Break of journey on buses?

[fraser158]

Is this possible, or am I just being a chancer?

 

[Mike395]

Dont know of anywhere in the UK where this is permitted - think you're just being overly hopeful there, sorry!

 

[driver9000]

Unless you have a 'through' ticket but I'm not aware of any company that allows a break of journey using an ordinary ticket.

 

[Statto]

Only with day/weekly period tickets ecc. I've never known single or returns valid for break of journey other than to change routes, or vehicles if the bus you're on breaks down.

 

[button_boxer]

I've not seen this in the UK recently, at one point Sheffield used to have a ticket they called "switcha" valid on both the major operators for any number of changes within an hour of purchase but that disappeared several years ago.

Elsewhere it's more common, e.g. in Brussels a single is valid for one change within a certain time limit (possibly one hour, it was a few years ago that I last caught a bus there), and in Seattle and Portland Oregon when I was last there every bus ticket was a "transfer" the equivalent of a 90 minute switcha.

 

[neilmc]

Last time I was in London I forgot my Oyster card so I had to buy a bus ticket from the machine near Paddington station. I noticed that it had a validity of an hour, so I presume that if I had caught a bus fairly quickly and needed to change to another bus at a stop which also had a street ticket machine I could have shown the same ticket on a second bus and it would have been within reaonable time, if not exactly legal.

 

[Pyromaniac]

I'm not sure of this officially but I believe there must have been this option in Southend. The 7/8 routes operated by Arriva follow outwardly similar routes except the 7 serving Ashingdon and the 8 serving Hawkwell, however the fare stages on the ticket machines for the number 7 also included those fare stages on the number 8. Not sure if this was ever used in practice but assume it must've been possible somehow.

 

[radamfi]

Having to pay more to change buses compared to making the same journey on a through bus is a UK/Irish tradition. This is completely nuts and is one of the many reasons for low bus usage in the UK. Most European countries allow free transfers. Even America usually does!

 

[northwichcat]

Most bus operators now only issue single and day tickets so if you're making a return journey and are sold a day ticket then you can break your journey but if it's a single and you alight early you'll probably be seen as having ended your journey with almost all operators.

 

[Lrd]

Southern Vectis on the Isle of Wight are the only operator near to me that allow through tickets, not sure about any break of journey though.

 

[Greenback]

Having to pay more to change buses compared to making the same journey on a through bus is a UK/Irish tradition. This is completely nuts and is one of the many reasons for low bus usage in the UK. Most European countries allow free transfers. Even America usually does!

I agree. I always considered it bizarre that I could get a through ticket to a quite distant place if it wa son the same route, but changing to a different route, with a closer destination cost me more as I had to buy another ticket.

 

[WestCoast]

I agree. I always considered it bizarre that I could get a through ticket to a quite distant place if it wa son the same route, but changing to a different route, with a closer destination cost me more as I had to buy another ticket.

I've never understood the lack of transfer tickets either. It's really common to offer them outside Britain and Ireland. Even using Oyster on London Buses, you have to pay per bus used!

 

[trentside]

In Lincolnshire, the most expensive Stagecoach returns are priced the same as their network day ticket (£7.30). Very few drivers advertise the existence of the day ticket, instead selling the more restrictive return. I'd be interested to know if this is a company directive to get more revenue, particularly along the coast.

With the old ticket machines, I even had drivers who didn't know how to issue them!

 

[Mojo]

First in Bristol have single and return tickets on routes they split in the city centre a few years ago that allow travel on one route as far as the Tramways Centre and then back out on the other side.

 

[WestCoast]

In Lincolnshire, the most expensive Stagecoach returns are priced the same as their network day ticket (£7.30). Very few drivers advertise the existence of the day ticket, instead selling the more restrictive return. I'd be interested to know if this is a company directive to get more revenue, particularly along the coast.

Stagecoach in Lancashire have many single fares which are more expensive than the relevant day ticket. My usual journey is £4.20 single, but £3.50 day ticket. You have to specifically ask for the cheaper ticket.

 

[mbonwick]

Complete opposite here with Stagecoach Cumbria - drivers will usually advise that an explorer ticket is cheaper. The exceptions being the miserable sods - but you get them with any job!

 

[WestCoast]

Complete opposite here with Stagecoach Cumbria - drivers will usually advise that an explorer ticket is cheaper. The exceptions being the miserable sods - but you get them with any job!

That's good. The ticket is a Fylde dayrider, which seems to take ages to issue on the machine. It's quite a bit cheaper than some singles within the area. I had one driver who said it didn't exist a few weeks ago and he couldn't find it!

 

[trentside]

Complete opposite here with Stagecoach Cumbria - drivers will usually advise that an explorer ticket is cheaper. The exceptions being the miserable sods - but you get them with any job!

I had an incident with a Stagecoach East Midlands driver like that recently. I wasn't familiar with the areas ticketing arrangements so asked what ticket was best for my multi-route journey and he advised the £5.50 explorer, despite a cheaper Day Rider Plus covering my entire route (I found a leaflet on a bus I used later in the day) - not sure why he did this as he obviously doesn't earn commission, so what's the incentive?

