Plymouth to Exeter St Davids

[charlee]

Im travelling up to Exeter SD from Plymouth on Saturday 28th Jan. Is it much cheaper to be booking on the day as to buying it few days in advance?

Last time i went it was £5.00 return, is it arounf the same price still?

 

[Temple Meads]

Have you got a railcard?

 

[island]

There are advance tickets available on the route for as little as £3 I think. Whether you can get one of those depends on how far ahead you book.

 

[LexyBoy]

Is it much cheaper to be booking on the day as to buying it few days in advance?

No. Tickets are the same price whenever and wherever* you buy them.

But... certain routes have Advance tickets available, which can only be bought before travel, typically from 12 weeks before travel until 1800 the day before (sometimes up till midnight). These tickets can be cheaper than "walk up" tickets - (Super) Off Peak and Anytime - but are only available in limited quantities. When the cheapest Advance fares sell out, the next cheapest are sold and so on.

For your journey, the "walk up" ticket would be an Off Peak Day Return at £8.30 (£5.50 with a Railcard). There are some Advance singles available for certain trains for £3 (£2) each way this Saturday, but unless you're really, really strapped for cash I'd not recommend buying these for such a short journey.

Bear in mind that Advance tickets are non-refundable and only valid on the train you've chosen; you'd have to buy a new ticket if you missed that train or wished to get an earlier one. Also bear in mind that most ticket booking websites will automatically select Advance tickets if they're even 5p cheaper than the "walk up" fares, always make sure you check the equivalent Off Peak fare in view of the lack of flexibility Advance fares have.

*certain train companies offer discounts on Advance fares for their own trains when booked through their own websites. "Walk up" tickets are the same price everywhere.

 

[asylumxl]

Could get a Devon Day Ranger if you want to go elsewhere in the area .

Was £6.60 with railcard, don't know about now.

 

[Cliveblackpool]

Have even more vfm!
Devon day ranger £10 or £6.60 conc
Devon evening Ranger £5 (after 1800) £3.30 conc
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/promotions/pre884ec0a04000200ad4c9439053fea/details.html

 

[island]

No. Tickets are the same price whenever and wherever* you buy them.

*certain train companies offer discounts on Advance fares for their own trains when booked through their own websites. "Walk up" tickets are the same price everywhere.

Excepting three dishonourable websites that charge booking fees!

 

[charlee]

dont have railcard anymore. £8.50 is absloute ridiculous!!!!

 

[sonic2009]

dont have railcard anymore. £8.50 is absloute ridiculous!!!!

That's cheap!

 

[Zoe]

That's cheap!

Certainly is when you consider that Swindon to Reading is £22.20.

 

[Temple Meads]

Certainly is when you consider that Swindon to Reading is £22.20.

Agreed, the price of Swindon - Didcot drives me mad, £9.90 for, well, not very much at all.

I'm going to have to an AP for my next journey between those two, as it'll be a single, and £9 for that would just be ludicrous.

 

[sonic2009]

I do wonder. Are Fares in Devon+Cornwall subsidised by the Councils?

 

[Temple Meads]

I do wonder. Are Fares in Devon+Cornwall subsidised by the Councils?

Not that I know of.

Though a significant amount of bus services are.

 

[simonm]

With the Devon and Cornwall Railcard you can travel to Penzance from Tiverton Parkway for around £13. From Tiverton to Bristol it's £22....

 

[Schnellzug]

Why is this? Even Bristol to Bath is six quid or something. Are these fares decided by the train operator or the Department for Transport, or who?

 

[mralexn]

I do wonder. Are Fares in Devon+Cornwall subsidised by the Councils?

no, but take into consideration how much slower our lines are down here. and the amount of people that use the trains through cornwall etc.

 

[bnm]

With the Devon and Cornwall Railcard you can travel to Penzance from Tiverton Parkway for around £13. From Tiverton to Bristol it's £22....

Are you comparing the same ticket type? It's around £13 for an Off Peak Day Single TIV-PNZ. And around £22 for an Anytime Single TIV-BRI.

If you look at Off Peak Returns (SVRs) then the trip to Penzance, discounted with a D&C Railcard, is more expensive than the trip to Bristol.

Swings and roundabouts.

And if you are going from Tiverton to Bristol for an Off Peak day trip then split your fare at Taunton to save a few quid.

 

[Schnellzug]

Are you comparing the same ticket type? It's around £13 for an Off Peak Day Single TIV-PNZ. And around £22 for an Anytime Single TIV-BRI.

If you look at Off Peak Returns (SVRs) then the trip to Penzance, discounted with a D&C Railcard, is more expensive than the trip to Bristol.

Swings and roundabouts.

And if you are going from Tiverton to Bristol for an Off Peak day trip then split your fare at Taunton to save a few quid.

Why does it have to be so complicated?
Has anyone explained yet why the fares for similar distances are so incredibly disproportionately expensive?

 

[Ivo]

Has anyone explained yet why the fares for similar distances are so incredibly disproportionately expensive?

Depends on whether XC are involved or not

There are XC-priced tickets available TVP - PNZ, but the standard flow here is priced by FGW.

 

[Drsatan]

Depends on whether XC are involved or not

There are XC-priced tickets available TVP - PNZ, but the standard flow here is priced by FGW.

I discovered there are also EXD-TAU AP fares priced by XC as well!

 

[bnm]

I do wonder. Are Fares in Devon+Cornwall subsidised by the Councils?

Not necessarily directly subsidised, although that may be case on some of the branch lines. But there is the Devon and Cornwall Railcard which is funded, in part, by the relevant Local Authorities.