Polegate to Shanklin (issues with 16-17 Saver)

[SussexMan]

My son (15) and his friend (16 with 16-17 Saver) want to do a return trip to Shanklin on the Isle of Wight before the old stock gets removed, going via Ryde Hoverport, departing from Polegate. It will be a weekday.

The possible ticket combinations have got me baffled!

Southern website states that no through tickets are available. So I have tried splitting tickets at Portsmouth. The Polegate to Portsmouth is fine and cheap at £10.55 (£8.55 & £2.00) because they can take advantage of the £1 child ticket for one of them. But the Portsmouth & Southsea or Harbour to Shanklin offers me offers a total price of £32.55 (£21.70 adult and £10.85 child). It refuses to accept the 16-17 saver. (If I try with a 16-25 Railcard it will apply the discount.). National Rail offers me the same journey for £30 (two £15 open returns, applying the 16-17 Saver to the adult ticket). Southern website doesn’t like it if I ask for Open Returns.

So two questions.

1) Why can’t I get the 16-17 Saver applied to the Off-Peak Day Return Portsmouth & Southsea or Harbour to Shanklin?

2) Can anyone come up with anything cheaper than £40.55?

 

[CyrusWuff]

Unfortunately, the 16-17 Saver doesn't give a discount on any of the cross-Solent services to the Isle of Wight and the Open Return is the only one that has a 16-17 Saver discount taken into account for the Portsmouth - Shanklin leg. Whether this is an oversight or deliberate I couldn't say, however.

 

[paul1609]

Unfortunately, the 16-17 Saver doesn't give a discount on any of the cross-Solent services to the Isle of Wight and the Open Return is the only one that has a 16-17 Saver discount taken into account for the Portsmouth - Shanklin leg. Whether this is an oversight or deliberate I couldn't say, however.

I have a feeling its most likely deliberate otherwise 16-17 saver fares with their 50% discount for flows like Ryde Esplanade to Fratton would undercut the Ferries (only) own student (16 to 18 fares) which are generally around 2/3rds of the adult fare.
As they are non subsidised operations they would probably cry foul at a heavily subsidised rail product extracting their revenue.

 

[SussexMan]

Well interestingly, when I asked this question one week ago, National Rail Enquiries was coming up with a £15 Open Return with the 16-17 Saver. The full price is £30 so was giving a 50% discount. That has now disappeared and been replaced with a 16-17 Saver discounted ticket at £29.90 - giving a 10p reduction. So was the "error" spotted (assuming it shouldn't have been applying the 50% 16-17 saver discount) and why has it been left in there but now with just a 10p discount?

 

[clagmonster]

The Solent ferries don't appear on the list of excluded tickets for the railcard here:

16-17 Saver Railcard | Half Price Travel

Save 50% on train fares for just £35 with the 16–17 Saver Railcard. Enjoy cheaper UK train travel and start saving on your journeys today.

www.16-17saver.co.uk

Either it is a database error that the discount hasn't been applied to these fares, or the list of excluded tickets has had Hovertravel omitted from it.

Would your son be eligible for a student discounted Hovertravel fare for £17?

An Island Line day ranger is available for £6.50 (again the 16-17 saver discount does not seem to be available).

 

[Paul Kelly]

I have a feeling its most likely deliberate otherwise 16-17 saver fares with their 50% discount for flows like Ryde Esplanade to Fratton would undercut the Ferries (only) own student (16 to 18 fares) which are generally around 2/3rds of the adult fare.
As they are non subsidised operations they would probably cry foul at a heavily subsidised rail product extracting their revenue.

For other railcards this sort of thing is usually handled by having a "non-standard discount" adjustment in the fares data such that the railcard discount effectively only applies to the National Rail portion of the journey and the overall discount works out at slightly less than 1/3. I don't see any reason why the 16-17 Saver would be different.

 

[paul1609]

For other railcards this sort of thing is usually handled by having a "non-standard discount" adjustment in the fares data such that the railcard discount effectively only applies to the National Rail portion of the journey and the overall discount works out at slightly less than 1/3. I don't see any reason why the 16-17 Saver would be different.

I'd guess because the ferries already have the 25% discount for 16 to 18 year olds and the fares are also priced differently depending on whether you are starting from the Island or Portsmouth its not deemed commercially viable for the ferry/ hovercraft to accept the railcard. Theres an awful lot of students that commute to Portsmouth from the Island everyday

 

[RJ]

I'd be surprised if the 16-17 Saver did give a 50% discount on tickets that include ferry travel. There are fares between Polegate and Ryde Esplanade, but they are not good value for money.

The crossing isn't cheap so for simplicity I'd go for the £40.55 tickets for the two of them. £30 isn't a bad deal for Portsmouth to Shanklin given the hovercraft would cost at least £29 if paid separately - https://www.hovertravel.co.uk/standard-fares/

 

[SussexMan]

I'd be surprised if the 16-17 Saver did give a 50% discount on tickets that include ferry travel.

100% definite that when I posted on the 19th Sept, I could get National Rail Enquiries to offer a 50% discount on the Open Return with 16/17 Railcard. And it appeared on BRFares website. When I then looked on the 26th it had gone to be replaced by a 10p discount. It is the only ticket with Hovertravel that allows some discount with the 16/17 Railcard. BR Fares now shows it but with just 10p off.