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NXEC Only Business Saver
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It is possible it is only for a limited time, apparently it is a "trial".
It has only existed since Grand Central undercut NXEC.
The NXEC only BVR has made travelling to London in the shoulder peak and back at peak time much more attractively priced.
What I can't understand is this:
We are told that operators who set the flow cannot introduce TOC specific walk-on tickets. NXEC set the York-London flow so how were they allowed to do this?
I also wonder if they are ending the trial because they feel GC is no longer a threat? or were they forced to end it? It is blatantly obvious that they introduced it to undercut GC in response to GC undercutting them.
It has only existed since Grand Central undercut NXEC.
The NXEC only BVR has made travelling to London in the shoulder peak and back at peak time much more attractively priced.
What I can't understand is this:
We are told that operators who set the flow cannot introduce TOC specific walk-on tickets. NXEC set the York-London flow so how were they allowed to do this?
I also wonder if they are ending the trial because they feel GC is no longer a threat? or were they forced to end it? It is blatantly obvious that they introduced it to undercut GC in response to GC undercutting them.
TOCs that price a flow indeed then can't set a TOC-only cheaper fare. The way they get around this is to set a trial fare, which is usually limited by length of time it's available.
So, expect the trial to extend once the current date is reached. In other words, try booking it closer to date of travel.
That would explain why route London Midland only CDRs/ODTs are available MKC<->EUS. I feel for passengers from LBZ and BLY because they're being ripped off with route Any Permitted CDRs/ODTs, despite the fact that Virgin services don't call at either of those stations.
Even passengers from WOL and NMP can save money by purchasing an Any Permitted CDR to MKC + their preferred London Midland only ticket, unless they want to travel with Virgin south of MKC. Apologies if I'm digressing too much.
Even passengers from WOL and NMP can save money by purchasing an Any Permitted CDR to MKC + their preferred London Midland only ticket, unless they want to travel with Virgin south of MKC. Apologies if I'm digressing too much.
Which is the whole point of OA operators - to open up new markets and force down the price of the journey over which there is competition. :grin: Ain;t market forces great!:roll:
glynn80
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I think this sums up what operators can and cannot do:
The Ticketing Settlement Agreement starts with the concept that there should be at least one inter-available fare for each journey on the national network and that each route has a lead operator that sets the inter-available fare. The lead operator must offer at least one fully inter-available permanent fare on all times on each route. They are not permitted to offer dedicated fares, unless these are first-class, or advanced purchase, or temporary offers. Secondary operators can offer dedicated or joint tickets at any time.
It goes on to say based on when the company was still GNER but the rules are still the same as in The Ticketing Settlement Agreement
GNER can only have dedicated tickets for first class and advance purchase tickets, or temporary promotions not exceeding 84 days in any 52-week period. GNER cannot have a dedicated walk-on ticket, with the exception of first class tickets.
So basically NXEC can only run this if it was a first class fare, advanced purchase or a temporary offer and it is obviously the latter.
The Ticketing Settlement Agreement starts with the concept that there should be at least one inter-available fare for each journey on the national network and that each route has a lead operator that sets the inter-available fare. The lead operator must offer at least one fully inter-available permanent fare on all times on each route. They are not permitted to offer dedicated fares, unless these are first-class, or advanced purchase, or temporary offers. Secondary operators can offer dedicated or joint tickets at any time.
It goes on to say based on when the company was still GNER but the rules are still the same as in The Ticketing Settlement Agreement
GNER can only have dedicated tickets for first class and advance purchase tickets, or temporary promotions not exceeding 84 days in any 52-week period. GNER cannot have a dedicated walk-on ticket, with the exception of first class tickets.
So basically NXEC can only run this if it was a first class fare, advanced purchase or a temporary offer and it is obviously the latter.
Did the Business Saver Return come with any "benefits?" That is how lots of TOC-specific tickets work where the flow is priced - car parking, food vouchers or London Zone 1 travel seemed quite popular additions to many tickets on long-distance routes into London.
Yeah, the benefit was that it was £24 cheaper than the any operator ticket....!
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