Too young to travel on that ticket?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From The BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

A tram inspector told a mum using a family ticket that she could be fined because her baby and toddler were "too young" to be classed as children.

Cassie took the Metrolink into Manchester city centre from Droylsden in Tameside earlier this month for a church service with her husband and their two children.

Using a £7.10 off-peak family day travel card, Cassie was told by a ticket inspector that because under-fives travel for free, they did not count as "children" under ticketing terms and conditions.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM^▸ (Transport for Greater Manchester. Devolved body responsible for public transport coordination in the Greater Manchester metropolitan area.)) has since apologised and said it would "make sure that all staff are aware that there is no minimum age for children travelling on a family ticket".

an interesting twist on ticket ages

Did your realise that an "adult" ticket is acceptable at any age?     For 2 adults and a child travelling together, the cheapest way (GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) and some others, but not XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise))) can be a Groupsave if during Groupsave hours. 

[bobm]

Only last week I travelled on a groupsave with one of the adults actually being a seven year old child.

What the story doesn’t say is how much an adult ticket is.  Most family tickets are more expensive, even if only slightly, than an adult travelling on their own.

[grahame]

What the story doesn’t say is how much an adult ticket is.  Most family tickets are more expensive, even if only slightly, than an adult travelling on their own.

If you're travelling as a single parent with a four year old (something I did many years ago), if you have a family and friends railcard it is cheaper to use that and have the "baby" travel on a child ticket.

I have just checked this - Melksham to Llanwrda - single for 1 adult, £43.90. ... single for 1 adult + 1 child on a railcard - £37.50. .... HOWEVER - the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) booking engine does not help me find this.  It asks me how many children aged 5-15 and I have to know that a child under 5 can travel on one of these tickets.  There's no box on there for me to specify number of babies to help me get the best fare.  I'm sure a manned ticket office would have helped me get the best fare!

[LiskeardRich]

Stagecoach southwest have amended their family tickets to become a group ticket. It covers up to  5 people of any age. The requirement for some to be children has been removed.

[Chris from Nailsea]

An update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Inspector wrong to say baby wasn't child - mayor

The mayor of Greater Manchester has apologised to a mother who was threatened with a fine over a family tram ticket because her baby and toddler were considered "too young" to be classed as children.

Cassie from Droylsden in Tameside said she was shocked when a ticket inspector said her £7.10 off-peak family day travel card was invalid because under-fives travel for free, and did not count as children.

Andy Burnham told BBC Radio Manchester the mother-of-two had "done everything right", adding he was "sorry this was your experience".  He said Transport for Greater Manchester (TFGM) had since clarified the inspector had wrongly interpreted the rules.

Family tram tickets can be used by a group of one to three children accompanied by one or two adults travelling together, and there is no minimum age requirement for the children.

Cassie had been travelling with her husband and two children, both under five, to a church service in Manchester city centre on the Metrolink tram service.

The inspector told the couple they should have each purchased a £4.30 adult day ticket instead.

TFGM previously said that all inspectors have been made aware that there is no minimum age for children travelling on a family ticket.

Burnham said he was sure the transport operator would be "making things right" for Cassie.  He said: "To be fair to our inspectors out there, I've thrown a lot of change at our system in a short space of time, and you know there will be bits and bobs of things that need to be fixed. And the point of having control of the Bee Network is when people do raise things we'll look at them honestly and fix them as quick as we can."