

I had the pleasure of using an EM 3 in 7 during the last week in June and got excellent value for my money. Not once was I challenged by staff to explain the ticket so can only say - OP you were unlucky.

My 'trips' included all of the participating TOCs except First Hull & Virgin.

Still lots a rails to ride so will do it again sometime.

 

[Pen Mill]

I've not had any problems with guards understanding the tickets.
I can understand the reluctance of TOCs to publicise them though.

EDIT
Looking at the East Midlands area it is superb and definitely needs at least the 3 days , pity I would have to add on accommodation costs

 

[LexyBoy]

Also, many rovers undercut "normal" fares, so TOCs prefer not to publicise them.

Indeed, and they don't show up on TOC websites - though NRE will suggest a Rover when it is cheaper than the equivalent "normal" fare (or when there are no other fares, e.g. where only CDRs are available but you select to return on a different day).

 

[table38]

I've had a few queries from guards - I've never been refused travel, more the sort of query you might get from a fellow passenger about the area covered or any other restrictions.

As they seem to be printed on normal stock these days, it seems prudent to carry (or download and print) the leaflet with the map on it just in case! I got a SPT Roundabout the other day which used to be the "scratch and sniff" type with a map on the back, but that was issued on normal stock as well.

Fortunately the staff at Stalybridge are very good and even let me buy a Lancashire Day Ranger from out of the covered area in order to save me having to queue up again at Piccadilly or Victoria to get one. (Obviously I bought a return from SYB to Manchester Stations as well)

I guess must be popular with the boys in the ticket office if they call me as "Mr Xxx"

 

[trickyvegas]

I see plenty of posters advertising Wayfarers and West Yorkshire Rovers, or is this down to PTEs rather than TOCs?

 

[mallard]

I see plenty of posters advertising Wayfarers and West Yorkshire Rovers, or is this down to PTEs rather than TOCs?

Quite probably. Some TOCs are less secretive about rovers than others, I was able to pick up an FGW produced leaflet/map with my Freedom of the South West ticket when I bought it at Penzance back around Easter, but no such luck when I bought a "Ride Cornwall" ticket there on Saturday.

It probably has something to do with Cornwall being very much a "tourist" area and not having any major business or commuter routes with revenue at risk due to cheap rovers.

 

[WestCoast]

Fortunately the staff at Stalybridge are very good and even let me buy a Lancashire Day Ranger from out of the covered area in order to save me having to queue up again at Piccadilly or Victoria to get one. (Obviously I bought a return from SYB to Manchester Stations as well)

You can buy rangers/rovers out of area.

I guess must be popular with the boys in the ticket office if they call me as "Mr Xxx"

I think that's the default setting, if issued by an Avantix Mobile (used by guards/RPIs/G4S), you get "Issued to:_________________" and "Issued at:_____________________". Not very informative...

 

[table38]

I think that's the default setting

Damn, I thought I was in there

 

[Buttsy]

I purchased an All Line Rover last year and on at least 2 occassions the guard commented that they hadn't seen one of those before...

My use was: Oxford-London-Peterborough-Sleaford-Grantham-Doncaster-Pontefract-Wakefield-Leeds-Newcastle-Edinburgh-Stirling-Alloa-Stirling-Perth-Inverness-Kyle Of Lochalsh. Mallaig-Glasgow-Edinburgh-Motherwell-Wishaw-Glasgow-Edinburgh-Warrington-Runcorn East-Warrington-Crewe-Birmingham-Oxford then 3 days travelling the South East.

Only real problem was convincing the bloke on the barrier at St Pancras that my ticket was valid on the domestic trains on HS1.

I cleared a LOT of lines that week, but still missed one in Scotland due to the Alloa train hitting something.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

I agree Rail Rovers have always been very poorly advertised, but up here in the North Northern Rail seem to have become a lot more proactive in pushing them over the past couple of years and now do a leaflet that's freely available in most ticket offices. You can find the online version on the link below;

http://www.northernrail.org/offers/Rail+Rover

The East Midlands one though is a bit of a poor relation, as no one TOC seems to have taken responsibility for promoting it.

