Zero Fare Excess

[muug1982]

Hi,
I currently hold an unused return portion of a Luton - Coleshill Parkway Off Peak Return rte Not London (£41). I need to travel Coleshill Parkway - Luton Airport Parkway...as I will be over-distance between Luton and Luton Airport Parkway, I believe I require an excess, but as the tickets are the same cost I believe it would be zero fare?

However easement 30255 states that "Customers travelling via Wellingborough to or from Luton may double back via Luton Airport Parkway. This easement applies in both directions"

So my questions are:
1. Is the excess required or does the easement permit me to leave the station at Luton Airport Parkway?
2. If required, where is the most likely place to successfully get the excess? (And how much time should I allow)
3. Can I excess the ticket to be valid to the airport terminal via the shuttle bus?

I frequently see people getting PF'd at LTN Parkway, and don't want to join that club for a 2 minute journey...(although I think most are tourists caught out by the oyster boundaries)

 

[razor89]

I'm unsure of what is meant by "may double back" in the easement. Does it mean you can get a train that doesn't stop at Luton, but does stop at Luton Airport Parkway, and then catch a train back to Luton?

You should be able to get the excess from any staffed booking office up to and on the day of travel. If the staff know what they're doing it will take no more than a couple of minutes.

Trying it myself I have been unable to find a through ticket that includes the bus transfer. All I can find is the plusbus ticket priced at £2.80, but this can only be issued as a separate ticket.

If you're worried about a PF I'd say get the excess anyway. It's free and if you just happen to meet an inspector with no knowledge of the easement you won't have the hassle of appealing the inevitable PF they would give you.

 

[Haywain]

As often argued here, it is debatable whether an overdistance excess is applicable given that it is, in this case, travelling beyong the origin of the return ticket.

Regardless of that, there isn't a through fare between 'Luton Airport.' and Coleshill Parkway, so it couldn't be excessed right through. Don't buy PlusBus as the shuttle is cheaper for a single journey. Alternatively there are frequent fast bus services from Luton station to the airport, so using that could prove to be less hassle, other than the inconvenience of the lack of direct trains from Leicester to Luton.

 

[razor89]

As often argued here, it is debatable whether an overdistance excess is applicable given that it is, in this case, travelling beyong the origin of the return ticket.

Indeed, I've just been looking at the over distance excess fares section of the forums ticketing guide and it's nowhere near as clear cut as I thought. It's a shame there isn't more flexibility really. My machine will let me do this excess though and if asked I would have no qualms about issuing it.