Least sold product?

[cactustwirly]

Day Rangers in the Thames Valley, bought a few of these and none of the ticket office staff have sold any before!

 

[Kite159]

I bought a single between the Portsmouth stns once which can’t sell many, the bus is much much cheaper

And I once purchased a return between the Portsmouth stations once, mainly due to attending an event in the dockyard and parking in the city centre was cheaper (even with the added cost of the train ticket)

 

[Silver Cobra]

How about season tickets with AAA routings (different to the already-mentioned AAA tickets)? I can't imagine too many people know about these tickets. Here's an example of one from St Neots to London Terminals with routing AAA Cambridge:

http://www.brfares.com/#faredetail?orig=SNO&dest=KGX&grpd=1072&rte=40177&tkt=7DS

With this example, the fact it's only 90p more expensive than the standard St Neots-London Terminals weekly season makes the AAA Cambridge ticket quite a good choice, allowing travel between Hitchin and Cambridge. Nevertheless, as I say, I don't imagine too many people know about these and therefore not many are sold, but I could be wrong.

 

[AlterEgo]

The tickets to the Scilly Isles can’t see much use, surely...

There used to be one which was ROUTE:HELICOPTER. Now there’s a ticket I would have bought.

 

[Bookd]

First Class Anytime Return tickets, Platform Tickets, Kent Rovers, All Line Rovers and excess tickets

None of those are actually that rarely sold.

I do wonder how often SILK procedure is used these days. From various chats with some ticket office staff, not very much (if at all at most stations).

What does SILK mean in this context?

 

[alistairlees]

What does SILK mean in this context?

Stranded with no money. You get someone else to pay for you at another station. I can't quite remember what SILK stands for, if anything, right now. There's a little more info here:

https://www.transportfocus.org.uk/a...at-a-station-with-no-money-can-anyone-help-2/

 

[Sprinter153]

Stranded with no money. You get someone else to pay for you at another station. I can't quite remember what SILK stands for, if anything, right now. There's a little more info here:

SILK stands for Stranded Individual, Location Known.

 

[paul1609]

There used to be one which was ROUTE:HELICOPTER. Now there’s a ticket I would have bought.

I think the only flight inclusive rail ticket now are the ones to Ryde hoverport?

 

[alistairlees]

I think the only flight inclusive rail ticket now are the ones to Ryde hoverport?

There's still one from Paddington to Scilly:

http://www.brfares.com/#!fares?orig=PAD&dest=K686

It's "route: Skybus" which is a rather unglamorous name for a small aircraft.

The Scilly Helicopter service - formerly run by British International Helicopters - ended in October 2012, at which point I assume through rail tickets route "Helicopter" ended too.

 

[matt_world2004]

First class travelcards when not part of another ticket must be pretty rarely sold given how few first class services now operate significantly within zone 1-6

 

[MG11]

Egg Mayonnaise sandwiches seem to struggle to sell on the trolley, perhaps egg in a confined space is a bad idea!

 

[matt_world2004]

Another one I cannot imagine many people buy outboundary travelcards where the outboundary station is in the travelcard area for example Hayes & Harlington to zone 1-6

 

[yorkie]

Another one I cannot imagine many people buy outboundary travelcards where the outboundary station is in the travelcard area for example Hayes & Harlington to zone 1-6

Surely this is, by definition, an in-boundary Travelcard? Am I missing something?

 

[Bungle965]

First class travelcards when not part of another ticket must be pretty rarely sold given how few first class services now operate significantly within zone 1-6

Have to say I have bought this quite a few times! Most of times from an Avantix!
Sam

 

[matt_world2004]

Surely this is, by definition, an in-boundary Travelcard? Am I missing something?

You can get travelcard seasons with an origin station thats in the travelcard zone thats valid for the whole travelcard area thats more expensive than an standard travelcard.

 

[U-Bahnfreund]

I guess Interrail and Britrail passes are also quite rare (they are of course not sold at British ticket offices/machine). I remember when I was on an East Midlands Trains service and a ticket check trainee was stunned by this weird ticket I had (regular Britrail Pass), though her trainer explained it to her then.

 

[sheff1]

The Scilly Helicopter service - formerly run by British International Helicopters - ended in October 2012, at which point I assume through rail tickets route "Helicopter" ended too.

Plans are afoot to reintroduce a helicopter service https://www.tresco.co.uk/island-news/helicopter

 

[Dr Hoo]

SILK stands for Stranded Individual, Location Known.

