Rail Flexi- tickets what a joke!

Jerome_TFB

I am writing this post as I am really angry at the Flexi-ticket system that was revealed yesterday. 
The Government hailed it as the "biggest shake-up of the rail system" in decades, but frankly what a disappointment! A joke even.
It will benefit some people but let me give you one example:

My girlfriend and I live in Reading, which is a busy commuting route to London Paddington. My girlfriend commutes there 3 days a week, as she works part time.
Until now, she had to buy a monthly ticket, costing £553 per month. So She was expecting savings when the government introduced their new "fantastic" ticketing system that would bring back people to the rail services, and save money for people who work 2 to 3 days a week only.
Well, we just calculated how much a day of travel costs her with either the monthly ticket (which includes London's tube ticket), and the flexi ticket (which we have to add the cost of 2x single tube journeys per day). She works 3 days a week, which averages to 13 days per calendar month.

The result:
- With a monthly season ticket her daily commute costs her £42.5.
- With the flexi ticket (+ costs of metro): £48.7

So how is this a revolutionary new ticket? This is an absolute joke!

This "travel 8 days within 28 days" makes no sense either. They should have created a ticket that says " travel x days within a month", so it matches the monthly season ticket. 
The benefit is mainly for people commuting 2 days a week. Or people who commute on random days within a 28 day period.

I feel that whoever came up with that new "revolutionary" flexi ticket has probably never seen a train in their life.
What they should have come up is a monthly / yearly travel card for people who commute 2 days a week, and the same for people who commute 3 days a week, on top of this flexi ticket (which I guess offers more "freedom" of days of travel). But for office staff contracted part time, they would most probably work on the same days, or at least the same number of days per week.

We truly feel let down. The government yet again promised bells & whistles, and delivered a turd wrapped in a dirty sock.
I am sure they are all patting themselves on the back for that amazing new system that's going to save the rail industry.  

Are we the only ones feeling let down???
I wish Martin will start a campaign that will expose this broken system and the clowns that came up with it. The UK has the most expensive railway network in Europe, for a service that is of lower quality. 

Hasbeen

Would your post  be better here?

As it is not exactly a local bargain. 

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/public-transport-cycling


Where there is a significant existing thread about this.

jon81uk

The new tickets aren't monthly as you are just buying 8 tickets. You can use all 8 in two weeks if you want to.
The 28 days is a maximum not a minimum. Once the 8 tickets are used up you can buy another one.

For your journey yes the monthly works out better for three days a week.

For my journey (Harlow to London) if I go to the office twice a week the flexi season is best. But three times a week a day return each trip is cheaper, as for some reason season tickets are very expensive on my route and day tickets work out best.

The biggest shake up of fares is more likely to come in 2023 when they try to rebrand as Great British Railways. Hopefully they can rebuild the ticket options from scratch.

Here is a Twitter thread on why the whole UK rail ticketing system is screwed.

https://twitter.com/RAIL/status/1407266200564940803

Jerome_TFB

Hasbeen said:

Would your post  be better here?

As it is not exactly a local bargain. 

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/categories/public-transport-cycling


Where there is a significant existing thread about this.

It would indeed!
I searched for a section without finding one. I shall post again and erase this one. Thanks for the heads up!

Jerome_TFB

Arg, can't erase this post. But I copy pasted my last post in the dedicated thread there.

Jerome_TFB

jon81uk said:

The new tickets aren't monthly as you are just buying 8 tickets. You can use all 8 in two weeks if you want to.
The 28 days is a maximum not a minimum. Once the 8 tickets are used up you can buy another one.

For your journey yes the monthly works out better for three days a week.

For my journey (Harlow to London) if I go to the office twice a week the flexi season is best. But three times a week a day return each trip is cheaper, as for some reason season tickets are very expensive on my route and day tickets work out best.

The biggest shake up of fares is more likely to come in 2023 when they try to rebrand as Great British Railways. Hopefully they can rebuild the ticket options from scratch.

Here is a Twitter thread on why the whole UK rail ticketing system is screwed.

https://twitter.com/RAIL/status/1407266200564940803

I know it is only a 8 tickets book.
But this is pretty bad by design to start with. First it should be at least 12 tickets, and they should be usable for more than a 28 days period. I am saying this as they sold their idea as a solution for people commuting 2 to 3 days a week. But that format doesn't work for people commuting 3 days a week.
Still a joke.
I haven't heard of the great British railway rebrand, so fingers crossed... but it is still 2 years away...

jon81uk

But for those only commuting twice a week I don't think the commitment of a 12 ticket ticket would be better?
Although I agree in that making all operators offer carnet tickets (5 or 10 valid for six months) would have been the best option.

If going three times a week for two months then three flexi seasons would cover the 24 journeys over the two months and may depending on the route work out cheaper. For other journeys (such as yours) two monthly tickets is better for three a week.

Which also just shows the whole system is broken where on some routes season tickets offer great value even for as few as three journeys a week but on other routes day tickets can work out cheaper and the flexi season might give a tiny discount).

Jerome_TFB

yes, it is a totally ridiculous system.