Trains: would this be wrong, and would I get caught?

Voyager2002

I have already bought an advance-purchase first class ticket for a long journey.

I have just been called for a job interview on the morning of my date of travel. The interview is in Bristol, near to a station that I would pass through on my original journey. I have plenty of time to buy a ticket for an earlier train to Bristol, attend the interview, and return to the station in Bristol in time to join the train on which I am booked as it passes through there. However, I am not allowed to do this, since my advance-purchase ticket is only valid for the journey as originally booked. It has no refund value and cannot be changed. So what I am supposed to do is throw it away and buy completely new tickets for my journey.

Now, does anyone think that it would be morally wrong to use the original ticket for my journey from Bristol onwards? After all, I would be buying a new ticket for the journey to Bristol and so would be paying more for my travels that day than originally planned.

And the practical question: how likely is it that the ticket collector will notice that I had not been on the train for the first hour of my journey? Bear in mind that there are not that many passengers in first class. And is s/he really likely to mind that much? (The train company is Cross Country.)

bargepole

I can't see any problem with this. Suppose you had a ticket from London-Swansea, missed the train at Paddington, but had a friend who could drive you to Temple Meads to catch up with the train there. Your ticket would still be valid, and you aren't travelling on any part of the route for which you haven't paid.

Voyager2002

bargepole wrote: »

I can't see any problem with this. Suppose you had a ticket from London-Swansea, missed the train at Paddington, but had a friend who could drive you to Temple Meads to catch up with the train there. Your ticket would still be valid, and you aren't travelling on any part of the route for which you haven't paid.

Unfortunately my ticket would not be valid, according to the letter of the rules. In the situation you describe: i. getting through the barrier at Temple Meads could be a problem; and ii. if the ticket collector knew what had happened, he would be within his rights to impose a penalty fare. As for what would happen in practice, I don't know, which is why I posted.

vivatifosi

I did something similar with a standard class ticket when I was younger. I got totally busted by the train inspector, had to pay for a new ticket on the train (even though I was already in possession of one, albeit technically not the correct one) and he gave me a lecture in front of everyone which was totally embarrassing. Was made to feel like a total outcast. Never again!

raskazz

Morally it wouldn't be wrong to use the ticket, although I'm fairly sure that the railway authorities will apply the letter of the rules rather than apply any moral considerations!

bargepole

Cross Country Ts&Cs for 1st class tickets state that you can break your journey, outward or return, as do National Rail Conditions of Carriage. So there's no way they can penalise you, in fact I'd demand a free breakfast as compensation for not using the London-Bristol leg of the journey!

dmg24

Morally I can't see a problem with it, but I agree that if you get a picky conductor you could end up having to buy a new ticket.

I don't know about Cross Country, but on Midland Mainline (haven't travelled since it has changed!) they would have been round with drinks and snacks within the first hour, so it is likely that they will notice if you suddenly appear.

I have the same sort of problem with the Luton - Nottingham route. It can be considerably cheaper to buy a ticket from London. I once got round this by boarding at Luton, and saying that I had been on the earlier (correctly timed) London train, but I was pregnant (honest guv'nor!) and had to get off the train to be sick! Don't think he wanted to argue with a supposedly pregnant woman so he let me carry on!

(Did I just admit to that?! :eek: )

dmg24

bargepole wrote: »

Cross Country Ts&Cs for 1st class tickets state that you can break your journey, outward or return, as do National Rail Conditions of Carriage. So there's no way they can penalise you, in fact I'd demand a free breakfast as compensation for not using the London-Bristol leg of the journey!

I would imagine that applies to open tickets only. If not it defeats the object of having different types of tickets.

Edit: Just checked, breaks are only allowed on open tickets.

http://www.crosscountrytrains.co.uk/TicketsAndFares/TicketTypes/FirstClassTickets.aspx

Quentin

dmg24 wrote: »

so it is likely that they will notice if you suddenly appear.

That doesn't mean anything! There are loos on trains. You could easily be ill and confined in one for an hour.

HC_2

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Unfortunately my ticket would not be valid, according to the letter of the rules. In the situation you describe: i. getting through the barrier at Temple Meads could be a problem; and ii. if the ticket collector knew what had happened, he would be within his rights to impose a penalty fare. As for what would happen in practice, I don't know, which is why I posted.

Could you buy a ticket at Bristol Temple Meads for just one stop, enabling you to get through the barrier without any questions?

Once you are on the train, however, you might find the ticket collector has already been round to punch tickets - in which case you might need to plead an upset stomach and a long visit to the loo, as another poster suggested.

dzug1

I'm pretty certain advance tickets can now (from May) be refunded (or changed) - for a fee of course, so all is not lost.

Using the original ticket from Bristol is as you say a bit iffy - first of all you have to get through the barriers, and then it depends on whether your ticket is checked at all on the rest of the journey and whether it's noticed if it is. I'd say in first class it's more likely to be spotted - you might be the only passenger there and therefore stand out! But if they change train crews at Bristol (possible - it's a major changing point) then it wouldn't be noticed. Probably.