Buying a return ticket on the train.

[hougtimo]

Can I do this?

Normally I hop on, the conductor comes down and sells me a ticket to where I want to go. Fine.

But I want a return ticket to come back on a different day (going sat, coming back sun) can I do this on the train, or must it be done in advance?

 

[SS4]

I would say yes although the NRCoC only specifies this in terms of not having a valid ticket for the train. I imagine you'd get a (Super) Off-Peak return if it's acceptable.

For the purposes of this Condition, and Conditions 4, 39 and 41, “full single fare or full
return fare” means the highest priced single or (if requested by the passenger) return fare
appropriate to the class of travel for the journey you are making.

 

[northwichcat]

Depends on your journey and where you are boarding.

Most conductors will have machines that allow them to issue a full range of tickets. However, they can refuse to sell off-peak tickets or railcard discounted tickets to people who could have purchased at the ticket office of the station where they started their journey unless they have a good reason for not doing so.

Good reasons are things like ticket office unstaffed when it should be open and you being disabled and there not being step-free access between the ticket office and platform. Length of ticket queues is debateable unless rail staff have said that you can buy on the train.

 

[LexyBoy]

From your message I assume you're boarding at a station with no ticket buying facilities (or on Northern, where they seem happy to sell you whatever on board). In this case, yes, you can buy any ticket you could from the ticket office.

(If the station does offer ticket facilities, the guard is only supposed to offer you an Anytime Single or Return / Day Return as appropriate, however what actually happens depends on the policy of the TOC, and the individual guard)

 

[hougtimo]

I'll be getting on at Ferriby (Unmanned station - will be travelling Northern Rail). If I got an anytime return does that mean I can use it the next day? Or that day only?

 

[northwichcat]

I'll be getting on at Ferriby (Unmanned station - will be travelling Northern Rail). If I got an anytime return does that mean I can use it the next day? Or that day only?

Yes. Although you may be able to get an Off Peak Return which will be cheaper but may have restrictions on it's use.

Your outward ticket will be printed to say something like "Valid from 31 Mar 2011 Valid Until 31 Mar 2011", while the return ticket will say something like "Valid from 31 Mar 2011 Valid Until 30 Apr 2011" meaning it's valid for one journey between those dates.

 

[LexyBoy]

I'll be getting on at Ferriby (Unmanned station - will be travelling Northern Rail). If I got an anytime return does that mean I can use it the next day? Or that day only?

If it's an Anytime Return, it's valid for one month on the return
If it's an Anytime Day Return, it's only valid on the day.

Usually only one or the other is available, so if you look up your journey or post it on here you can find out which ticket it will be.

 

[ainsworth74]

What exact journey are you doing? An anytime return would allow you to travel out and return anytime but it might be cheaper to buy an off-peak return (but there are somtimes restrictions on the return journey). Give us more information and we will be happy to help you

 

[me123]

I'll be getting on at Ferriby (Unmanned station - will be travelling Northern Rail). If I got an anytime return does that mean I can use it the next day? Or that day only?

As you're boarding at an unmanned station, you can buy any walk-up ticket on the train, including all available returns.

However, can you tell us the destination? That determines the validity of the return portion. A "day return" is valid only on that day. However, the return portion of an "anytime return" or "off peak return" is usually valid for a month. Which fares are available does, however, depend on the journey. Although there are exceptions, shorter journeys (eg Ferriby-Hull) tend only to have day returns but longer journeys (eg Ferribly-London) tend to have the anytime and off peak returns.

 

[LexyBoy]

On a tangent, I note that Ferriby-Brough is valid via Hull and is £3.00 SDR vs £4.60 SDR.

 

[hougtimo]

Will be travelling ferriby to scarborough and return. Looking to go either friday evening or sat morning (don't mind travelling fairly late fri evening) and coming back sun evening (Think it's the 19:31 service)

 

[LexyBoy]

That journey has an Anytime Return, £18.40 which is valid for 1 month return. (Also, the outward part is valid for 5 days, but I don't think that will be relevant if you're buying on the train!)

 

[me123]

For Ferriby-Scarborough, you can get both an Anytime Day and an Anytime return. For what you are looking for, you can buy an Anytime Return which will cover your return on Sunday. The ticket is £18.40.

According to the journey planners, the last train you can catch on Friday is the 18:46 from Ferriby, and you can return on the 19:37 (I notice that there're very few Sunday trains where you live!).

 

[yorkie]

In theory the guard should ask when you wish to return, to determine the appropriate ticket. But sometimes this does not happen, so it's always worth checking the info before travelling, and then asking for the exact ticket you need. It also saves the guard time too, of course.

Make sure that the price you are charged is £18.40 and is an Anytime, without the word Day! If you are charged £16.60 then that's an Anytime Day and is the wrong ticket.

 

[island]

But I thought anytime tickets could be used anytime at all under fares simplification :roll::roll::roll::roll:

 

[me123]

Well, yes they can all be used at any time. However, you've got the key difference between a day return and a longer period return. "Anytime" does not refer to the days on which the tickets are valid, rather it refers to the times of the day it's valid. And "Anytime" does mean that the ticket can be used at any time on a day it's valid (which should be perfectly clear, as it's printed in black ink on the front of the ticket).