PlusBus Tickets

[CyrusWuff]

We are told so many times on this forum that a season ticket is valid for journeys to and from any intermediate station on a valid route, is it not? Yet having a perfectly valid ticket to a station does not necessarily allow the sale of a PlusBus ticket for that destination? That does not seem fair or particularly logical to me.

PlusBus is (or was) specifically advertised as something you could add-on for the origin and/or destination shown on your rail ticket, but not at an intermediate station.

Doesn't mean you won't find someone willing to sell it for an intermediate point, of course, but there's no entitlement to it.

 

[ngood77]

Thanks all. I’ve sent them a suggestion via their website for what that’s worth. I might try it on at a station in advance.

 

[Man of Kent]

Thanks all. I’ve sent them a suggestion via their website for what that’s worth. I might try it on at a station in advance.

If you are paying full price for the Hemel PlusBus (£4.40), the Hertfordshire County Council sponsored all-operator Intalink Connect ticket for Hemel is not much dearer at £5.

 

[redreni]

FWIW I think most ticket office clerks would sell you a PlusBus for an intermediate station as long as you explain what you're planning to do and it makes sense. The purpose of the rule is to stop people buying PlusBus tickets that undercut the daily bus cap or bus day ticket when they're not making a rail journey.

It seems to be standard practice to sell PlusBuses for any station covered by a Ranger or Rover. Your mileage may vary for intermediate stations on a single or return that permits break of journey. I'm not sure what we would do in a world without ticket offices in either of those scenarios, though?

 

[Haywain]

the Hertfordshire County Council sponsored all-operator Intalink Connect ticket for Hemel is not much dearer at £5.

Or £6.00 for two zones to include Berkhamsted. Either can be purchased on the bus.

 

[ngood77]

If you are paying full price for the Hemel PlusBus (£4.40), the Hertfordshire County Council sponsored all-operator Intalink Connect ticket for Hemel is not much dearer at £5.

Or £6.00 for two zones to include Berkhamsted. Either can be purchased on the bus.

Thanks both, I did not know about that ticket. If PlusBus proves to be a dead end then I will get one of these for Hemel. Cheers.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Feb 2026 ==

FWIW I think most ticket office clerks would sell you a PlusBus for an intermediate station as long as you explain what you're planning to do and it makes sense. The purpose of the rule is to stop people buying PlusBus tickets that undercut the daily bus cap or bus day ticket when they're not making a rail journey.

It seems to be standard practice to sell PlusBuses for any station covered by a Ranger or Rover. Your mileage may vary for intermediate stations on a single or return that permits break of journey. I'm not sure what we would do in a world without ticket offices in either of those scenarios, though?

Thanks. I will offer to buy my train ticket with them so hopefully that will help.

 

[tram21]

You can definitely purchase plusbus tickets separately to a purchased ticket at ticket offices, as long as you can show the ticket when purchasing the plusbus.

I've done it many many times!

 

[ngood77]

You can definitely purchase plusbus tickets separately to a purchased ticket at ticket offices, as long as you can show the ticket when purchasing the plusbus.

I've done it many many times!

Sure, but have you done it for an intermediate station ?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Feb 2026 ==

Ok, PB successfully purchased for Hemel from a ticket office. No issues whatsoever. Nice !

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Feb 2026 ==

A friend will be travelling with me. I’ll be using my NR discount for his train fare. Can I also buy him a discounted PB ticket ? Thanks.

 

[redreni]

A friend will be travelling with me. I’ll be using my NR discount for his train fare. Can I also buy him a discounted PB ticket ? Thanks.

Unless it is buried somewhere in either the Network Railcard or the PlusBus T&Cs that you can't, that should be okay.

It would be difficult for them to stop you, given they don't as far as I know have any system to mark a ticket number as having already had a Hemel PlusBus issued for it. Probably no need to mention who it's for when you buy the second one. (I wouldn't condone buying more than one when not entitled, of course!)

