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Surprising ticket pricing

Started by Matt, June 06, 2015, 08:37:58 PM

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Matt

I'm seriously considering applying to Exeter uni at the Penryn campus in Cornwall next year so have been doing some research into how I would get from home to the campus (roughly 300 miles) on public transport. I considered coach, train and plane and the results were quite surprising.

Option 1 - coach

Total cost of £62.70 (+£1 booking fee). This is the slowest and most expensive option with a total journey time of 7 hours 48 minutes. I would have to get the 11:00 NX330 service to Plymouth, then face a risky 15 minute changeover for the 16:35 NX504 service to Penryn arriving at 18:48.

Option 2 - train

Total cost of £56.30. Total journey time of 5 hours 24 minutes. I would have to get the 12:17 XC service to Plymouth, then a 17 min changeover for the 15:57 FGW service to Truro, then a very risky 5 min changeover for the 17:27 FGW service to Penryn. However the final leg of the journey is unimportant as I would have a Fal Mussel Uni card giving me unlimited travel on First buses in Cornwall, FGW trains between Falmouth and Truro, and ferries across the River Fal, so I would be able to get another train or bus at no extra cost should I miss the connection.

Interestingly I looked at the cost of Birmingham to Truro to see if I would save any money by removing the Truro - Penryn train but it was exactly the same price!

Option 3 - plane

Total cost of £26.99. Total journey time of 3 hours 31 minutes (plus approx 1 hour for check-in at Birmingham airport). This is by far the cheapest and quickest option! I would get the 11:00 Flybe flight to Newquay which arrives at 12:00. I would then get the 12:16 56 to Newquay arriving at 12:44, the 13:00 91 to Truro arriving at 14:00, and the 14:10 U1 to Penryn arriving at 14:31. The bus journeys would be covered by the Fal Mussel Uni card.

The surprising conclusion is that the plane, despite having to catch 3 buses from airport to destination, is by far the quickest and cheapest option and therefore almost certainly the option I would choose when going to/from home in the Christmas/Easter holidays.

Journey times and prices based on a random date I picked in the next month, Wed 8th July.

Tony

Quote from: Matt on June 06, 2015, 08:37:58 PM
I'm seriously considering applying to Exeter uni at the Penryn campus in Cornwall next year so have been doing some research into how I would get from home to the campus (roughly 300 miles) on public transport. I considered coach, train and plane and the results were quite surprising.

Option 1 - coach

Total cost of £62.70 (+£1 booking fee). This is the slowest and most expensive option with a total journey time of 7 hours 48 minutes. I would have to get the 11:00 NX330 service to Plymouth, then face a risky 15 minute changeover for the 16:35 NX504 service to Penryn arriving at 18:48.

Option 2 - train

Total cost of £56.30. Total journey time of 5 hours 24 minutes. I would have to get the 12:17 XC service to Plymouth, then a 17 min changeover for the 15:57 FGW service to Truro, then a very risky 5 min changeover for the 17:27 FGW service to Penryn. However the final leg of the journey is unimportant as I would have a Fal Mussel Uni card giving me unlimited travel on First buses in Cornwall, FGW trains between Falmouth and Truro, and ferries across the River Fal, so I would be able to get another train or bus at no extra cost should I miss the connection.

Interestingly I looked at the cost of Birmingham to Truro to see if I would save any money by removing the Truro - Penryn train but it was exactly the same price!

Option 3 - plane

Total cost of £26.99. Total journey time of 3 hours 31 minutes (plus approx 1 hour for check-in at Birmingham airport). This is by far the cheapest and quickest option! I would get the 11:00 Flybe flight to Newquay which arrives at 12:00. I would then get the 12:16 56 to Newquay arriving at 12:44, the 13:00 91 to Truro arriving at 14:00, and the 14:10 U1 to Penryn arriving at 14:31. The bus journeys would be covered by the Fal Mussel Uni card.

