How do IE Calculate their fares??

Southsider1

TicketWeb Price
Adult€ 22.50
Child€ 10.00
Railcard/Taxsaver Loyalty€ 26.50
Student€ 23.00

Tried to book a ticket from Wexford to Dublin day return for Monday. How do they calculate their fares? The student fare is dearer than the adult standard fare? WTF are these clowns on??? (I'm not a student by the way, just noticed the anomaly)

KC61

Southsider1 wrote: »

TicketWeb Price
Adult€ 22.50
Child€ 10.00
Railcard/Taxsaver Loyalty€ 26.50
Student€ 23.00

Tried to book a ticket from Wexford to Dublin day return for Monday. How do they calculate their fares? The student fare is dearer than the adult standard fare? WTF are these clowns on??? (I'm not a student by the way, just noticed the anomaly)

The student fares are fixed.

The adult fare is not a standard fare but a web promotional fare.

Judgement Day

Common problem I'm afraid. When I travel from Enniscorthy I have three options (4 if I book online) as follows:
1. Ticket machine - the most expensive option.
2. The booking office - almost always cheaper than the machine.
3. The checker on the train - quite often the cheapest of all.

I challenge anybody to explain how such nonsense continues.
Last year I bought a monthly return from Enniscorthy to Cork via Waterford (almost €80 from the machine - if memory serves me right) and just €28 (!) at the booking office. This latter figure was checked and approved by the station master in Wexford in my presence.

foggy_lad

Judgement Day wrote: »

Common problem I'm afraid. When I travel from Enniscorthy I have three options (4 if I book online) as follows:
1. Ticket machine - the most expensive option.
2. The booking office - almost always cheaper than the machine.
3. The checker on the train - quite often the cheapest of all.

I challenge anybody to explain how such nonsense continues.
Last year I bought a monthly return from Enniscorthy to Cork via Waterford (almost €80 from the machine - if memory serves me right) and just €28 (!) at the booking office. This latter figure was checked and approved by the station master in Wexford in my presence.

sounds like the machines just throw out random high figures for fares and when you use the ticket office they will always check for offers and also tell you if buying online would be cheaper:)

Victor

Judgement Day wrote: »

Last year I bought a monthly return from Enniscorthy to Cork via Waterford (almost €80 from the machine

I can only assume it was quoting the price via Dublin

KC61

Again there are significantly discounted fares going via the Rosslare/Limerick Junction railway line when travelling to Cork and Tralee and stations in between.

The machine would have quoted the standard return fare which is EUR 81.50, which would have applied if you went via Dublin.

Judgement Day

KC61 wrote: »

Again there are significantly discounted fares going via the Rosslare/Limerick Junction railway line when travelling to Cork and Tralee and stations in between.

The machine would have quoted the standard return fare which is EUR 81.50, which would have applied if you went via Dublin.

Hardly my fault then? :rolleyes:

KC61

Judgement Day wrote: »

Hardly my fault then? :rolleyes:

I didn't say it was!

The problem is that Enniscorthy is on the border for the promotional fares on the Rosslare/Limerick line and I'd imagine that there would have to be significant reprogramming to take that into account.

JHMEG

Anyone else see the irony of having to shop around for the best price even tho there's only one train company.

KC61

It does really depend on the route taken.

Given the timetable that exists currently very few people would go via Rosslare as there is a huge layover in Waterford.

That route is effectively sold at "sale" prices.

Hungerford

KC61 wrote: »

It does really depend on the route taken.

Not necessarily. I seen the machines quote strangely high fares for destinations which can only be approached from one route.

You also have the messy situation where some closed lines are counted for fare purposes - tickets between Limerick and Tralee are priced based on the old, shorter North Kerry route.

dowlingm

Hungerford wrote: »

tickets between Limerick and Tralee are priced based on the old, shorter North Kerry route.

That hasn't had a passenger train in 57 shaggin' years? Can the mods consider getting the head banging off wall emoticon imported please?

KC61

Hungerford wrote: »

Not necessarily. I seen the machines quote strangely high fares for destinations which can only be approached from one route.

You also have the messy situation where some closed lines are counted for fare purposes - tickets between Limerick and Tralee are priced based on the old, shorter North Kerry route.

Indeed - my comments above were referring to Enniscorthy/Cork which via Waterford is priced on a special fares basis, that is effectively a "sale" price reflecting the poor level of service on the route.

The difference with the second scenario that you outline is that the national fares matrix takes this into account and prices it accordingly. If they did not the fares between Limerick and Kerry would have risen massively upon closure of the North Kerry line.

Judgement Day

KC61 wrote: »

Indeed - my comments above were referring to Enniscorthy/Cork which via Waterford is priced on a special fares basis, that is effectively a "sale" price reflecting the poor level of service on the route.

The difference with the second scenario that you outline is that the national fares matrix takes this into account and prices it accordingly. If they did not the fares between Limerick and Kerry would have risen massively upon closure of the North Kerry line.

Well, whatever about my previous experiences, it is no longer possible to buy a return fare of any sort from Enniscorthy to any station via the South Wexford line as it is impossible to return and consequently they will not sell you a ticket.

On a slightly different tack - why can they not sell a return rail ticket that could be used to return on a Bus Eireann service - They are after all the same company (CIE)!! Of course that would involve innovation, thinking outside the box etc. etc......:mad::mad::mad:

parsi

Judgement Day wrote: »

Common problem I'm afraid. When I travel from Enniscorthy I have three options (4 if I book online) as follows:
1. Ticket machine - the most expensive option.
2. The booking office - almost always cheaper than the machine.
3. The checker on the train - quite often the cheapest of all.

I challenge anybody to explain how such nonsense continues.
Last year I bought a monthly return from Enniscorthy to Cork via Waterford (almost €80 from the machine - if memory serves me right) and just €28 (!) at the booking office. This latter figure was checked and approved by the station master in Wexford in my presence.

Seems to be endemic ..

Todays Railways (europe) have regular mutterings about this based on their experience with SNCF. I imagine the same mutterings could be had about SNCB, NL, DB, DSB, SBB, FI, RhB, BLS, RENFE etc.

dowlingm

KC61 wrote: »

]the national fares matrix takes this into account and prices it accordingly. If they did not the fares between Limerick and Kerry would have risen massively upon closure of the North Kerry line.

But have they made any effort whatever to close this gap since 1963? Getting the train from Limerick to Tralee should cost a lot - it's 80% further than the road route.

Victor

However, they are in competition with other modes. If they want the business, they have to get it at a competitive price.

KC61

dowlingm wrote: »

But have they made any effort whatever to close this gap since 1963? Getting the train from Limerick to Tralee should cost a lot - it's 80% further than the road route.

The fares are based on zones and they just left that zone as it was.

As Victor says they are competing with the bus and why not leave the fares at the old level? At the end of the day what is the company doing? It's trying to keep the railway competitive. I don't really see the issue here.

On the Rosslare/Limerick Junction and Ballybrophy lines there are heavily discounted promotional fares to reflect the poor level of service.