GroupSave changes?

[Bletchleyite]

Sorry has kids for a quid been abolished? I read somewhere flat rate fares for children can still be issued with groupsave

Yes I understand it has. Supposedly, according to ATOC, this is because it was being abused to work around the atrocious large-group discount. Though those of us who were doing that (and why not, it was valid) have now largely switched to Family Railcards.

Neil

 

[bb21]

Kids for a Quid (See below) Kids for £1 flat fare is still available with SouthEastern, and for £2 with Southern, iirc.

 

[CyrusWuff]

GroupSave Kids for a Quid has been abolished. Chiltern still offer it with their "Small Group" discount (which works the same way as "old" GroupSave), and the "Child Flat Fare" is still available on Thameslink, Southern and Southeastern.

 

[infobleep]

Yes I understand it has. Supposedly, according to ATOC, this is because it was being abused to work around the atrocious large-group discount. Though those of us who were doing that (and why not, it was valid) have now largely switched to Family Railcards.

Neil

How did that work out of interest?

 

[IanD]

London Midland still seem to offer it.

 

[Bletchleyite]

London Midland still seem to offer it.

They *might* offer it on Family Travelcards, but they definitely do not offer it on the more generic GroupSave.

Neil
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

How did that work out of interest?

You just bought a GPS4 (4 people for the cost of 2 adults) plus 4 kids for a quid, in whatever quantities you needed. It saved a fortune shifting groups of kids around. If it didn't add up you just bought child tickets for the odd ones.

Neil

 

[387star]

Out of interest with a group size of more than nine surely if there are 27 as long as the three groups stick together separately they can all have groupsave

 

[IanD]

Exactly. With 27 people you can have 3 groups of 9 or 9 groups of 3 or 2 groups of 5, 2 groups of 4, 1 group of six and a group of 3 or whatever combination you want as long as each group is minimum of 3. However, you may get a better price and maybe a bunch of seats reserved if you speak to the group travel people instead.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I have *never* found official Group Travel rates to beat GroupSave / family Railcards.

 

[IanD]

i have *never* found official group travel rates to beat groupsave / family railcards.

ymmv.

 

[Bletchleyite]

ymmv.

As yet it hasn't done, and I have a lot of experience of group travel involving kids.

 

[IanD]

As yet it hasn't done, and I have a lot of experience of group travel involving kids.

Don't think the specific question about 27 people involved kids.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Don't think the specific question about 27 people involved kids.

Maybe it didn't, but my statement is not false - I have genuinely never found large group travel to be cheaper than the other group options, where any apply (I don't claim there are no such situations, just that I have never found one). The likely exception may be where there are no other discounts that apply, e.g. where GroupSave is not offered and no Railcards are held.

 

[IanD]

Maybe it didn't, but my statement is not false - I have genuinely never found large group travel to be cheaper than the other group options, where any apply (I don't claim there are no such situations, just that I have never found one). The likely exception may be where there are no other discounts that apply, e.g. where GroupSave is not offered and no Railcards are held.

But groupsave only gives 33% off now, whereas it used to give 50%.

 

[Mojo]

But groupsave only gives 33% off now, whereas it used to give 50%.

It's still better than the 10% that most Tocs seem to offer as their standard "group travel" rate.

 

[Bletchleyite]

It's still better than the 10% that most Tocs seem to offer as their standard "group travel" rate.

Exactly my point.