Also it seems a bit bizarre that the EM flexirover is 3 in 7 days whereas most of the others are 4 in 8, which is much better value. The great thing about 4 in 8 rovers is that you only need to take two weekdays off work to use one for 4 days (eg Sat-Tues-Thurs-Sat)

 

[Buttsy]

Also it seems a bit bizarre that the EM flexirover is 3 in 7 days whereas most of the others are 4 in 8, which is much better value. The great thing about 4 in 8 rovers is that you only need to take two weekdays off work to use one for 4 days (eg Sat-Tues-Thurs-Sat)

I know, I'm trying to work out Wales in 4 days on a rover...

 

[trentside]

I agree that the East Midlands rovers need more promotion, I did one a couple of weeks ago and had an excellent time. I made sure I printed out the map from the NRE website, as I expected that I may encounter problems going as far south as Bletchley and MK. I wasn't actually challenged once, but on my first train there was a trainee conductor who hadn't come across a rover before, but his trainer used it as an opportunity to introduce them to him.

The only problem I had was getting through the barriers at Lincoln, and it was just a case that they wouldn't accept the ticket. The staff were fine, and just let me through - explaining that the barriers were not set up to accept rovers.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I agree that the East Midlands rovers need more promotion, I did one a couple of weeks ago and had an excellent time. I made sure I printed out the map from the NRE website, as I expected that I may encounter problems going as far south as Bletchley and MK. I wasn't actually challenged once, but on my first train there was a trainee conductor who hadn't come across a rover before, but his trainer used it as an opportunity to introduce them to him.

 

[gnolife]

I agree Rail Rovers have always been very poorly advertised, but up here in the North Northern Rail seem to have become a lot more proactive in pushing them over the past couple of years and now do a leaflet that's freely available in most ticket offices. You can find the online version on the link below;

http://www.northernrail.org/offers/Rail+Rover

The East Midlands one though is a bit of a poor relation, as no one TOC seems to have taken responsibility for promoting it.

Also it seems a bit bizarre that the EM flexirover is 3 in 7 days whereas most of the others are 4 in 8, which is much better value. The great thing about 4 in 8 rovers is that you only need to take two weekdays off work to use one for 4 days (eg Sat-Tues-Thurs-Sat)

Couldnt you take 1 day of (Saturday, Sunday, any weekday, Saturday?)
and the same with 3 in 7s (Saturday, Sunday, any weekday?)

 

[Deerfold]

Couldnt you take 1 day of (Saturday, Sunday, any weekday, Saturday?)
and the same with 3 in 7s (Saturday, Sunday, any weekday?)

Yes, but there's parts of the country where Sunday services are few and far between (my local station goes from 4-6 trains an hour to 1.5 an hour and some are far worse).

Even somewhere as big as Lincoln has nothing before 11am on a Sunday (and only 3 trains before 2pm).

 

[island]

I think that's the default setting, if issued by an Avantix Mobile (used by guards/RPIs/G4S), you get "Issued to:_________________" and "Issued at:_____________________". Not very informative...

I believe they're supposed to be filled in by the passenger or the seller. I got an SET season ticket from a vending machine once with issued to _____________.

 

[Squaddie]

I recently used an East Midlands rail rover, 3 days (out of seven) travel on any train after 9am over a huge area for £70.

Not such great value, really, when you consider that you can buy a 3-day (out of 30) Swiss railways pass covering the entire country, and some of the world's most scenic (and reliable) rail routes, for £111 - and just £94 if there are two or more people travelling together. And this in a country where things generally cost two or three times what they cost in the UK.

British rail fares are a disgrace.

 

[eastdyke]

...

British rail fares are a disgrace.

Sadly they are what they are and I don't see them becoming anything other than more expensive.

However, some of us who want to explore Railways of Great Britain are thankful that Rangers and Rovers do offer some respite from the excesses of regular tickets.

Some of us who want to explore Switzerland (and other countries) are also thankful for their offers.

 

[WestCoast]

I believe they're supposed to be filled in by the passenger or the seller. I got an SET season ticket from a vending machine once with issued to _____________.

I don't think anyone is concerned for a day ranger!

 

[starrymarkb]

A basher I knew used to buy a Solent and Severn and would then exploit the fact that non-local grippers didn't know where the Solent or Severn were. I believe the furthest he got was Yorkshire....

 

[317666]

I had a conductor once who thought my Anglia Day Rover was some type of season ticket, took him a few seconds to realise it was actually a day rover. I've managed to buy a Devon Day Rover at Paddington ticket office before, although obviously I did have tickets to Exeter St David's and back!