The surprising conclusion is that the plane, despite having to catch 3 buses from airport to destination, is by far the quickest and cheapest option and therefore almost certainly the option I would choose when going to/from home in the Christmas/Easter holidays.

Journey times and prices based on a random date I picked in the next month, Wed 8th July.

One problem is most times you would be returning on a Friday in University term time, Not a Wednesday with very few people at University. Try getting those prices then!
Arriva Cross Country are the biggest rip off merchants going and on popular days don't even offer the cheap tickets. I would be very surprised if you got those prices very often, if at all

the trainbasher

Quote from: Matt on June 06, 2015, 08:37:58 PM
I'm seriously considering applying to Exeter uni at the Penryn campus in Cornwall next year so have been doing some research into how I would get from home to the campus (roughly 300 miles) on public transport. I considered coach, train and plane and the results were quite surprising.

Option 1 - coach

Total cost of £62.70 (+£1 booking fee). This is the slowest and most expensive option with a total journey time of 7 hours 48 minutes. I would have to get the 11:00 NX330 service to Plymouth, then face a risky 15 minute changeover for the 16:35 NX504 service to Penryn arriving at 18:48.

Option 2 - train

Total cost of £56.30. Total journey time of 5 hours 24 minutes. I would have to get the 12:17 XC service to Plymouth, then a 17 min changeover for the 15:57 FGW service to Truro, then a very risky 5 min changeover for the 17:27 FGW service to Penryn. However the final leg of the journey is unimportant as I would have a Fal Mussel Uni card giving me unlimited travel on First buses in Cornwall, FGW trains between Falmouth and Truro, and ferries across the River Fal, so I would be able to get another train or bus at no extra cost should I miss the connection.

Interestingly I looked at the cost of Birmingham to Truro to see if I would save any money by removing the Truro - Penryn train but it was exactly the same price!

Option 3 - plane

Total cost of £26.99. Total journey time of 3 hours 31 minutes (plus approx 1 hour for check-in at Birmingham airport). This is by far the cheapest and quickest option! I would get the 11:00 Flybe flight to Newquay which arrives at 12:00. I would then get the 12:16 56 to Newquay arriving at 12:44, the 13:00 91 to Truro arriving at 14:00, and the 14:10 U1 to Penryn arriving at 14:31. The bus journeys would be covered by the Fal Mussel Uni card.

The surprising conclusion is that the plane, despite having to catch 3 buses from airport to destination, is by far the quickest and cheapest option and therefore almost certainly the option I would choose when going to/from home in the Christmas/Easter holidays.

Journey times and prices based on a random date I picked in the next month, Wed 8th July.

With NX, one of the options is to buy at (for outward journeys at least) from a centro bus station, or digbeth coach station, saving the £1 booking fee. Plus a coach card can reduce the fares by a third.

With the train, would splitting at Gloucester, Bristol and Exeter work perhaps?? Plus a 16-25 railcard may help as again that reduces fares by a third...

Also first class advances may work out cheaper!!


All opinions and onions mentioned on here are mine and not those of any employer, current, past, present or future, or presented as fact, unless I prove it otherwise.

Stuharris 6360

Only one problem with option 3 @Matt, your not fond of flying.
Pensnett is my local garage. Favourite bus of all time is Fleetline 6360 (KON 360P).

Stuharris 6360

Slower Matt, but u could do this.

9 from yours to Birmingham                                                          single fare £2.20

Megabus from Birmingham to Plymouth
08:10 from B/Ham arr Plymouth 13:55       On the date you said, cheap fare of £10

Train 15:12 from Plymouth to Penryn arr 17:05                              single fare £9.90

Total £22:10
Pensnett is my local garage. Favourite bus of all time is Fleetline 6360 (KON 360P).

the trainbasher

#5
Splits for a random date, without railcard...

