|
|
Post by glennh2 on Aug 11, 2014 20:47:07 GMT 1
At the request of DfT Northern have announced that from 8th Sept off peak tickets will no longer be valid on most journeys in WY, SY and GM ITA areas for departures between 4pm and 6.30pm Mon-Fri. Passengers travelling on these journeys will have to purchase higher-fare Anytime tickets. Wondered what people think of these changes?
|
|
|
|
Post by westyorkshirebus on Aug 11, 2014 20:57:53 GMT 1
It apparently will effect Dayrovers as well. Will lead to confusion, and leisure travellers treat like criminals being asked to pay again. Doesn't surprise me considering the contempt the DFT have with the Northern franchise
|
|
|
|
Post by Arriva Wakefield on Aug 12, 2014 8:30:03 GMT 1
At the request of DfT Northern have announced that from 8th Sept off peak tickets will no longer be valid on most journeys in WY, SY and GM ITA areas for departures between 4pm and 6.30pm Mon-Fri. Passengers travelling on these journeys will have to purchase higher-fare Anytime tickets. Wondered what people think of these changes? It apparently will effect Dayrovers as well. Will lead to confusion, and leisure travellers treat like criminals being asked to pay again. Doesn't surprise me considering the contempt the DFT have with the Northern franchise Won't affect SY then, as their day tickets are valid anytime, so effectively peak tickets for the purpose of this exercise. |
|
|
|
Post by timelesstable on Aug 13, 2014 5:11:54 GMT 1
Bit more from information and more routes effected www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-28761038Additional affected routes Alderley Edge - Manchester Stations / Salford Crescent / Salford Central via Stockport or Styal Burscough Bridge - Manchester Stations Buxton - Manchester Stations / Salford Crescent / Salford Central New Mils Central - Manchester Stations / Salford Crescent / Salford Central Warrington Central / Bank Quay - Manchester via Birchwood or Earlestown Skipton - Bradford / Leeds Knaresborough - Leeds |
|
|
|
Post by Kenton Schweppes on Aug 13, 2014 18:42:41 GMT 1
Metro need to make an official statement regarding DayRovers to clear up the situation. People will not be impressed if restrictions start to appear on these tickets. I assume it's just Northern Rail and not TPE? I use the Day Rover ticket regularly and I live in Huddersfield, so it won't really affect me, but if you live only where Northern provide the service, you're snookered a bit.
|
|
|
|
Post by gooderson1 on Aug 13, 2014 20:02:17 GMT 1
I cannot understand what all the fuss is about. I have lived in London and Kent and travelled by train into London on a daily basis. I never had the luxury of using a "day return" during the rush hour. If someone wants cheaper travel then travel outside the rush hour.
|
|
|
|
Post by deerfold on Aug 13, 2014 20:15:23 GMT 1
Metro need to make an official statement regarding DayRovers to clear up the situation. People will not be impressed if restrictions start to appear on these tickets. I assume it's just Northern Rail and not TPE? I use the Day Rover ticket regularly and I live in Huddersfield, so it won't really affect me, but if you live only where Northern provide the service, you're snookered a bit. Like this one? www.wymetro.com/news/Changes_to_Evening_Peak_Restrictions_on_Northern_Trains/It could be clearer - I suspect it will not be valid on any operator rather than just Northern/TPE (they do specifically say TPE via Hudds will be affected) but that's not clear. |
|
|
|
Post by deerfold on Aug 13, 2014 20:20:26 GMT 1
I cannot understand what all the fuss is about. I have lived in London and Kent and travelled by train into London on a daily basis. I never had the luxury of using a "day return" during the rush hour. If someone wants cheaper travel then travel outside the rush hour. And do you pay peak fare if you travel into London (against the peak) in the evening? I don't see any point in making a train from Keighley to Leeds at 1800 peak - they're nearly empty. If you buy an off peak day travelcard to get to London are you allowed to use it between 1600 and 1830 within London? That's the London eqivalent of a Day Rover. Last Friday my other half and I caught 3 nearly empy trains and one bus. Two of the trains will no longer be valid under the new restrictions so the fare for us both will increase from £11.80 to £22.00. That'll send to us the the car, not bring in extra income. It won't benefit the existing passengers as they had around 10 seats each already. |
|
|
|
Post by Kenton Schweppes on Aug 13, 2014 20:54:20 GMT 1
Metro need to make an official statement regarding DayRovers to clear up the situation. People will not be impressed if restrictions start to appear on these tickets. I assume it's just Northern Rail and not TPE? I use the Day Rover ticket regularly and I live in Huddersfield, so it won't really affect me, but if you live only where Northern provide the service, you're snookered a bit. Like this one? www.wymetro.com/news/Changes_to_Evening_Peak_Restrictions_on_Northern_Trains/It could be clearer - I suspect it will not be valid on any operator rather than just Northern/TPE (they do specifically say TPE via Hudds will be affected) but that's not clear. Fair enough, I hadn't seen this statement, still think it's a bit shabby. This kind of thing could drive people away from the trains onto the buses and worse still back into their cars. Granted a lot of Day Rover tickets will be used on the weekend as opposed to midweek, where these remain unaffected, I just don't get what they are trying to achieve? I use the ticket for getting about with my missus during the week, especially when we are off work. Like today we've been to Harewood House and we travelled back at peak time back to Huddersfield, I'll have to jump on the X6 from now on then at peak hours. It seems a clumsy way to free up some seats for commuters. |
|
|
|
Post by gooderson1 on Aug 13, 2014 22:29:44 GMT 1
If you have the need to travel on Northern trains within the rush hour period the pay the full fare. If not travel outside the rush hour and take advantage of a "cheap day return"
|
|
|
|
Post by timelesstable on Aug 14, 2014 7:01:16 GMT 1
This is looking like a recipe for even more disgruntled customers so why penalise those passengers which provide the icing on the cake in terms of revenue. Next we will see bus companies wanting to restrict concessionary passes customers because all they want are those with a metro card!
