Why is it cheaper to travel further on the same train route?

bap98189

jon81uk wrote: »

Also if there are barriers or ticket checkers you won't be allowed out of the station with a ticket that doesn't name the correct station.

There are no barriers at Penrith. It's not the busiest station either, I've never seen anyone checking tickets there. It is possible they could decide to do so, but I would say the chances are small, and even if they did, most likely they wouldn't care as you have some sort of ticket.

The attitude to penalty fares is very different up north. I've never seen anyone without a ticket have to do anything other than buy one from a conductor.

yorkie2

wealdroam wrote: »

Yes. Here's one example.

I do believe the train companies' policies have changed on this though - to something like only asking for the difference between the price of the ticket purchased and the ticket that should've been bought.

SWT were wrong to charge a Penalty Fare; the conditions of carriage (now conditions of travel) and - more importantly - the penalty fare legislation - does not permit a PF to be charged for finishing 'short'.

The PF was appealed and rescinded, I'm reliably informed.

The correct action is to charge the difference between the fare paid and the lowest priced fare which would have enabled the journey, as you say, although that has been the rule for a long time.

[Deleted User]

Voyager2002 wrote: »

No. I would deal with this situation by buying a ticket to Penrith from somewhere nearby as well as the ticket to Carlisle, so that I would be able to leave the station.

cookie365 wrote: »

Which if you got caught would indicate you knew exactly what you were doing, so you'd be more likely to find yourself going straight to a prosecution without any chance of settling out of court.

"Get caught"? How and why? If asked for your ticket, you would present only the 'appropriate one' and not both.

cookie365

Sleazy wrote: »

"Get caught"? How and why? If asked for your ticket, you would present only the 'appropriate one' and not both.

Because the people who check tickets aren't stupid, and if there's a cheaper advance ticket on a longer journey will be on the lookout for people doing just that.

Especially at a small station like Penrith where there are big gaps between trains, and they may be wondering why your ticket is from x when you got off a train from y.

And of course the minor point that fare dodging is wrong.

Mr.Generous

Anyone ever heard of the "Ale Trail?"

That is exactly what you do, buy a return ticket from Manchester to Batley in Yorkshire, you get to Batley and sample a pint, then get off at pretty much every station on the way back and sample another pint.

It is a really fun trip, great atmosphere and the railway and local police have staff on hand because of the numbers taking part on summer weekends.

They don't try and stop anyone or charge extra. They get packed out trains they otherwise wouldn't have.

see here for details ...

http://www.realaletrail.net/

cookie365

Which is a completely different ticket that does allow you to break and restart your journey.

Voyager2002

cookie365 wrote: »

Because the people who check tickets aren't stupid, and if there's a cheaper advance ticket on a longer journey will be on the lookout for people doing just that.

Especially at a small station like Penrith where there are big gaps between trains, and they may be wondering why your ticket is from x when you got off a train from y.

And of course the minor point that fare dodging is wrong.

I would not equate this with fare-dodging, but intelligent self-defence against predatory pricing.

As it happens whenever I have done this my 'short journey' ticket has been from a station where my train did actually call, and for the record I don't think that railway staff are on the lookout for this kind of behaviour.

cookie365

Voyager2002 wrote: »

I would not equate this with fare-dodging,

I would, because it is.

boliston

What about "split ticketing"?
http://www.splitticketing.com/
Surely this also goes against the spirit of paying the normal fare for a journey?
I once had a person at the ticket office suggest a split fare but he said he is NOT supposed to let anyone know about it!

yorkie2

boliston wrote: »

What about "split ticketing"?
http://www.splitticketing.com/
Surely this also goes against the spirit of paying the normal fare for a journey?
I once had a person at the ticket office suggest a split fare but he said he is NOT supposed to let anyone know about it!

Using a combination of fares is entirely within the conditions.

That's an excellent website. Although not run by me, I do know the people who run it very well.

Ticket offices are not permitted to advise people of "splits", but are obliged to sell them if requested.

Starting/finishing short is also within the conditions, except where it is explicitly stated as not being permitted and the customer is made clear of this when they purchase the ticket. The correct action when a customer breaks their journey contrary to these terms is to charge an excess fare, although the rail industry guidance states not to charge any excess unless there was evidence the customer was aware they were trying to pay less.

Voyager2002 wrote: »

I would not equate this with fare-dodging, but intelligent self-defence against predatory pricing. .

People are entitled to their own views; I doubt many reasonable minded people will think that paying for a longer journey and finishing it early is in any way "fare dodging" but there is nothing we can do to stop some people thinking it is exactly that. We will have to agree to disagree with those people!