Ticket price rounding

[ASharpe]

Looking on this thread : http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=106887

It appears that tickets have been rounded to the nearest 5p for over 25 years.

Only a year or so ago I was sold an excess for 18p, but as far as I know that has stopped now.

I'd like to know: when was rounding brought it, how it progressed and whether it's tome for another go (10p, 20p, 25p..., 50p,£?

This isn't that relevant, but I'll either put coppers in a charity box, leave them, or throw them in the bin when I get them.

 

[greatkingrat]

Normal tickets are already priced in multiples of 10p, it is only discounted tickets (railcard/child etc) that are rounded to a multiple of 5p.

 

[causton]

Indeed, most tickets are rounded to 10p, discounted then to 5p calculated from the original price, the only way I could think to get one these days is to type something odd in an excess calculator (e.g. if you were excessing to a £5 fare and accidentally put the other fare in as £4.44 or something you would get a 56p ticket)... you can also pay odd amounts if you use a RTV which is one of those funny denomination ones like £2.37 I had once!

 

[Paul Kelly]

I have wondered for a while what the correct rounding rule for discounted tickets is. I don't think it's to the nearest 5p. Rounding to the nearest 5p would mean fractions of 5p up to and including 2.49p would be rounded down, with 2.50p and above being rounded up. A rule I found in an old printed fares manual was to first round up to the next penny, then to the nearest 5p. With this interpretation, fractions of 5p up to and including 2.00p will be rounded down, while fractions from 2.01p and above will be rounded up. This is what brfares.com does and I haven't had any complaints about discrepancies with other systems yet, but I'm still open to that happening...

 

[ASharpe]

Normal tickets are already priced in multiples of 10p, it is only discounted tickets (railcard/child etc) that are rounded to a multiple of 5p.

I'd not noticed that before - I almost always use my railcard.

In that case I think the 5p rounding should go and it should be rounded to a 10p multiple. The fares are based on that away.

 

[hairyhandedfool]

When I was training for the Ticket Office, Railcard discounts were deduction of 34% and then round up to the nearest 5p if necessary. However I note some modern ticket office machines round down to, or to the nearest, 5p. For example, a fare local to me is £4.50 for anyone, but a Railcard holder pays £2.95 rather than £3.

 

[ag51ruk]

Looking at some old tickets I have, I would guess that rounding started in 1984 (I have an NCR ticket from Morden South that is dual stamped because the ticket seller had forgotten the new rule - first for 18p and then again for 2p! (It was a Child Priv single to Wimbledon). Before then, tickets were actually at quarter fare, just rounded up to the nearest penny.

I think that platform ticket prices increased from 6p to a round number at the same time, but not so sure on that one

 

[Hadders]

When I was training for the Ticket Office, Railcard discounts were deduction of 34% and then round up to the nearest 5p if necessary. However I note some modern ticket office machines round down to, or to the nearest, 5p. For example, a fare local to me is £4.50 for anyone, but a Railcard holder pays £2.95 rather than £3.

But charging £3 for a discounted ticket would represent a discount of 33.3% not 34%. I know railcards generally advertise a third off but the t&c's usually state it's actually 34%.

Surely you have to round down otherwise passengers are overcharged. In the example above a reduction of 34% on a fare of £4.50 would mean the passenger pays £2.97. If rounding is in place then it has to go to £2.95 in order to honour the 34% discount.