Split Ticketing rules

[whole diary]

[woody]

What are the current rules on split ticketing.Condition 19 of the Conditions of Carriage states that, provided the tickets cover the entire journey, multiple tickets can be used on a train provided:

(a) They are both zonal tickets;
(b) The train stops at the station where they change over;
(c) One is a season or leisure travel pass and the others are not.
 Is this still the case or has ATOC^» (Association of Train Operating Companies See - here) changed these rules to stop split ticketing.

[inspector_blakey]

 

Those are the current conditions of carriage. They are in effect. The rules on split ticketing are therefore exactly what you just posted.

There have been vague mutterings about the possibility of tightening up the rules at some point in the future but they show no signs of amounting to anything yet. If/when the rules change, they will not come into effect without the conditions of carriage being updated.

[woody]

Just that I heard talk recently that ATOC^» (Association of Train Operating Companies See - here) were not happy with split ticketing rules but obviously it was just talk.

[JayMac]

ATOC^» (Association of Train Operating Companies See - here) may not be happy, but they can't just change the NRCoC^▸ (National Rail Conditions of Carriage) as they see fit.

Changes have to be consulted on with the Office of Rail Regulation, Department for Transport and Passenger Focus.

I'm not aware of any such consultation going on at the moment.

[grahame]

Interestingly, I think the rules as they stand are reasonable fair (though they err on the side of being tight).

It's quite reasonable for someone using a season ticket from Slough to Paddington to want to go on to / start from Maidenhead occasionally, and surely the "excess" should just be a ticket covering the extra distance?  And it is.   And it's quite reasonable for someone who's bought a return from Didcot to Paddington to want to return to Swindon in the evening to go direct to a play at the Wyvern.  Surely an extra Didcot -> Swindon single (he's meeting his partner there who will give him a lift home) is the logical extra ticket?  And it is (real shame he has to travel on a train that stops at Didcot, mind you!)

As I see it, the correct "solution" to any concerns at split ticketing that the industry has is to sort out issues of the fair system.   It's illogical that there are so many instances that A->B and B->C is cheaper than A->C on the same train(s) - fix most of them, and you'll solve most of the concerns.

[JayMac]

Which way does the 'fix' go though?

Decrease the longer distance fares or increase the shorter distance ones? Or do both until a pence per mile parity is reached?

How would the business case stack up? Particularly in places where you have two operators, one providing InterCity and one providing local/inter regional.

How do you remain revenue neutral and avoid eye-watering rises for some?
 
With such a huge pence per mile range (e.g. Temple Meads-Severn Beach 11p, Swindon-Paddington 72p), differing subsidies (local or written into the franchise) and premiums, farebox revenue, ORCATS^▸ (Operational Research Computerised Allocation of Tickets to Services), operating costs and so on, I don't think any fix to bring about the end of split ticketing will be easy. Whilst we have a system that offers cheaper local journeys versus a premium for longer distance services then split ticketing will remain. A quick fix simply outlawing the use of split tickets would lead to some interesting scenes at places like Didcot!

No solution will be easy and I fear if left to the industry to decide themselves, it may well benefit the TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) first, their shareholders second, government third and the passenger a distant fourth.

The current fares system isn't broken, just a little frayed at the edges. I'd like to see work done on fixing patently silly anomalies such as the Anytime Single from Swindon-Salisbury (nearly ^1 per mile!) and reversing some of the stealth rises that have come about through Off Peak restriction manipulation.

That second point has had the effect of forcing more people to look for advice on split ticketing. Take a look at the mess CrossCountry have made with their shameful blanket 0930 Off Peak restriction for journeys from the south-west to the far north. Yes, they have capacity problems, so may argue it's market forces, but they've manipulated the fares in such as way as to offer slighter cheaper Advances against the Anytime fare and then having the gall to advertise this as a passenger benefit. Funny thing is, CrossCountry get all the revenue (less sales commission) from a slightly cheaper Advance whilst only sharing the Anytime fare.

Go to work on the worst of the anomalies and sharp practice first. Then take a balanced look at split ticketing.

It will need independent research by better qualified people than me though! I don't have the answers, all I can do is raise the questions....

[ellendune]

You don't have to fix everything on the same pence per mile.  You could just have the same rate for each leg of a journey.  So that the Swindon - Paddington would be the same as the Swindon to Didcot plus the Didcot to Paddington (and any other combination). 

There might be some large changes, in which case they should be phased in over a reasonable time.

[Pedros]

Hmm, I have had interesting experiences with split ticketing. 

I live in Swindon and work in Guildford. However, I often travel in to Central London from our office for meetings.  To do this I buy a single ticket into London, a travelcard for tube/ buses etc, and then a ticket back to Reading (where my season ticket picks up again)  Whenever I've bought this type of journey from the ticket desk, I have always been sold a ticket from the edge of Zone 6 to Reading, NEVER once from London Paddington to Reading. This is split ticketing, where the train does not actually stop. Is this right?

[paul7575]

Yes it's fine, but it isn't really 'split ticketing'.  The boundary zone fare is an extension fare to your existing zonal ticket, your day travelcard in this case, and it is not supposed to be valid without that other zonal ticket. Hence non-availability at TVMs^▸ (Ticket Vending Machine) or online.  Think of it as a normal extension procedure that happens to be pre-loaded into the fares system.

However, the whole purpose of making the BZ extensions available from boundary zones is to allow you to use a train that doesn't stop at that boundary - and bear in mind, as is often the case, the boundary may be between two stations.  Also, there may be more than one route from a zone boundary to your final destination - so defining 'BZ' tickets doesn't constrain you to a particular route, which might be the case with a named station.

PS - you may be overpaying on the way into London from Guildford - have you checked the price of an offpeak day travelcard from Guildford, compared to single plus separate travelcard?  Other options, ask at Guildford for three tickets - Guildford to BZ6 (if it exists), a travelcard, and BZ6 to Reading.

Paul

[bobm]

PS - you may be overpaying on the way into London from Guildford - have you checked the price of an offpeak day travelcard from Guildford, compared to single plus separate travelcard?  Other options, ask at Guildford for three tickets - Guildford to BZ6 (if it exists), a travelcard, and BZ6 to Reading.

Paul

Depends how often you go and at what time but a Network Railcard might save you a bit too.  I live in Swindon and often use it for the split at Didcot or if getting an add-on ticket from Reading.

[paul7575]

PS - you may be overpaying on the way into London from Guildford - have you checked the price of an offpeak day travelcard from Guildford, compared to single plus separate travelcard?  Other options, ask at Guildford for three tickets - Guildford to BZ6 (if it exists), a travelcard, and BZ6 to Reading.

Paul

Depends how often you go and at what time but a Network Railcard might save you a bit too.  I live in Swindon and often use it for the split at Didcot or if getting an add-on ticket from Reading.

Good point.  A quick check suggests that after 1000 the Network card would bring the ^18.00 Guildford to all zones outboundary travelcard down to the weekday minimum ^13.00; compared to the Anytime single at ^11.50 and a separate all zones travelcard at ^8.50.

Paul