Once a PlusBus has been issued that's it - we hear lots of stories of bus drivers not knowing what they are and rejecting them, but I don't believe I've ever heard tell of a bus driver wanting to check accompanying train tickets and Railcards.

 

[MrJeeves]

A friend will be travelling with me. I’ll be using my NR discount for his train fare. Can I also buy him a discounted PB ticket ? Thanks.

Yes, Network Railcard applies for 4 adults and 4 children just like normal tickets too.

 

[ngood77]

Thanks both. It all went off swimmingly.

 

[py_megapixel]

Ended up with a Plusbus e-ticket today. Used on three different buses all run by First in Bristol.

The first one, the ticket machine rejected my ticket but the driver let me on after looking at it.

The second one, I didn't bother trying to scan but the driver let me on after looking at the ticket.

The third one, the driver directed me to scan the ticket and the machine rejected it, which confused him, but after recognising it as a Plusbus ticket he let me on anyway.

So it looks like First's technical problems have not been fixed but their drivers, at least in Bristol, have been adequately trained.

I have not reported this (other than writing on this forum) as I understand from Adam Williams' post above that it is a known issue.

 

[Adam Williams]

I have not reported this (other than writing on this forum) as I understand from Adam Williams' post above that it is a known issue.

The latest I have heard (in the last couple of days) is that it should be fixed in:


First West Yorkshire
First South Yorkshire
First York
First Leicester
First Aberdeen
First Eastern Counties

If you have been having issues in First West of England, it's still useful to report (I need date/time of failed scan, stop, route) because I have been told the plan is apparently no longer to fix them all at once and instead they are being resolved individually. I will edit my earlier post to make that clear.

 

[ChilliSauce]

Unless it is buried somewhere in either the Network Railcard or the PlusBus T&Cs that you can't, that should be okay.

It would be difficult for them to stop you, given they don't as far as I know have any system to mark a ticket number as having already had a Hemel PlusBus issued for it. Probably no need to mention who it's for when you buy the second one. (I wouldn't condone buying more than one when not entitled, of course!)

Once a PlusBus has been issued that's it - we hear lots of stories of bus drivers not knowing what they are and rejecting them, but I don't believe I've ever heard tell of a bus driver wanting to check accompanying train tickets and Railcards.

Once I presented on a bus going to Ossett a plus bus I had bought at Wakefield Westgate (which whilst saying Wakefield is actually good for bus travel across the whole of West Yorkshire) and the bus driver asked to see my supporting rail ticket.

No doubt the driver wanting to check that I had actually travelled by train from outside the West Yorkshire Plus Bus area.

 

[ngood77]

Ended up with a Plusbus e-ticket today. Used on three different buses all run by First in Bristol.

The first one, the ticket machine rejected my ticket but the driver let me on after looking at it.

The second one, I didn't bother trying to scan but the driver let me on after looking at the ticket.

The third one, the driver directed me to scan the ticket and the machine rejected it, which confused him, but after recognising it as a Plusbus ticket he let me on anyway.

So it looks like First's technical problems have not been fixed but their drivers, at least in Bristol, have been adequately trained.

I have not reported this (other than writing on this forum) as I understand from Adam Williams' post above that it is a known issue.

How are you presenting your e-ticket ? Is it added to your Apple or Google Wallet, or do you just show it from an email ?

 

[pwharley]

The Rail Delivery Group has announced the launch of a new digital version of the PlusBus ticket.

They say:

The key innovation behind the launch of digital PlusBus tickets is the acceptance of the National Rail barcode on most local buses and trams within over 280 PlusBus zones across England, Wales and parts of Scotland.

Note the word "most"!

I'm not convinced this will resolve non-acceptance of valid tickets by some drivers. Stagecoach mainly use Vix ticket machines without barcode scanners, so I guess it will still be "hit or miss" using PlusBus on their services.

