Unfair fare !

[rmt4ever]

I was travelling with two friends between Acton central and Cricklewood involving a change at West Hampstead. It was off peak. They got singles at £2.80 for the total journey. I have staff travel on the NLL so just needed a priv single West Hampstead to Cricklewood, which cost me 70p...

As I see it I got ripped off because 70*4 is £2.80 ... Which is the full fare they paid, and I was only travelling a poxy 3 minute one stop journey and they were going on a much longer journey involving a change...

How can this be ?

 

[yorkie]

The fares are priced zonally and are not based on either distance or mileage, nor set to be "fair". Sorry!

 

[rmt4ever]

The fares are priced zonally and are not based on either distance or mileage, nor set to be "fair". Sorry!

Since when which clown thought that one up? Surprised when they brought it in, they wasn't slated in the media

 

[Haywain]

Since London fares started being priced zonally some years ago. Priv isn't always a great deal, but that's the way it is.

 

[rmt4ever]

Since London fares started being priced zonally some years ago. Priv isn't always a great deal, but that's the way it is.

Even non priv... £2.80 for the three minute journey must be the biggest rip off train journey in the world!!

 

[yorkie]

But journeys don't become better value if they take longer, so journey time can't be used to determine price

 

[Darandio]

If the journey is so short, and is deemed as so much of a rip off, then walk*? Surely?

*For those who are able to of course.

 

[RJ]

I was travelling with two friends between Acton central and Cricklewood involving a change at West Hampstead. It was off peak. They got singles at £2.80 for the total journey. I have staff travel on the NLL so just needed a priv single West Hampstead to Cricklewood, which cost me 70p...

As I see it I got ripped off because 70*4 is £2.80 ... Which is the full fare they paid, and I was only travelling a poxy 3 minute one stop journey and they were going on a much longer journey involving a change...

How can this be ?

Many people use Oyster Pay You Go for journeys of that nature - £2.20 during the peak and £1.80 off peak between West Hampstead Thameslink and Cricklewood. Not that much more expensive than the bus and certainly a fair bit quicker.

 

[kieron]

Even non priv... £2.80 for the three minute journey must be the biggest rip off train journey in the world!!

Except that your journey started from Acton Central. Thanks to your employer, you paid 70p for the trip instead of £2.20 or £2.80. I wouldn't be too unhappy in your position.

 

[route:oxford]

Even non priv... £2.80 for the three minute journey must be the biggest rip off train journey in the world!!

Nope. Biggest rip-off was during the Heathrow Express Strike.

Having to pay £4.50 on the tube for a journey that is free on the Hex to get between terminals.

 

[island]

Nope. Biggest rip-off was during the Heathrow Express Strike.

Having to pay £4.50 on the tube for a journey that is free on the Hex to get between terminals.

Travel between Heathrow terminals is free to Oyster card holders on London Underground.

 

[RJ]

Nope. Biggest rip-off was during the Heathrow Express Strike.

Having to pay £4.50 on the tube for a journey that is free on the Hex to get between terminals.

You didn't have to pay - travel is free on the Tube and many buses within the Heathrow area!

 

[fowler9]

Really short journies are always quite overpriced. In Liverpool it costs £2.20 to go one stop on the bus or to sit for nearly two hours on the 68 from Aigburth to Bootle.

 

[RJ]

I was travelling with two friends between Acton central and Cricklewood involving a change at West Hampstead. It was off peak. They got singles at £2.80 for the total journey. I have staff travel on the NLL so just needed a priv single West Hampstead to Cricklewood, which cost me 70p...

As I see it I got ripped off because 70*4 is £2.80 ... Which is the full fare they paid, and I was only travelling a poxy 3 minute one stop journey and they were going on a much longer journey involving a change...

How can this be ?

You all overpaid anyway. A Groupsave ticket for 3 people between Acton Central and Cricklewood would've been £5.55. Between you, you paid £6.30.

Zonal fares can be funny anyway. Willesden Junction to Lewisham via Clapham Junction is £2.10, whilst Willesden Junction to Acton Central is £4.70. Fortunately within London, the zonal fares system makes it easy to circumvent the most extortionate fares and also save £££s on point to point season tickets.

 

[Deerfold]

Really short journies are always quite overpriced. In Liverpool it costs £2.20 to go one stop on the bus or to sit for nearly two hours on the 68 from Aigburth to Bootle.

Steeton and Silsden to Keighley is £2.20/£2.30 return.

It's only 4 minutes each way.

My bus fare is £1.70 to go one way / £2.80 return from a point halfway between to either.

A bus between the two takes 10 minutes. Walking would take around an hour.

That seems quite good value on the train.

 

[Kite159]

Will be hard to beat the cash fare for Leicester Square to Covent Garden

 

[fowler9]

Steeton and Silsden to Keighley is £2.20/£2.30 return.

