BRFares incorrect restriction texts

[ForTheLoveOf]

But Indigo2 had no choice. The restriction text used by BRfares came from Avantix Traveller. This source is no longer up to date, leaving the only source left the NRE API. And of course, that's in accordance with industry policy, which is to have one authoritative source of data.

The data from the API is the same data used by the NRE web site, and thus is the same as the URL printed on your ticket. So I think it's probably contractually secure to use it.

I agree that it is now more possible to rely on it, but if it were the difference for potentially being liable for a massive excess I would still want to check NRE!

 

[exesoundtech]

Avantix Traveller has never really been up to date, as it's a CD that's issued three times a year. So long as TOCs only made changes at the time of each fares round, and they were published in sufficient time to be added to the Avantix Traveller CD and for that to be distributed. However, as changes now happen at other times too, this has increasingly shown up the issues with Avantix Traveller.

Indeed changes do happen much more often now. Most weeks in fact, and often at very short notice before a fare becomes available, which can cause all kinds of challenges...

 

[Wallsendmag]

Indeed changes do happen much more often now. Most weeks in fact, and often at very short notice before a fare becomes available, which can cause all kinds of challenges...

Especially when some pricing managers are struggling with a change in the workflow and a new system to use.

 

[exesoundtech]

Especially when some pricing managers are struggling with a change in the workflow and a new system to use.

At least more TIS systems are going "online" for fares data to allow them to cope with the changes more responsively. Although that does create it's own challenges...

 

[Bletchleyite]

As of last night BRFares.com now shows the NRE version of the detailed restriction text, which seems to be generally accepted to be the most up-to-date and "official".

Excellent news, thank you. Snazzy new logo too!

I can confirm that, due to this, the LNR (Super) Off Peak restrictions are now correct.

 

[Paul Kelly]

Snazzy new logo too!

Ha ha. Somebody noticed!

As regards changes to fares happening more and more frequently, I was always under the impression that this was not permitted by the Ticketing & Settlement Agreement, that changes really could only take place 3 times a year unless for temporary fares.

The logic being (as I understood it) that this was to keep costs of distributing new fares down, as it only had to be done 3 times per year. But now that a very large proportion of outlets that sell fares or provide fares information now have daily data updates, and with the rise of the internet and almost ubiquitous use of easily-automated computer systems for selling fares reducing the marginal cost of updating the fares to an absolute minimum, TOCs have gradually started ignoring this requirement and no one has bothered to enforce it. And related to this, TOCs and other retailers weren't obligated to sell temporary fares introduced by other TOCs, precisely because it would be unfair to subject them to the expense of updating their systems outside the 3 annual fares-setting rounds just at the whim of another TOC who wanted to introduce a temporary promotion - but this should no longer be an issue and everyone should be able to sell the same fares.