New digital PlusBus ticket enables seamless rail and bus travel | Rail Delivery Group News

News from Rail Delivery Group

media.raildeliverygroup.com

 

[Adam Williams]

Why have they done a press release about that this month? It became E-Ticketable yonks ago.

Besides, it still doesn't work universally even in the Ticketer areas.

 

[ngood77]

Yeah this came out some time back. My local bus company (Arriva) eventually got their ticket machines to accept them which saves no end of annoying questions from drivers (after many complaints from myself).

 

[Adam Williams]

Perhaps they were scrabbling around for some good news given all the negativity of the refund changes which have gone down like a lead balloon with the Business Travel Association.

 

[Buzby]

I thought it was most telling that it was 1st April…

 

[8ace]

Is the digital version available for season tickets yet?

 

[skyhigh]

I thought it was most telling that it was 1st April…

It's the 2nd.

 

[redreni]

And in other news, Amstrad has launched its new "e-m@iler" phone. It's amazing what they can do, these days, isn't it?

 

[markymark2000]

They say "The key innovation behind the launch of digital PlusBus tickets is the acceptance of the National Rail barcode on most local buses and trams within over 280 PlusBus zones across England, Wales and parts of Scotland."
Note the word "most"!

The ticket isn't even valid on most buses in the first place, especially if you look into Wales and Scotland. That's before you take into account scanning.

I'm not convinced this will resolve non-acceptance of valid tickets by some drivers. Stagecoach mainly use Vix ticket machines without barcode scanners, so I guess it will still be "hit or miss" using PlusBus on their services.

Doesn't help with the HUGE amount of incorrect information on the Plusbus side.
I've been speaking to someone who has been reporting the many website errors back to them over the past few months. They say to me that every single issue reported hasn't been fixed. They keep pushing for it to be fixed but no results.

Besides, it still doesn't work universally even in the Ticketer areas.

When I've been reporting issues back to Arriva, they have been asking for details of the ticket retailer and saying that they need stuff from specific retailers in order to make it all work. Not sure if you are able to shed some light on it? If you can't due to commercial sensitivity I understand but I know it may help the forum users to understand what the issues are.

 

[Adam Williams]

When I've been reporting issues back to Arriva, they have been asking for details of the ticket retailer and saying that they need stuff from specific retailers in order to make it all work. Not sure if you are able to shed some light on it? If you can't due to commercial sensitivity I understand but I know it may help the forum users to understand what the issues are.

They shouldn't need anything from specific retailers, they have access to a feed with all of the keys in it that they need.

If it's a scanning failure affecting a PlusBus ticket issued on the forum site, do write in to customer services so it can be complained about.

 

[markymark2000]

If it's a scanning failure affecting a PlusBus ticket issued on the forum site, do write in to customer services so it can be complained about.

It's not in relation to the forum site, it was a TOC. It did seem to get sorted eventually but it was interesting to know that they were saying it is retailer specific keys that were needed as some other retailers were working.

 

[Haywain]

The ticket isn't even valid on most buses in the first place, especially if you look into Wales and Scotland.

They are not saying it is.

 

[MrJeeves]

It's not in relation to the forum site, it was a TOC. It did seem to get sorted eventually but it was interesting to know that they were saying it is retailer specific keys that were needed as some other retailers were working.

The keys are retailer specific, but they're all held together in a central RDG system.

Ticketer and other companies can get access to this system, but I believe originally they were not appropriately informed about how often updates happen, and I think the initial rollout also started with an already outdated list of keys.

 

[Adam Williams]

they were not appropriately informed about how often updates happen

Accounts vary here.

 

[markymark2000]

They are not saying it is.

Are you sure?

New digital PlusBus ticket enables seamless rail and bus travel | Rail Delivery Group News

News from Rail Delivery Group

media.raildeliverygroup.com

"PlusBus is a rail ticket add-on that allows unlimited travel on most buses and trams within each PlusBus zone"