Whilst I have heard that acronymical expansion before it is by no means unique (or official). One booking clerk I knew was adamant that it was "Stupid Idiot Lost Kash". The Telegraphic Code book had the rather ponderous definition of "....... here without funds. Can you call at undermentioned address and collect fare, plus expenses as follows. Wire result at once."
Many telegraphic codes were completely un-acronymical, sometimes being grouped in 'families' to give an immediate clue to context.

 

[Daz28]

How about the Gravesend to London Season Ticket Route EARLYBIRD NOT HS1 ?

http://www.brfares.com/#faredetail?orig=GRV&dest=1072&rte=295&tkt=7DS

Only valid on weekday trains departing before 7am.

The “Unpublished Restrictions” for Journey Planners looks odd. Not valid to depart from any station, any TOC at any time.

 

[infobleep]

There used to be one which was ROUTE:HELICOPTER. Now there’s a ticket I would have bought.

I once travelled overnight on the sleeper to Penzance and then by Helicopter to the Isles of Scilly. This was with some friends. We bought separate tickets. The helicopter costing me £180 in around 2010. I can't remember the sleeper prices.

Would I have saved money with a through ticket including both?

The heliport is now a Tescos supermarket. It closed not so longer after we did the return trip. Our trip back was wholly during the day rather than by sleeper.

 

[cjmillsnun]

I bought a single between the Portsmouth stns once which can’t sell many, the bus is much much cheaper

It didn't used to be. Quite often would get a ticket between FTN or PMS and PMH. Was 80p return in 1997 with a Y-P. The bus was £1 single.

 

[cambsy]

I have bought several 1st and standard class 7 day ALR, mainly standard when younger, but now buy 1st, reason is for about 31 extra a day, one gets food and drinks, more comfortable seats, use of lounges, and a London-Glasgow 1st anytime return is about 440, I do make maximum usage as travel sleeper berth for 6 nights and be out for the 7 days solid, use showers at Euston lounge to freshen up, have laptop back pack and holdall too, quite a few Train Managers can be quizical about it, as never seen one before or rarely, its definitely quite an unusual ticket, I’m getting a 7 day 1st class ALR from 4th Feb, got a good plan already worked out.

 

[RJ21]

I wonder how many Plusbus tickets are sold to people who already hold a valid rail ticket, one of those things which is normally sold with the ticket for travel but can be bought as an add on later.

 

[Fred26]

SILK stands for Stranded Individual, Location Known.

I was taught it was ' Single Issue, Location Known'. Meaning both that it can only be issued once and can only be a (peak) single.
I used to sell them regularly just over ten years ago, always to people around late teens/early twenties who found they didn't have the money to get home.

 

[Merseysider]

I wonder how many Plusbus tickets are sold to people who already hold a valid rail ticket, one of those things which is normally sold with the ticket for travel but can be bought as an add on later.

Plenty, I’d imagine. I buy several in this manner each month

 

[MG11]

I think SILks are on the rise again, word seems to be getting round over Twitter and they crop up more and more.

 

[whhistle]

Rovers for sure.

While they're great, we should just get rid of them. 8/10 people don't even know they exist anyway and while they can be useful, it's just another level of ticketing that isn't worth having in the system. Same with the all-line-rover. A few restrictions - too many to make it worth bothering with?

Same with the Network Railcard.
Should just get rid of it. Why do people in that area (which is rather large!) get special discounted rates? Because they supposedly work in London? Well, hey, that's why you get paid more.

Digressing a little, but I wonder whether all railcards should have their terms of use merged. Different ones may provide some sort of statistics but no wonder our system is so complicated - different rules for this and that, and this ticket and that ticket.
But then that also relates to why we should get rid of returns and just have singles instead (at a lower cost).

 

[bb21]

Rovers shouldn't be abolished. They should be given more publicity but perhaps the range simplified.

They are perfect as an off-peak version of a regional season ticket.

 

[dj_mikey_k]

Don't think I have sold a AAA in about 10 Years...
Sold a few SILK's and large number of regional rovers and Rail - Sail - Rail to Ireland.
Also I have never sold a platform ticket.

 

[pitdiver]

When I worked on LUL in the booking office at a certain station on the Metropolitan line we had a customer who would purchase a Bicycle Season Ticket. Together with it's own photo card.This was of course BR services stopped at this particular station. Yes of course when the customer bought a new bike he would have to get a new photo card.