Fare simplification - should splitting be the norm?

[HSTEd]

No mention that I've seen of a fundamental downside of splits on the same long-distance train - the fact that you can (and my sister does) end up with - say - a fairly ridiculous three different seat reservations, often in different coaches, possibly even different units, where the requirement to move may vary from a minor pain in the bum to completely impossible.

In practice people just tend to stay in the same seat for the first reservation with the possibility of them blocking other people's reservations later in the journey and leaving the other reserved seats unoccupied if people are deterred by the unused reservations. If everyone was automatically getting split tickets with multiple reservations the reservation system would become useless and unworkable on long distance services.

We can just make the reservation system not do that, since the ticketing system knows how long the passenger will be on the train.

 

[Kite159]

One issue with automatic split ticketing as found on the likes of Trainline is they don't make it clear those tickets are only valid on trains which stop at the splitting station, mainly only on the stopping service. Either that or you get chancers hoping they won't get a ticket check on the non-stop service (and if they do, the guard won't charge them for a brand-new ticket).

(That is when there are no delays or cancellations, the stopping service is running perfectly fine)

 

[Farnborough]

Why doesn't it make sense? Unless you can eliminate the price differential (which seems unlikely), people are increasingly going to be using third party ticket websites to split regardless. I can't really see a practical method of preventing people from splitting.

Option 1: Mandatory to leave the train at the split station
Option 2: Mandatory to scan ticket at the gateline

Otherwise they are not splitting...

 

[pokemonsuper9]

Option 1: Mandatory to leave the train at the split station

How would you enforce that? The person would have a valid ticket for their whole journey

Option 2: Mandatory to scan ticket at the gateline

Ignoring faulty barriers and most stations' lack of, that would just lead to people sprinting through stations for no sensible reason to get from and back to the train before it leaves (see South Wales Pay as You go for this exact thing already happening)

 

[HSTEd]

Option 1: Mandatory to leave the train at the split station
Option 2: Mandatory to scan ticket at the gateline

Otherwise they are not splitting...

Option 1 is very difficult to enforce because how will you prove they didn't step onto the platform, turn around and step onto the train again? You can't even prove they were on the same train because there is no way to compel them to show you tickets for completed journeys.

Option 2 is impossible to enforce without an enormous amount of expensive new equipment, as I pointed out earlier. With e-tickets abounding you'd need a network linked machine at every station and they'd have to be kept in order all the time.

 

[Bletchleyite]

One issue with automatic split ticketing as found on the likes of Trainline is they don't make it clear those tickets are only valid on trains which stop at the splitting station, mainly only on the stopping service.

Looks reasonably clear to me. Perhaps should be in bold but if you read it at all it's pretty obvious.

(Attachment is a picture of the Trainline purchase screen clearly stating that the ticket is only valid calling at a redacted station so they don't go and "fix" it )

 

[Krokodil]

Looks reasonably clear to me. Perhaps should be in bold but if you read it at all it's pretty obvious.

(Attachment is a picture of the Trainline purchase screen clearly stating that the ticket is only valid calling at a redacted station so they don't go and "fix" it )

Yeah, I never had too many occasions where this was an issue. What usually cropped up was where people had overlooked TOC restrictions or that they had selected a Day Return or a split involving a Day Return (we've had a thread before about what "Open Return" means to staff, retailers and passengers).