Rail Travel - The end of the "Return" ticket
Discussion
devnull said:
did return tickets ever offer a discount? I'm not sure they did. I noticed post covid that the advance tickets were purchasable later to the departure time, so was able to secure single way first class advances (GWR) at better prices. not sure i'll miss the return ticket.
Quite often they are heavily discounted. It’s not unusual to have your outbound at whatever price and the return leg at 10p.If they average out the return price and charge that as two singles then it shouldn’t cause too much ruckus but if their intention is to use this as a stealth ticket rise by simply charging twice the existing fare then it will make it too expensive for many to travel.
At a time when returning passenger numbers are leisure led, it will be a shot in the foot to drive those valuable passengers away by stealth increases.
Drumroll said:
Just done a quick check single train journey was 10p cheaper than the buying a return ticket
Yup, usually about the same price as a single. They could do with sorting out the mess of multiple operators with different charging and ticket validity etc. If single tickets don't halve in price that's a nail in the coffin for rail travel. Notwithstanding business use I guess.
Do many people buy one way tickets now?
number2 said:
Drumroll said:
Just done a quick check single train journey was 10p cheaper than the buying a return ticket
Yup, usually about the same price as a single. They could do with sorting out the mess of multiple operators with different charging and ticket validity etc. If single tickets don't halve in price that's a nail in the coffin for rail travel. Notwithstanding business use I guess.
Do many people buy one way tickets now?
bigpriest said:
Buying a Return ticket resulted in you having two individual tickets anyway - Outward and Return. Price rise on the way or a better way to monitor passenger journeys?
If the trial on LNER is anything to go by, the former. You can bet that the off-peak single won’t be half the price of the off-peak return.alangla said:
bigpriest said:
Buying a Return ticket resulted in you having two individual tickets anyway - Outward and Return. Price rise on the way or a better way to monitor passenger journeys?
If the trial on LNER is anything to go by, the former. You can bet that the off-peak single won’t be half the price of the off-peak return.I confidently expect that the cost of a single ticket will fall to £2.30.
Mr Pointy said:
alangla said:
bigpriest said:
Buying a Return ticket resulted in you having two individual tickets anyway - Outward and Return. Price rise on the way or a better way to monitor passenger journeys?
If the trial on LNER is anything to go by, the former. You can bet that the off-peak single won’t be half the price of the off-peak return.I confidently expect that the cost of a single ticket will fall to £2.30.
The train journeys I usually take don’t offer much (if any) of a saving by booking a return, although the majority are for work and at peak times. I’m told that off-peak / leisure travel is where the saving is.
Suspect it’s a mix of trying to simplify ticketing and raising prices without ‘officially’ putting up prices.
Suspect it’s a mix of trying to simplify ticketing and raising prices without ‘officially’ putting up prices.
If i take a train its always on a return basis. So What i see is likely here is single tickets will cost "X" and you will pay both ways meaning it will cost more overall.
Lets face it, its not going to get cheaper is it? Got to pay all those extra wages after the strikes are successful somehow haven't we ?
Lets face it, its not going to get cheaper is it? Got to pay all those extra wages after the strikes are successful somehow haven't we ?
GroundEffect said:
Posted without comment? And from The Sun?
Most other countries in Europe don't use such a silly system as the return. It's not a help when our single journey tickets are so expensive.
No comment as I haven't used the railways in over 2 decades....Most other countries in Europe don't use such a silly system as the return. It's not a help when our single journey tickets are so expensive.
Here's The Evening Standard link which may provide an alternative view.....
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/return-train-ti...
ridds said:
And when the "return" ticket option vanishes, what do you compare it to?
Daft idea, unworkable and will just make the cost of train journeys more expensive.
More profit for the operators who receive massive subsidies from the tax payer already.
The cost of road / air travel just as we do now. There are some areas where alternatives are not practical (travelDaft idea, unworkable and will just make the cost of train journeys more expensive.
More profit for the operators who receive massive subsidies from the tax payer already.
Into large cities, for example) but in most cases they are competing with car travel.
I’ve yet to meet any colleagues who use public transport to get to our Manchester office, despite it being a very short walk away from train and tram stops.
So I’m going to go against the grain here and say this is a good thing.
The train ticketing system is grossly over-complicated and in many cases nonsensical. A simple rule saying “a return is simply 2 singles” is a very easy way to simplify, and is very common across Europe.
Switzerland has this exact system.
The actual price of the ticket is a separate issue. The argument applies whether a tickets were 10p or £1,000.
I agree there’s a big debate about who should make how much money and how much taxpayer subsidy should go in…all valid but a separate discussion.
The train ticketing system is grossly over-complicated and in many cases nonsensical. A simple rule saying “a return is simply 2 singles” is a very easy way to simplify, and is very common across Europe.
Switzerland has this exact system.
The actual price of the ticket is a separate issue. The argument applies whether a tickets were 10p or £1,000.
I agree there’s a big debate about who should make how much money and how much taxpayer subsidy should go in…all valid but a separate discussion.
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