(Hope these help @Matt -based on a 1117 dep on a Friday)


All opinions and onions mentioned on here are mine and not those of any employer, current, past, present or future, or presented as fact, unless I prove it otherwise.

the trainbasher

Splits for a random date, with railcard


All opinions and onions mentioned on here are mine and not those of any employer, current, past, present or future, or presented as fact, unless I prove it otherwise.

Sh4318

Splits are often a lot cheaper for rail tickets. When I went to Bristol last week, I split at Cheltenham Spa, another split at Bristol would probably bring the price down. Whenever I go Manchester or Liverpool, I always by a split via Crewe
Class 153, 155 and 156. The Super Sprinters
Local Routes: 21, 89, 48/A, 12/A, 54/A
Semi-local routes: 80, 87

Tony

Quote from: Sh4318 on June 07, 2015, 09:27:55 PM
Splits are often a lot cheaper for rail tickets. When I went to Bristol last week, I split at Cheltenham Spa, another split at Bristol would probably bring the price down. Whenever I go Manchester or Liverpool, I always by a split via Crewe

Cheapest Way to Liverpool is via Chester, splitting at Chester

Rob H

Quote from: Sh4318 on June 07, 2015, 09:27:55 PM
Splits are often a lot cheaper for rail tickets. When I went to Bristol last week, I split at Cheltenham Spa, another split at Bristol would probably bring the price down. Whenever I go Manchester or Liverpool, I always by a split via Crewe

My Friend Kieran from Plymouth splits the rail tickets when ever he goes on Trains to certain places. When he came to New Street on 18th April he told me he paid under £50 from Plymouth rather then £70 or £80.
60 Birmingham - Cranes Park
72/72A Solihull Station - Chelmsley Wood
73 Solihull - Heartlands Hospital
X1 Birmingham - Coventry
X2 Birmingham - Solihull Station
A10 Solihull - Cranes Park / Chelmsley Wood

Stuharris 6360

It's surprising how expensive travelling from Birmingham to the South West is, you go north and you seem to get better value for money!
Pensnett is my local garage. Favourite bus of all time is Fleetline 6360 (KON 360P).

Kevin

Quote from: Stuharris 6360 on June 07, 2015, 09:52:10 PM
It's surprising how expensive travelling from Birmingham to the South West is, you go north and you seem to get better value for money!

That's Cross Country for you... Same If you're going to Southampton / Bournemouth , cheaper to go via London.
Don't quite know why they're so expensive (or indeed why other companies are so much cheaper)
Now in exile in Oxfordshire....
 

the trainbasher

one way to work out who prices your ticket is to look at the ticket on brfares.com as they also give the ticket restrictions.

As an aside I usually buy for trips to Manchester a BHM-STA return, STA-SPT return and a GM4 Daysaver TBM. That usually covers me on the rail network and buses in manchester and both via CRE/SOT between STA and SPT

BHM - New Street
CRE - Crewe
SPT - Stockport
SOT - Stoke On Trent
STA - Stafford


All opinions and onions mentioned on here are mine and not those of any employer, current, past, present or future, or presented as fact, unless I prove it otherwise.

Stu

Does anyone here work at the Birmingham Mail? As rather coincidentally they posted an article today on a similar subject:
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/split-ticket-life-hack-can-9410509

My locals:
2 - Birmingham to Maypole | 3 - Birmingham to Yardley Wood
11A/C - Birmingham Outer Circle | 27 - Yardley Wood to Frankley
76 - Solihull to Northfield | 169 - Solihull to Kings Heath

West Midlands Bus Users: Website | Facebook | Twitter

the trainbasher

Quote from: Stu on June 08, 2015, 08:43:37 PM
Does anyone here work at the Birmingham Mail? As rather coincidentally they posted an article today on a similar subject:
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/split-ticket-life-hack-can-9410509

@Stu it's been going on in the press over the last week since Dispatches did a program on it


All opinions and onions mentioned on here are mine and not those of any employer, current, past, present or future, or presented as fact, unless I prove it otherwise.

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