Why are return tickets not usable for 2 outward journeys?

veryangryman

I never understood this rule - what is the logic behind it?

Victor

(a) It's a return ticket, not a 2-journey ticket.
(b) To cut down on fraudulent usage where, for whatever reason, the return part of the ticket wasn't cancelled.

corktina

clue in the name...you would be getting the second outward virtually free as opposed to two singles.

veryangryman

But you would be getting that at the expense of the journey in the opposite way that you would have taken. So the company (in swings and roundabouts) would be no worse off.

TBH i think its a stupid rule.

Losty Dublin

veryangryman wrote: »

But you would be getting that at the expense of the journey in the opposite way that you would have taken. So the company (in swings and roundabouts) would be no worse off.

TBH i think its a stupid rule.

A return is a completed journey from A to B and back from B to A. If you personally travel somewhere on a train then the likelihood is that you will be heading back again, hence the return element which is priced a cheaper on trains. Two singles on the other hand are two separate trips for two separate passengers.

As a totally unrelated question, did you recently have a discussion with a staff member on board a train in relation to this?

veryangryman

Losty Dublin wrote: »

A return is a completed journey from A to B and back from B to A. If you personally travel somewhere on a train then the likelihood is that you will be heading back again, hence the return element which is priced a cheaper on trains. Two singles on the other hand are two separate trips for two separate passengers.

As a totally unrelated question, did you recently have a discussion with a staff member on board a train in relation to this?

No point, the staff are only doing their job. Its not to them to question it. The odd sound head lets you use it for 2, appreciating your business and (i guess) realising the logic. I won't name them as the PC brigade would be out in force.

Tails142

Yeah I had this problem before, car was in work, got the luas into work, drove the car home, was getting the luas back into work again and that's when things went wrong =P I suppose technically the inspector didn't know that I wasn't just riding the luas back and forth the whole time, if you had two return tickets going either way you could do that until one gets checked, think they're valid for 90 mins from time of issue? But yeah, a rare problem, I think I was over the 90 mins and that was what my problem was.

corktina

veryangryman wrote: »

But you would be getting that at the expense of the journey in the opposite way that you would have taken. So the company (in swings and roundabouts) would be no worse off.

TBH i think its a stupid rule.

not at all. The return section is highly discounted, most of the cost of a return relating to the outward journey. The Company would indeed be worse off as you'd be getting two journeys for the price of just over one. The cost implications if regular passengers were to do this are huge.

Zebra3

veryangryman wrote: »

No point, the staff are only doing their job. Its not to them to question it. The odd sound head lets you use it for 2, appreciating your business and (i guess) realising the logic. I won't name them as the PC brigade would be out in force.

What would that have to do with political correctness?

corktina

it's shorthand for High Horse is my guess, something you add to a post when you aren't "winning" the thread.

veryangryman

corktina wrote: »

it's shorthand for High Horse is my guess, something you add to a post when you aren't "winning" the thread.

Didn't realize the thread was a race. Oh well.

I'd rather not get staff in trouble for doing the right thing by the customer.

EuropeanSon

veryangryman wrote: »

I never understood this rule - what is the logic behind it?

If everyone went one way, they'd have nobody on the return leg, and have to run twice as many outward journeys (from which the train had to come back empty each time, using twice as much time and fuel).

They want the same number going out as returning, as then they can fill the train all the time, so they discount return trips.

That's the logic, and it makes perfect sense.

LXFlyer

veryangryman wrote: »

No point, the staff are only doing their job. Its not to them to question it. The odd sound head lets you use it for 2, appreciating your business and (i guess) realising the logic. I won't name them as the PC brigade would be out in force.

I'm struggling to see any logic to your argument.

A return ticket is a discounted product, offering a return journey between two locations, i.e. out and back.

You're actually defrauding the company of revenue if we follow your argument through, as the price of a return ticket will often be substantially less than the price of two singles.