Have free bus pass, want to travel.

Merrywidow

LesD...I agree - I got a funfare from London to Exeter return for £16 - cheaper than the petrol would have been. They wanted £245 on the train which took longer than the bus. Haven't got into Magabus yet, but I will.

EdInvestor

Farway wrote: »

Sorry, sloppy posting by me, what I should have said was show pass & get a ticket.So the issue of a "free ride" is recorded, but details of the person travelling are not

This is what happens in my local area (Sussex). Used my bus pass in London at the weekend without problems, with each driver simply recording my appearance on a digital counter, no ticket required.

harryhound

Merrywidow wrote: »

LesD...I agree - I got a funfare from London to Exeter return for £16 - cheaper than the petrol would have been. They wanted £245 on the train which took longer than the bus. Haven't got into Magabus yet, but I will.

The increasing madness and the new rail fare regulations are highlighted in this weeks Moneysaving Email

EG
The whole train fare system’s ridiculously illogical; which is why big savings come from hidden rules. Split ticketing is a classic example…a standard London to Penzance return costs £259, yet the train stops in Plymouth so instead buy four separate tickets (London to Plymouth; Plymouth to Penzance and vice-versa) and you can travel on the same train at the same time for £48. My guide to all the tricks has been totally re-researched and rewritten on the back of the recent changes to the fare structure.

dzug1

Merrywidow wrote: »

LesD...I agree - I got a funfare from London to Exeter return for £16 - cheaper than the petrol would have been. They wanted £245 on the train which took longer than the bus. Haven't got into Magabus yet, but I will.

I get bemused by posts like these which contain such grossly incorrect information (I am sure given in good faith) that one wonders how such misunderstanding could possibly occur. What questions were asked, or answered, or both, wrongly to lead to such a travesty of the truth. I despair.

The train takes between 2 and 2.5 hours from London to Exeter. National Express take between 4 and 5 hours.

A walk on, buy on the day, return rail fare is less than £60, off peak. About £40 with a railcard. Advance singles will be cheaper than that.

Unless you buy a fully flexible first class peak hour ticket you cannot possibly pay anywhere near £245

chesky369

I suspect that's a first class fare - a normal return is £150-ish.

Merrywidow

How great we have the superior knowledge of dzug1 to lead up thru the maze of travel. "I am bemused" that his knowledge didnt tell him I dont live in London but 40 miles away to the south and to meet the train in Surrey needed three changes, total journey and waiting for connection time was actually 6 hrs 30. My comment was about the funfares on the National Express, which incidentally was a great, quiet, comfortable ride, and not a grumble with the railways. Next time I will go to London and take advantage of their lower fares.

Ice_2

yippee kiya:j:j:j finally I got my national bus pass...now then where to go first...lol:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

Edinburghlass_2

Can we keep this thread to bus routes please, you'll find the link to Martin's article and discussion thread on rail fares here...

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=965925

LesD

Mind you, Funfares aren't always easy to spot! I've been looking at a break in Cumbria and checked on NE fares back to Birmingham.

Carlisle to Birmingham would be £24.00.

Glasgow to Birmingham (on the same coach, stopping at Carlisle!) would be £1.00.

Carlisle to Glasgow on the train would be £6.50.

So, with an extra 200 miles or so 'holiday', and a brief flirtation with Scotland, we could save £16.50!

donnajunkie

LesD wrote: »

Mind you, Funfares aren't always easy to spot! I've been looking at a break in Cumbria and checked on NE fares back to Birmingham.

Carlisle to Birmingham would be £24.00.

Glasgow to Birmingham (on the same coach, stopping at Carlisle!) would be £1.00.

Carlisle to Glasgow on the train would be £6.50.

So, with an extra 200 miles or so 'holiday', and a brief flirtation with Scotland, we could save £16.50!

if you do go to cumbria make sure you visit a tourist information centre and pick up one of the booklets that have most of the main bus timetables. i say most because some arent included but all of the timetables that visitors are likely to need are included. if you plan to go into the lakes then i believe there is a national express coach that goes into the lakes. you can get a train to windermere or penrith which are alot closer than carlisle. however there is a bus that goes from carlisle to keswick and also another that goes to penrith and then another onto wherever you may want to go in the lakes.