It's only 4 minutes each way.

My bus fare is £1.70 to go one way / £2.80 return from a point halfway between to either.

A bus between the two takes 10 minutes. Walking would take around an hour.

That seems quite good value on the train.

Yeah alright I said always and it wasn't quite true. I apologise. Your example doesn't even touch the sides of £2.20 getting you one stop or giving you a two hour bus journey.

 

[MikeWh]

Will be hard to beat the cash fare for Leicester Square to Covent Garden

I think Canary Wharf to West India Quay cash fare beats that. The 3-car train enters the second station before it leaves the first. £4.70 cash single.

 

[bb21]

Really short journies are always quite overpriced. In Liverpool it costs £2.20 to go one stop on the bus or to sit for nearly two hours on the 68 from Aigburth to Bootle.

Bus fares can be quite extreme in that respect even with staged fares. I used Metrobus's 100 service over the weekend for a number of journeys (fare chart). I used it yesterday from Povey Cross Road East to the airport, and that was £2.20 (ouch!), whereas this morning I walked a little down the road to Povey Cross Road West (a distance of 350 metres, after realising my mistake), and that was only £1.50 as it is now considered a "short hop" fare, which I think is fair for such a journey.

At the other end of the scale, the same £2.20 gets you all the way from Horley Row, Benhams Drive to Three Bridges Station, which is excellent value imo.

I think Canary Wharf to West India Quay cash fare beats that. The 3-car train enters the second station before it leaves the first. £4.70 cash single.

Official figure of 199 metres - a shade under 10 chains, which works out at around £40 a mile. hock:

 

[Starmill]

If you make your outward journey after 1830, a return from Greenfield to Appley Bridge is almost 80 miles round trip via Bolton and costs £2.10.

Just over 2.5p a mile I make that.

Alternatively, going t'other way, the next stop is Marsden 6 miles down the line. And that'll be £5.80 single at any time. Coming up for £1 a mile!

Ty Glas to Birchgrove is 17 chains... and £1.70 single... what's that... £8 a mile?

 

[Haywain]

I think Canary Wharf to West India Quay cash fare beats that. The 3-car train enters the second station before it leaves the first. £4.70 cash single.

Official figure of 199 metres - a shade under 10 chains, which works out at around £40 a mile. hock:

Do the trains stretch between those two stations? A 3-car train will only be 87 metres long normally!

 

[John @ home]

Do the trains stretch between those two stations?

Distances are measured from the centre of the platforms.

 

[nw1]

I think Canary Wharf to West India Quay cash fare beats that. The 3-car train enters the second station before it leaves the first. £4.70 cash single.

That is bizarre. The recent London fare I can think of which seemed exceptionally cheap to me was Gipsy Hill to Clapham Junction, which "seems" quite a long way and with a network card was only £1.80. Obviously the zones "work" for this journey.

 

[Mark_re]

I left my Oyster at home and resent paying non-Oyster fares, but had to go West Hampstead - Clapham Junction - Balham. I then realised that a West Hampstead Stations - Balham via Kensington Olympia is £1.85 with a gold card, which I think is a proper bargain!

I also had to pop out of the station at Clapham Junction and the guys on the gates were happy for me to break my journey. I'm not sure if they should have let me on that ticket (anytime day single), but it worked out even cheaper.

Mark

 

[Deerfold]

I left my Oyster at home and resent paying non-Oyster fares, but had to go West Hampstead - Clapham Junction - Balham. I then realised that a West Hampstead Stations - Balham via Kensington Olympia is £1.85 with a gold card, which I think is a proper bargain!

I also had to pop out of the station at Clapham Junction and the guys on the gates were happy for me to break my journey. I'm not sure if they should have let me on that ticket (anytime day single), but it worked out even cheaper.

Mark

You should be OK for BOJ on any Anytime ticket.

 

[RJ]

That is bizarre. The recent London fare I can think of which seemed exceptionally cheap to me was Gipsy Hill to Clapham Junction, which "seems" quite a long way and with a network card was only £1.80. Obviously the zones "work" for this journey.

It can be one extreme to the other with a zonal fares system;

An Anytime Day Single for a one stop 2 mile journey Willesden Junction to Shepherd's Bush is priced at £4.70. As is a single from Willesden Junction to Kensington Olympia routed via Kensington Olympia.

An Anytime Day Single for a 14 mile journey between Willesden Junction and Lewisham via Kensington Olympia is priced at £2.10.

The combination of a zonal fares system (consisting of multiple tariffs!) and complicated rules on permitted routes mean there are many opportunties for people to undercut the advertised fare for a journey. If you want to travel from Willesden Junction to Acton Central, instead of paying £4.70 for the SDS, you could just buy a ticket to North Sheen and save yourself £1.90 for example.