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2014 10:53:31 GMT 1
I cannot understand what all the fuss is about. I have lived in London and Kent and travelled by train into London on a daily basis. I never had the luxury of using a "day return" during the rush hour. If someone wants cheaper travel then travel outside the rush hour. Why do you want a 'race to the bottom' - I've got it bad, so you should have it bad too? Surely we ought to aim to have as few restrictions as possible and the cheapest travel possible to encourage more onto public transport? |
|
|
|
Post by www.buseireann.ie on Aug 14, 2014 11:22:43 GMT 1
I cannot understand what all the fuss is about. I have lived in London and Kent and travelled by train into London on a daily basis. I never had the luxury of using a "day return" during the rush hour. If someone wants cheaper travel then travel outside the rush hour. It's not a luxuary, you lot down London might have the cash to throw away on expensive train travel but us lot up North are more sensible with money, and we want to keep it that way, £2 more between Leeds and Halifax so we can still enjoy a day out and not have to return early, that's £2 we don't have for other things in life like beer or food in some cases. That's what the fuss is about! And before you come back with 'well stay out and return after half 6', if you've got young kids you'll know how tired they get, and to be honest if I've been out walking I know how tired I'll be by then! Why can't you Londoner's give us some of your cash as you all seem to like putting up with expensive day returns! |
|
|
|
Post by gooderson1 on Aug 15, 2014 8:30:51 GMT 1
Firstly let me state that I have a wonderful view over the Pennines where I have lived for sometime. My point is why as a tax payer should I subsidise cheaper rush hour travel(through grants to the TOC by the DfT) in Yorkshire and Greater Manchester when such cheaper travel does not happen travelling into London
|
|
|
|
Post by ianigsy on Aug 15, 2014 18:58:03 GMT 1
Disappointing, but I grew up with similar restrictions on Merseyside's Saveaways. Presumably this means the PAYG MCard (when it comes) won't be able to function like an Oyster card, because there isn't an equivalent all day ticket to cap your spending against.
The potential for confusion is rife- there must be hundreds of scratch-off day rovers out there with reference to only a morning peak, and it could be interesting if Northern enforce their new conditions against what's actually written in black and white on the back of the ticket. It'll probably lead more concessionary pass users back onto buses (on the grounds that a lot of older folk tend to be wary of anything with too many terms and conditions for fear of falling foul of one or the other)- but then the object of the exercise is to kick leisure travellers off peak trains.
Essentially it's an admission that all parties involved have failed to manage supply to meet demand.
|
|
|
|
Post by Kenton Schweppes on Aug 15, 2014 19:11:10 GMT 1
Disappointing, but I grew up with similar restrictions on Merseyside's Saveaways. Presumably this means the PAYG MCard (when it comes) won't be able to function like an Oyster card, because there isn't an equivalent all day ticket to cap your spending against. The potential for confusion is rife- there must be hundreds of scratch-off day rovers out there with reference to only a morning peak, and it could be interesting if Northern enforce their new conditions against what's actually written in black and white on the back of the ticket. It'll probably lead more concessionary pass users back onto buses (on the grounds that a lot of older folk tend to be wary of anything with too many terms and conditions for fear of falling foul of one or the other)- but then the object of the exercise is to kick leisure travellers off peak trains. Essentially it's an admission that all parties involved have failed to manage supply to meet demand. It'll put a lot of people onto peak time buses, the services like the X6 and 72 services out of Leeds are busy enough they will be rammed now during midweek with the new restrictions, particularly during the summer months when people are on annual leave from work. The only way back to Bradford and Huddersfield from Leeds at peak times is on these bus services, ok, there is the Arriva services into Huddersfield but they take an age. |
|
|
|
Post by chrisboy96 on Aug 15, 2014 21:30:11 GMT 1
A spokesperson from Northern made me had a chuckle the other night! Apparently peak time services will be quieter due to these new restrictions, what can only be:
He expects less passengers on services, or
He knows that a lot of people will put off travel and cram onto their first respective service after 1829, like is currently the case on Virgin services out of London Euston!
