What's less good is that Grand Central have introduced some other confusing fares which appear on train company websites and on the ticket machines, but which are only for Seniors - presumably this is based on age rather than having a Senior Railcard.
Correct; available to anyone aged 60 or over.
I wonder what would happen if I asked a 70 year old non-Railcard holder to go to Kings Cross station ticket office at 10am and ask for the cheapest single ticket to Doncaster
I wonder what they would be sold ?
The seller should ask for more information before selling the ticket. Certainly the GC Senior fare should be offered.
I searched for a single London to Doncaster for a Senior Railcard holder and actually it doesn't even come up with those special fares, even though they are cheaper than EC fares with Senior Railcard
The EC website seems to have difficulty with GC fares for some reason. I make no comment on the legality or whether or not it is intentional or an error...!
Based on previous experience East Coast ticket offices are often less than impartial with regards to their rivals.
I've experienced good service at York and Peterborough. But I have heard from various people that this high standard is not maintained at King's Cross. In the days of GNER I was given a Tyne Valley ranger when I asked for NCL - CAR return (I didn't know it was cheaper!). The guy at PBO was extremely helpful & friendly. The other day at York when someone asked for a Wayfarer the person selling it wanted to know more info about it as they were interested to know. So, my experience of EC is excellent (apart from KGX).
But would the member of staff actually offer the £30 Senior Single to our hypothetical customer, bearing in mind he appears well over 60, does not have a Railcard, and is not aware of the different TOCs on the route or the ticketing complexities?
They should do. But I cannot guarantee it. I reckon if you asked at York, they would tell you about it.
I did once put York to the test in the early days of GC as people said EC were not being impartial. I asked what the cheapest ticket was for the next London train (which was a GC) and they gave the right answer. I asked if it was cheaper to buy it from them or on board, and they said it didn't matter (right answer).
As mentioned previously, several people have informed me that they had bad experiences at King's Cross. Some of those experiences were rectified by asking for a manager.
They appear to have a problem at King's Cross, but it does not affect all staff. Put it to the test & report back if you like! (but if the wrong answer is received, make sure you ask for a manager and report it, so that they can improve their response for someone else next time).
GC aren't perfect. If you ask for a ticket from York to Hartlepool, they should ask if you are travelling back that day, if you say yes, they should ask for £11. However it is not uncommon to be quoted £13, and you then have to say you want the day return. This occurs when you ask friendly staff who are genuinely trying to offer you a good service, so I believe it's a training & knowledge issue, rather than staff being lazy. It appears their training has been that GC tickets are always cheaper.
