Day Return Tickets

[Paul33]

I know this may be a dumb question but it has always confused me !

Does a Day Return ticket mean you have to start your return journey before midnight or arrive at your return destination before midnight ?

 

[sheff1]

I know this may be a dumb question but it has always confused me !

Does a Day Return ticket mean you have to start your return journey before midnight or arrive at your return destination before midnight ?

Neither. If, for example, you buy a Day Return from Sheffield to Chesterfield now (1935) it is valid for return on the 0048 tomorrow, due in Sheffield at 0104.

Sure someone will be along to give the exact conditions.

 

[Paul33]

So - to be more specific - I'm heading down from Peterborough to London next week to see a show so my return departure time from London could be any time from 23:00 to 01:00 next day.

Cheapest ticket is an off peak day return but I'm spooked by messages stating the ticket is only valid for return same day !

 

[telstarbox]

"Same day" runs until 0429 the morning after, although your last train is probably before this.

 

[Harbouring]

You have until 0429 the next day before the "day" is over.

Relevant NRE T&C's http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/46579.aspx

 

[Paul33]

Well I never knew that !

How bizarre but thank you for your confirmations.

 

[mallard]

What happens when a late/over-night train is delayed or cancelled? Does 0429 refer to the departure or arrival time?

 

[Hadders]

All travel must be completed by 0429. In the event of disruption then I'd expect common sense to apply.

 

[mallard]

All travel must be completed by 0429. In the event of disruption then I'd expect common sense to apply.

I'd expect whatever makes the TOC the most money (i.e. a fine or penalty) to apply, unless there's an unambiguous rule otherwise...

Also, what about the switchover days for British Summer Time? Particularly the night where you "lose" an hour...

 

[Mojo]

Well I never knew that !

How bizarre but thank you for your confirmations.

Why is that bizarre?

 

[PeterC]

Well I never knew that !

How bizarre but thank you for your confirmations.

Far more logical for a "day return" to be valid for the operating day than have a cut off at midnight when the last train may be five minutes later.

 

[robbeech]

It's generally accepted that all travel must finish by 0429 and any disruption will be taken into account, providing your travel was timetabled to finish by 0429. That said, it's not normally a huge issue as most trains have finished by then, up north they've often finished before midnight.

 

[xotGD]

Back in the day I travelled on a Day Return from Newcastle to Swansea. I set off at 2100 the previous day and got back 0600 the day after.

 

[mallard]

It's generally accepted that all travel must finish by 0429 and any disruption will be taken into account, providing your travel was timetabled to finish by 0429.

So you're saying there's no official rule and that in the case of disruption you're at the whims of the rail industry?

I'd strongly advise nobody to rely on anything that's "generally accepted" and stick rigidly to the published rules (and do your best to obey the secret unpublished ones too). If there's any chance of your journey being delayed past 0429, buying a ticket and then writing to customer services (unlikely to help, but you might get lucky) is far better than risking prosecution.

 

[telstarbox]

From NRE: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/46550.aspx

Anytime Day (Single and Return) tickets must be used on the date shown on your ticket and up to 04:29 the following day.
Anytime Single must be used within 2 days of the date shown on the ticket and up until 04:29 after the last day of validity.

 

[ainsworth74]

So you're saying there's no official rule and that in the case of disruption you're at the whims of the rail industry?

I'd strongly advise nobody to rely on anything that's "generally accepted" and stick rigidly to the published rules (and do your best to obey the secret unpublished ones too). If there's any chance of your journey being delayed past 0429, buying a ticket and then writing to customer services (unlikely to help, but you might get lucky) is far better than risking prosecution.

I would be stunned if a TOC tried to prosecute someone who was travelling on a ticket from the previous day after 0429 due to disruption.

 

[bb21]

So you're saying there's no official rule and that in the case of disruption you're at the whims of the rail industry?

I'd strongly advise nobody to rely on anything that's "generally accepted" and stick rigidly to the published rules (and do your best to obey the secret unpublished ones too). If there's any chance of your journey being delayed past 0429, buying a ticket and then writing to customer services (unlikely to help, but you might get lucky) is far better than risking prosecution.

Yes, the official rule is that the inconvenienced customer should be allowed to complete his otherwise valid journey. I don't know why you are so convinced otherwise.

Not doing that would open up a whole can of worms in respect of the recently introduced consumer rights legislation, especially if the customer ended up fined (in whatever sense of the word you like) or, worse, stranded.

 

[reb0118]

Far more logical for a "day return" to be valid for the operating day than have a cut off at midnight when the last train may be five minutes later.

In that case it wouldn't be the last train but the first. [emoji6]

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

 

[Bletchleyite]

So you're saying there's no official rule and that in the case of disruption you're at the whims of the rail industry?

I'd strongly advise nobody to rely on anything that's "generally accepted" and stick rigidly to the published rules (and do your best to obey the secret unpublished ones too). If there's any chance of your journey being delayed past 0429, buying a ticket and then writing to customer services (unlikely to help, but you might get lucky) is far better than risking prosecution.

Even Northern's finest are not going to be out writing out prosecution reports at 5am. If you get anywhere near the rush hour, though, you would be well advised to seek endorsement of your ticket.

 

[Liam]

If I bought a day return ticket for an outward service departing at 0001 Monday morning, would my ticket be valid until 0429 on Monday (same day) or Tuesday?

 

[najaB]

If I bought a day return ticket for an outward service departing at 0001 Monday morning, would my ticket be valid until 0429 on Monday (same day) or Tuesday?

What matters is the date printed on the ticket. So if it was bought on Monday, dated Monday, for a service departing on Monday it would be valid until the end of the railway day on Monday (i.e. 0429 on Tuesday).

 

[MikeWh]

If I bought a day return ticket for an outward service departing at 0001 Monday morning, would my ticket be valid until 0429 on Monday (same day) or Tuesday?

What matters is the date printed on the ticket. So if it was bought on Monday, dated Monday, for a service departing on Monday it would be valid until the end of the railway day on Monday (i.e. 0429 on Tuesday).

But beware of time restrictions. Off peak tickets are often not valid before 0930. A ticket dated Sunday would be valid on trains between 0001 and 0429 as the end of the previous day. A ticket dated Monday would not.