Combined Intercity Franchise

[Failed Unit]

That is where the difficulty would be as who would set the fares? If you fly to the US with Virgin Atlatnic you can't expect to return with BA on the same ticket can you? One option here would be to scrap return fares so you would buy a single before you travel on each train. In the future smartcard technology may help here as you could be billed for actual journeys on each train.

It sort of exists now as I can use my saver via east coast or west coast but rail is still walk on, if I am restricted to the 1700 only because that is the operator I have bought my ticket from that is a big backwards step, I may as well fly. I would be annoyed to wait two hours. Years ago you could turn up to BA with a British midland ticket, Ba would claim back the cash and carry you.

 

[Zoe]

It sort of exists now as I can use my saver via east coast or west coast but rail is still walk on, if I am restricted to the 1700 only because that is the operator I have bought my ticket from that is a big backwards step, I may as well fly. I would be annoyed to wait two hours. Years ago you could turn up to BA with a British midland ticket, Ba would claim back the cash and carry you.

But isn't it a backwards step that the walk-up fares are so expensive these days that you have to book in advance and so are restricted to one train? It used to be a clear advantage rail had over air that you could turn up and go without paying through the roof for it.

 

[Jonny]

Outside of London bus operators are free to run the services they want to, they are not forced to use their profits to pay for unprofitable services.

Downside to that is that interavailable tickets aren't available outside PTE areas.

 

[Failed Unit]

But isn't it a backwards step that the walk-up fares are so expensive these days that you have to book in advance and so are restricted to one train? It used to be a clear advantage rail had over air that you could turn up and go without paying through the roof for it.

Sort of TOC still sell a lot of walk on tickets to business users, on business I still use them, but on personal travel it is always AP as I plan my trip around the trains.

The other thing I would fear about selling paths is bunching like the airlines. 4 operators leave between 1730 and 1800 then nothing for 2 hours!

Your idea would work on London - Manchester. Virgin have on the hour, govia 20 past hour and first 40 minutes past hour. However fleet utilisation would be interesting, less franchises = more train sets and staff as you can't use either as effiecently.

 

[TUC]

I can't comment about ECML Sundays but as for Grand Central it is operating at a massive discount; Sunderland is like a living graveyard (a bunch of thugs, scallys (just outside the charver zone) and so on) and the problem with Middlesborough is that both heads have to agree to a trip to York, let alone London.(LOL).
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I don't think being rude-and very inaccurate-about the north east has anythng to do with the issue.

 

[DarloRich]

I think the monopolies commission might have something to say about a mega IC franchise!

 

[Failed Unit]

I think the monopolies commission might have something to say about a mega IC franchise!

Why? It isn't as if you can't drive, take the bus etc?

Tell me as I said earlier, what choice has someone living in Kent got now but to use govia for rail? Or someone in Newcastle must use east coast? Or bristol first etc.

 

[Rhydgaled]

Downside to that is that interavailable tickets aren't available outside PTE areas.

That's not entirly true, I don't think there's a West Wales PTE but there is an interavailable West Wales Rover ticket. In theroy you can also buy through tickets from Aberystwth to Cardigan and use them on both operator's buses but in practice the drivers don't always accept the tickets they should.

Competition doesn't seem to work very well with buses or trains, a single operator often has a monopoly of certain areas and with most services requiring subsidy the effectiveness of any competition that does exist is reduced. There is also the possibility of the non interavailability of tickets effectivly reducing the service frequency for passengers in areas where there are actually multiple operators.