Season Tickets - Outmoded Concept?

[xotGD]

Except that to match season tickets, it would need to be buy seven and get ten, - which would hardly be acceptable to ATOC.

You wouldn't expect the same level of discount as with a season ticket. However, at the moment people who buy the same ticket 2 or 3 days each week get no discount at all. With the growth of part time and flexi working, more and more people are falling in to this group.

 

[AM9]

You wouldn't expect the same level of discount as with a season ticket. However, at the moment people who buy the same ticket 2 or 3 days each week get no discount at all. With the growth of part time and flexi working, more and more people are falling in to this group.

Why should a season ticket holder qualify for a greater discount than a carnet holder?

 

[xotGD]

Why should a season ticket holder qualify for a greater discount than a carnet holder?

Because they are paying for a 7 day per week inflexible ticket, rather than a 2 or 3 days per week (really anywhere between 0 and 7) flexible ticket.

 

[AM9]

Because they are paying for a 7 day per week inflexible ticket, rather than a 2 or 3 days per week (really anywhere between 0 and 7) flexible ticket.

But this discussion is about having alternatives to season tickets, such as carnets which would meet the need of irregular commuters. Using St Albans (with one of the highest number of Thameslink season holders) to St Pancras Weekly season tickets are stated to be priced at 5 times the anytime fare which equates to about 60% of the full fare. An annual season is stated to be priced assuming 240 return journeys per year but the fare equates to 46% of the full fare. Given that most users of these tickets travel at peak times when only anytime tickets would be valid, it is a quite generous offer to not only make an allowance for them only being normally used on work days but to also offer the per journey fares on those days at prices lower than restricted off peak tickets.
Now Carnets could be available in both anytime and off-peak versions that would allow those who travel in either or both direction outside the peaks (such as shift workers) to benefit like the regular commuter does now especially as such jobs frequently attract lower pay. So why can't a carnet buyer get ten tickets for the price of seven even though they still wouldn't be as privileged as the peak travelling season ticket holders?

 

[jon0844]

There's been talk for ages about flexible season tickets on smartcards, but as yet nothing has happened. I think the idea was for GTR to trial such a scheme to get rid of paper based carnets, but nothing came of it.

I hope in due course it does, along with all the other improvements that are supposed to come (KeyGo and being able to just buy single/return tickets to store on your card).

I was having a conversation with some people recently about the possibility of having an off-peak between midnight and 4, 5 or 6am (that bit wasn't decided) to encourage staggered working where people might opt to travel before the morning peak.

 

[SaveECRewards]

I want to be able to get a ticket for the trains that I want to travel on, rather than having to plan months in advance. I don't want to have to queue at a ticket machine to get it. Of course a discount would be nice, but the main focus should be on making it quick and easy to pay for fares.

I wouldn't do it quite the same way, but something like BA's Flightpass but for the railways might be what you're describing. It has a lot more ticket options than a carnet and can be for point to point or to regions. So for example you could select 10 flights in 3 months from Heathrow to Newcastle and you can also select the flexibility - do you want to be able to book on the day or are you happy booking a bit in advance. Prices reflect the number of tickets you purchase and the booking flexibility.

They're great if you know that you're going to be travelling frequently between two points but can't commit to dates and times in advance. I used it when I was having to travel between London and Prague for a year. By the time I've come to book my flight the fares have increased significantly so this represented great value.

Only drawback about the BA implementation was it's economy class only.

 

[yorksrob]

Why should a season ticket holder qualify for a greater discount than a carnet holder?

From a commercial point of view, the season ticket holder has paid to travel on that train seven days a week, regardless of whether he turns up. With a carnet, there is still an element of the railway providing a seat every day, but the carnet user may not pay for that seat every day.

 

[simple simon]

I think it depends on one's travel patterns but I prefer prepaid zonal period tickets because (in London) the alternative system always requires card reads at each end of the journey but sometimes this is forgotten or not done and it also imposes journey time limits.

By way of contrast, I see that as long as a person stays within the relevant fare zones prepaid tickets (weeklies, monthlies, etc) are more flexible. Prepaid season tickets also allow for multiple journeys and / or break of journeys without extra financial cost. Oh and sometimes I can even 'dilly dally' to use my camera without worrying if I might be taking too long for the pre-designated journey time limit.