Do the prices usually rise in March?
No. Traditionally Rovers are in May I think.
Many thanks.
I'm not sure about 2024 but in 2023 and 2025 the ALR increased at the beginning of March.
I was under the impression that had changed to 12 months
There's nothing on iKB about a restriction on purchasing Rover tickets and Ranger tickets in advance either.
The Season restriction only applies to CCST interestingly
Presumably on the grounds that one issued on ITSO won't be accepted by gates prior to the start date.
But probably be issued on PRT (though admittedly that's increasingly the case at Ticket Offices too.)
I don't get why some people are so keen that a guard can earn commision on their purchase. It might make their day but it's no benefit to the purchaser.
It is possible that there is conflicting information, as the entry for 7 and 14 day All-Line products has the 3 / 5 day requirement stated on the National Rail site.
A couple of years ago, I bought a 14-day ALR 1st class ticket from a Northern Guard just so they could have the 5% commision. Sadly, the thermal printed ticket lost its ink after about 4 or 5 days. Thankfully, I had made a scanned copy on photo paper, which was accepted everywhere.
I think it depends very much upon where you store the ticket. A few years ago I was using a 7 day regional rover which had been issued in paper roll format. I folded it and kept it in one of the National Rail blue plastic wallets. it was readable through the plastic without having to remove it. Towards the end of the week I did remove it from the wallet and lots of the print came off the ticket as I removed it and was stuck to the clear plastic of the wallet. It had been during very warm weather and had been in my pocket and I think this happened due to the humidity.
Apart from a ticket office not being open before an intended early departure.
There’s no detriment to the purchaser either (if they’re happy with the type of ticket stock it will be printed on) so why not help a member of rail staff instead of just their employer?
I can understand some perhaps wanting to see more of the ticket, as for scribbling on it that’s just incompetence or a significant lack of concentration at best.
There are several reasons you might want to do it a day or 2 before in reality. My local station is unstaffed, my nearest station with a ticket office is potentially in the wrong direction for where I’d start a journey on an ALR and, from experience would take close to the connection time to queue and issue one anyway. I also tend to try and buy them with any saved up Rail Travel Vouchers I’ve got which adds further complication (for an alarming number of ticket office staff). It took over half an hour to issue my last ALR which included 5 RTV and the balance on a card, this included 2 phone calls.
So you’re happy to give the guard commission at the same time as taking work (and job security) away from the more poorly paid ticket office staff?