Once again, a decision made by people who have probably never worked a train in their life...
|
|
|
|
Post by ianigsy on Aug 16, 2014 22:00:44 GMT 1
A fringe benefit for Northern will be that there's a raft of services in the 1830-1845 period which should see an upswing in usage- 1832 Ilkley, 1832 Sheffield via Castleford, 1835 Huddersfield via Halifax, 1837 Bradford FS, 1840 Selby.
I wonder whether any Airedale and Harrogate line users will be tempted to buy singles to Shipley and Burley Park so that they can use the 1826 Skipton and 1829 York.
|
|
|
|
Post by dotterelz on Aug 26, 2014 17:57:57 GMT 1
I asked in Wakefield bus station travel centre today if they had any details of the changes, but they said they had heard nothing at all! They said there were all sorts of rumours about possible 'tweaks' to the day rovers. As someone who regularly uses bus and train day rovers to travel from Wakey to my volunteer post somewhere up the Worth Valley, what am I supposed to do ? we get chucked out about 16:30, am I supposed to hang around in Keighley till after 18:30, suffer the full of school kids 696/697 and then the 425 or just give up volunteering ?
If I have to pay full peak fare, I might as well not wait till 9:30, travelling instead in the morning peak as well as the evening peak .... rather defeating the object of 'uncrowding the evening peak'.
When I complained to Metro, they said "nothing to do with us guv", when I wrote again raising some of the above points they said .. absolutely nothing
|
|
|
|
Post by biroguy on Aug 29, 2014 22:14:57 GMT 1
I really feel sorry for the Northern frontline staff who will bear the full force of angry passengers who simply won`t understand the changes, it is a recipe for chaos. The irony here is that we cannot expect any new or additional trains despite paying more for our tickets. At least around London the trains are newer and longer, meanwhile our 1980`s pacers are going to be around for another decade  |
|
|
|
Post by timelesstable on Aug 30, 2014 6:26:29 GMT 1
meanwhile our 1980`s pacers are going to be around for another decade Only those which are DDA compliant! Answering either Yes or No could this requirement see the Pacers refurbished? |
|
|
|
Post by Burnside on Aug 30, 2014 7:33:20 GMT 1
Possibly is the safest way to put it.
|
|
|
|
Post by biroguy on Aug 30, 2014 9:00:02 GMT 1
I cannot understand what all the fuss is about. I have lived in London and Kent and travelled by train into London on a daily basis. I never had the luxury of using a "day return" during the rush hour. If someone wants cheaper travel then travel outside the rush hour. And do you pay peak fare if you travel into London (against the peak) in the evening? I don't see any point in making a train from Keighley to Leeds at 1800 peak - they're nearly empty. If you buy an off peak day travelcard to get to London are you allowed to use it between 1600 and 1830 within London? That's the London eqivalent of a Day Rover. Last Friday my other half and I caught 3 nearly empy trains and one bus. Two of the trains will no longer be valid under the new restrictions so the fare for us both will increase from £11.80 to £22.00. That'll send to us the the car, not bring in extra income. It won't benefit the existing passengers as they had around 10 seats each already. Well said, people will simply go back to cars. Pricing people off trains is crazy thinking, meanwhile clapped out old rolling stock is being shipped to Northern from Capital connect. |
|
|
|
Post by ianigsy on Sept 6, 2014 18:47:52 GMT 1
I do wonder whether a carrot has been offered along the lines of "raise £x more during the franchise extension and we'll look at new trains in a year or two".
Glancing at Barry Doe's column in Rail the other day, I could see his point- the PTAs in general have been spending money on encouraging people to use public transport by keeping fares down, rather than using some of that money to pay for rolling stock to ensure that the capacity is there as well. Northern know perfectly well that putting their own money into hiring loco-hauled stock won't generate any additional return- it'll only soak up the existing demand. The irony is that somebody travelling on a 1-5 MetroCard and paying £145 for the privilege is still paying less per day than a Day Rover (even if they only use it to travel Monday-Friday) for a ticket with no time restrictions.
|
|
|
|
Post by Bradford Traveller on Sept 6, 2014 19:12:10 GMT 1
The price of a MetroCard is based on Monday-Friday travel
|
|
