Starting short - buying on board

[plannerman]

This might be a daft query - it is clearly stated on the National Rail website that it is perfectly acceptable to start your journey short on an Anytime ticket. So far so good. But how does that work where you need to buy the ticket on board?

The actual scenario I have in mind is a journey I plan to make from Nantwich to Bache next week. The single Anytime fare is £12.70. It's bizarrely much cheaper to buy a single from Shrewsbury - which is valid via Nantwich anyway. But as far as I can tell Nantwich has no facilites at all beyond having platforms - no ticket office, and no machines. So the ticket will have to be purchased on board.

So would the guard willingly sell a single from Shrewsbury, to someone who's blatantly just got on at Nantwich? And if not, why not, as 'starting short' is perfectly acceptable under the T&C's of the ticket type?

 

[David Goddard]

Personally can see no reason why not. They should sell the ticket they are asked for, shouldn't they?

 

[hairyhandedfool]

If there are no facilities then you can buy onboard as if you were buying before boarding, but in this case it may be wise to take some documents that will show the ticket you want is actually valid, just in case the guard disagrees.

 

[Robsignals]

In theory if Penalty Fares apply at Shrewsbury an RPI might take you at your word and issue one, or because they feared geting in trouble for selling an ordinary ticket from a PF station.

Edit: I meant Shrewsbury, falling asleep...

 

[All Line Rover]

As you say, a Shrewsbury to Chester ticket is valid via Crewe and most, if not all, guards accept this.

However, if you repeatedly purchase such a ticket on board, guards will realise that the ticket is cheaper than a ticket from Nantwich and you run the risk of bringing the "issue" to light, perhaps getting the Shrewsbury to Chester ticket amended. (I don't know how Arriva would do this, but considering how TOCs have got around fares regulation in the past...)

 

[jopsuk]

I'd advise being patient and polite about it when you ask the guard, as it is a bit of an oddity (even if it is technically valid).

If it was a return, I'd suggest telling the guard that you intended on returning the full distance, but for a single this would be clearly nonsense!

 

[Welshman]

You could always buy it online, and pick-it up beforehand from a station with an ATM.
Then perhaps the guard may not particularly notice the fare when s/he has not sold it.

 

[RJ]

In the past when I've boarded at a station without adequate retailing facilities, I've experienced guards being funny about selling certain tickets, only willing to offer one from origin to destination. So I've had to accept a UFN instead. Nuisance to deal with but as it's issued for a dud reason, they can't always enforce it. The TOC can't force you to pay for a single if you wanted a Rover or Travelcard for example.