 

[dvboy]

He probably didn't know! I used to use Stagecoach EM in Lincoln a lot and buying or using a Dayrider or Megarider Plus from a driver as I used it to the last possible stop and they rarely knew where the boundary was.

Here with National Express West Midlands a Daysaver is the same price as 2x singles so is always worth it if you are making more than one journey especially since they operate exact fare only policy. Today at Merry Hill, I was waiting for a 255 to Wolverhampton and a 255E came which only goes as far as Wall Heath. I thought fine I could get that to Kingswinford and catch a 256 from there if one comes, and advised a fellow passenger to do the same but he said he hadn't got enough money. Presumably he'd got to Merry Hill somehow so had he bought a Daysaver he wouldn't have had a problem. As it happens the next bus from Kingswinford the next 255 anyway and he was on it.

 

[radamfi]

Does anyone on here think the British way of charging a new fare when changing buses is better than paying the same fare for the complete single journey whether you change or not? Does the financial penalty deter passengers from changing buses? Curious to read good reasons for it!

 

[gnolife]

Does anyone on here think the British way of charging a new fare when changing buses is better than paying the same fare for the complete single journey whether you change or not? Does the financial penalty deter passengers from changing buses? Curious to read good reasons for it!

I know that round near my college, it stops most people from changing from the 383/4 (double-deckers, route Stockport - Bredbury - Romiley - Compstall - Marple - Offerton - Stockport, 3 per hour) that goes straight from Rose Hill station to Marple station, onto the 375 (a Solo, route Stockport - Offerton - Stepping Hill Hospital - Bosden Farm Estate - Rose Hill Station - Hawk Green - Mellor 1 per hour) to get straight to the college front door (they buy the cheap singles using the student concessionary permit). I think that this is a good thing as it ensures that people going beyond Marple to Mellor, or other areas that are served exclusively by the 375 can get on.

 

[Statto]

I had an incident with a Stagecoach East Midlands driver like that recently. I wasn't familiar with the areas ticketing arrangements so asked what ticket was best for my multi-route journey and he advised the £5.50 explorer, despite a cheaper Day Rider Plus covering my entire route (I found a leaflet on a bus I used later in the day) - not sure why he did this as he obviously doesn't earn commission, so what's the incentive?

I know, some operators names for multi-ride tickets are incomprehensible to remember, at least Arriva & First are easy to remember, it can be harder trying to remember the names of tickets issued by operators like TrentBarton when your not familiar with there tickets types.

 

[bb21]

Stagecoach in Lancashire have many single fares which are more expensive than the relevant day ticket. My usual journey is £4.20 single, but £3.50 day ticket. You have to specifically ask for the cheaper ticket.

This happened to me a good number of years back when Arriva were selling a county-zone day rider (with no peak restrictions) for £3.50, whereas a day return between Loughborough and Coalville was £3.60. I asked the driver if it were true that the day rider was cheaper and he just smiled and said that it definitely was a better deal but they were not allowed to advertise it. Strange that given it was an Arriva product after all (and not a local authority product).

Wilts & Dorset used to have transfer tickets to a range of destinations (a legacy from Hants & Dorset days according to a faretable from 1976). Not sure if they still do now.

 

[Ivo]

Juse seen this thread; I wanted to make a couple of comments...

First in Bristol have single and return tickets on routes they split in the city centre a few years ago that allow travel on one route as far as the Tramways Centre and then back out on the other side.

Do the Night Buses in Bristol not count as a route where "break of journey" is not only permitted, but even encouraged? You have a flat fare which allows travel from any one point in the city to another, breaking the journey in the centre where required. Obviously it's not perfect - it's not as though you can jump off at Brislington and jump on the next an hour later - but it's a start! I think it would be useful if operators would permit it properly though, even if it caused some fares to go up. It's especially true in areas where the local hospital(s) have their own dedicated routes as is true here - you could board my Uni bus, the SPA1, in Oldfield Park and then change at Lower Weston to the 14 to the Hospital. Having said that though, Bath has a circular route which pretty much does this anyway (the 20A/C)...

I'm not sure of this officially but I believe there must have been this option in Southend. The 7/8 routes operated by Arriva follow outwardly similar routes except the 7 serving Ashingdon and the 8 serving Hawkwell, however the fare stages on the ticket machines for the number 7 also included those fare stages on the number 8. Not sure if this was ever used in practice but assume it must've been possible somehow.

Knowing AS, I think not Knowing Southend Transport before them though, it is feasible. But gone are the days of 15p Child singles in Southend (late 90s); the same journey would now cost about £1. On the other hand, I'm not sure Southend would be a good place to try the BOJ rule. There are few places it would work. It would be a lot in Chelmsford I think, especially on the 42.

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O/T: I am still struggling to believe that Southend actually has 12 brand new Versas, even though I been on a couple of them! Not too surprisingly though, I've already spotted one on a route besides the 9 (the 29) - and have travelled on a Dart on a 9.