Railcard minimum fare

[XmaX]

Hello all.
I am flying from Stansted tomorrow, so I purchased an off-peak return from Cambridge to Stansted Airport for £9.95 (16-25 Railcard). However, I just realised that my flight time has been changed slightly, so I need to travel a little earlier (9:30 am). For this route, any departure after 9 is classified as off peak. However, as the departure is now before 10 on a weekday, the fare increases to £12 because of the railcard minimum fares.

My morning might be a bit rushed tomorrow, and I'm not sure how much time will I have in a station. If I use my ticket at the gates, would they let me in? And if I meet a guard on a train, would I be facing any penalty, or would paying the £2.05 in difference be sufficient?

 

[sjoh]

Sorry, what do you mean by your train time has changed slightly? Train times don't tend to just change...

 

[XmaX]

Sorry, what do you mean by your train time has changed slightly? Train times don't tend to just change...

Whoops. Was meant to say "flight time". Edited the original post.

 

[Romilly]

The £9.95 fare is not valid on anything earlier than the 10.10 departure.

Accordingly, if there are revenue protection inspectors on the train then, at worst, you could end up being reported for prosecution for travelling without a valid ticket.

In other words, sort it out before boarding a train. Unless things have changed, queues at Cambridge ticket office - both for the counters and the machines - can be horrendous. You have two choices. Either use the machines to buy or collect a new £12 ticket (or just an undiscounted £10.10 anytime day single - your existing ticket will presumably be fine for coming back). Or queue up to see if you can persuade the ticket office to upgrade your ticket on payment of the extra £2.05. If it were me and I was in Cambridge this evening, I would go to the ticket office before it closes today and sort things out in readiness for the morning.

 

[sjoh]

Whoops. Was meant to say "flight time". Edited the original post.

Ah right.

I'm pretty sure that your ticket will let you through the gates - it being an off-peak ticket. But if you are challenged then technically the discount isn't valid (well, it's invalid whether you're challenged or not, but you get my point).

Where I'm not entirely sure is whether this makes the ticket itself invalid, or whether you'd simply be asked to pay the rest. My thinking is that, if the discount technically shouldn't have been applied it would be treated in a similar way to other discounts that have been applied but technically shouldn't have been (such as in the case of an expired railcard). So, I'd probably err on the side of caution.

I know Cambridge can get very crowded in the mornings but after 9 it does calm down a bit. I'd advise you try to get there a little earlier and speak to someone in the ticket office. In my experience the staff there are pretty helpful.

There may well be someone with a much more definite answer for you, but given that it's tomorrow morning we're talking about, I wouldn't want you to take a risk and end up starting your trip on a bad note.

 

[najaB]

And if I meet a guard on a train, would I be facing any penalty, or would paying the £2.05 in difference be sufficient?

You wouldn't get a Penalty Fare, the rules don't allow them when it's a time restriction.

 

[Bletchleyite]

You wouldn't get a Penalty Fare, the rules don't allow them when it's a time restriction.

I *thought* the new NRCoT had changed that.

 

[najaB]

I *thought* the new NRCoT had changed that.

The Penalty Fares Rules haven't changed have they?

 

[thedbdiboy]

The Penalty Fares Rules haven't changed have they?

They haven't changed, but travelling at a time when your ticket isn't valid can be subject to a Penalty Fare. It's travelling off route that can't be subject to a Penalty Fare.

Anyway, to get back to the OP's question, whether you get caught or not, your 16-25 discounted Railcard ticket won't be valid for use before 1000 tomorrow.