Selling plusbus tickets on train

[island]

They've been using it for a fair few years now after using fare manuals and paper timetables since BR days!

Indeed. The guards carry the machines, although I imagine the amount of use they get out of them is mostly limited to issuing a small number of SOSs to people on advances on the wrong train, and most of those people probably get UPFNs!

 

[snail]

I already suggested how. Charge a penal amount for the PlusBus add-on when purchased on the bus e.g. £10 - an amount which means nobody will possibly purchase it unless they are a genuine PlusBus bus+train user. Then rebate the excess over the "real" PlusBus add-on amount, as a discount off a train fare. (Ideally available through automated ticket machines as well as at the ticket office as well as on the train).

I don't see that is unworkable at all.

It would be an administrative nightmare! The bus companies would have to pass on the fares collected to a central point, who would then have to calculate the correct PlusBus fare and reimburse the TOCs running the train booking office for the discounts given. If you are going to do that you may as well just discount tickets by the difference between PlusBus and the regular bus companies' day ticket (though these are often close in cost to PlusBus tickets).

As for getting a TVM to recognise a PlusBus ticket, you are definitely getting into Fantasy Land...

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However, it would also work quite well for someone in any town to get to the station by bus, and back home after (i.e. have the plusBUS at their origin station, not the destination).

Currently there's no way to do that

You can buy an origin PlusBus when you get your rail ticket, either from a station or online. Online booking sites definitely offer PlusBus at both ends if available. Ok, tickets have to be collected in advance of travel but the option is definitely there.

 

[jon0844]

You can buy an origin PlusBus when you get your rail ticket, either from a station or online. Online booking sites definitely offer PlusBus at both ends if available. Ok, tickets have to be collected in advance of travel but the option is definitely there.

What I meant is you can't get the rail ticket, with the plusbus, before you've already used the bus, unless you pick up a ticket in advance or order online and have it posted.

If you pay to use the bus first, you may as well get a return (if available) as you won't get the initial journey payment back.

 

[Aictos]

What I meant is you can't get the rail ticket, with the plusbus, before you've already used the bus, unless you pick up a ticket in advance or order online and have it posted.

If you pay to use the bus first, you may as well get a return (if available) as you won't get the initial journey payment back.

Yes but if you're using a Plusbus addon at destination then you can buy the rail ticket with the plusbus before you obviously get to your destination

 

[jon0844]

It's fine for people going somewhere and needing the bus, but not ideal for using to get to/from the station unless you plan ahead. Many people don't plan ahead!

 

[sheff1]

It would actually be very easy to issue tickets on the bus if the will was there.

Brighton & Hove have done something very similar for many years - http://www.buses.co.uk/tickets/southernfirst.aspx

 

[MarkyMarkD]

Aren't those Brighton & Hove fares actually cheaper than the train fare alone?

E.g. CDR from Brighton - Bedford costs £30 but it's £18 including the bus.

If so, it's a very strange arrangement indeed!