[Article] Cheaper online rail fares? Not necessarily

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2011/0511/1224296685831.html?via=relCheaper online rail fares? Not necessarily
BRIAN O'CONNELL

SMALL PRINT: IRISH RAIL this week announced plans to bring in a new pricing structure reminiscent of budget airlines, based on cheaper fares for passengers who book in advance on the Dublin-Cork route. This follows trial runs on the Dublin-Galway route, whereby some passengers could avail of fares as low as €1 in recent weeks.

Under the new system, there will be €10 one-way fares available on all Dublin-Cork trains, but once these sell out, then the pricing structure returns to more expensive fares.

At 9pm on Monday, there were no special fares available online for a same-day Dublin-Cork return journey on Tuesday. All fares quoted were €36 each way, plus additional booking charges, of €2 or €3, depending on your payment method.

However, at Kent Station in Cork on Tuesday morning, a five-day return ticket for the same route could be bought for €71, with no additional booking charges, making it cheaper and more cost-effective to buy tickets at the train station.

In recent years, Irish Rail has launched a focused marketing drive promoting online fares and booking procedures as the most cost-effective way to book fares. although the new pricing structure has drawn criticism from some customers online.

Irish Rail spokesman Barry Kenny said the new system was set up to provide discounts for customers who book early on an increased number of trains. He didn’t rule out the possibility that fares may be sold for as little as €1, but no decision has been taken on offering fares this low as of yet.

Responding to the fact that it may be cheaper to buy tickets at train stations now instead of online, Kenny said: “An online booking system does have the added benefit of a seat reservation and single fares are always cheaper online . . . though clearly [discounted seats] are not likely to be available on busy trains the day before departure.”

He said that those customers who availed of €10 fares were delighted with the service, while others had queried the pricing structure change. “Booking habits will most likely change in response to this,” he said.

[Thomas Ralph]

It does make a reasonable point, although the online system will sell a normal return fare if it's cheaper than two web singles. For the €2/€3 booking fee you get seat reservations as well. Perhaps they should not charge the booking fee on tickets that you could buy from the station.

[Mark Gleeson]

Problem is different terms and conditions

If you have a reservation and your train

1) Breaks down and you are forced to change but are delayed by less than 60 minutes
2) You end up standing
3) Train is cancelled and you travel on an alternative even if less than 60 minutes late

=> 100% refund of fare paid

The 2 euro booking fee is comparable to the true cost to deliver the service, based on UK numbers its about 1.70 GBP in back room costs. Obviously this should be absorbed into the actual fares, then again we don't want per ticket charges so beloved by the airlines. Then again the online back office cost is less than the staffed office cost which is already factored into the ticket price

Clearly the most serious problem is the ridiculous pricing regime on single tickets in the first place.

[MaryK]

A very similar article in the Irish Examiner today, pointing out the cheapest last minute option from Cork/Dublin is the bus, and how it is cheaper to buy the ticket at the station rather than booking on-line.

However I booked my Cork/Dublin rail ticket yesterday for early June and got €10 each way. It is the cheapest I have ever paid for a rail ticket so I am delighted.

[Mark Gleeson]

Exactly, people who book ahead should be offered cheaper tickets. To be fair to Irish Rail there is no nasty 2 week cut off as adopted in the UK and many European railways

Irish Rail are in part the guilty party they should never have offered cheap tickets on the same day as travel in the first place this has led to a culture of booking last minute

The fare quoted online is NEVER more than the booking office fare even for a return its the 2 euro booking fee that makes the difference but you have much greater right to refund if you have a booking. You have to make a personal call on that. We have expressed our objections to the highest levels within Irish Rail (while in the Irish Rail boardroom no less).

If anyone sees any strange behavour i.e trains with no seats booked but charging full fare let us know

[Thomas Ralph]

Problem is different terms and conditions

If you have a reservation and your train

1) Breaks down and you are forced to change but are delayed by less than 60 minutes
2) You end up standing
3) Train is cancelled and you travel on an alternative even if less than 60 minutes late

=> 100% refund of fare paid

This may or may not be applied in practice, irrespective of what the website says.

[Mark Gleeson]

I've successfully been refunded after being forced to change to a bus when the train brokedown

If those are the published conditions we will hold Irish Rail to account if they refuse to refund

[Colm Moore]

The fare quoted online is NEVER more than the booking office fare even for a return its the 2 euro booking fee that makes the difference but you have much greater right to refund if you have a booking. You have to make a personal call on that. I don't see the logic of having to pay extra to be guaranteed a refund. :)

[Mark Gleeson]

I don't see the logic in the 2 euro booking fee in the first place

[Thomas Ralph]

Wasn't it so that the booking system wouldn't fall over on €0 fares? Or so IÉ wouldn't lose money on the card fee... never mind.

[Mark Gleeson]

Something like that but since people thought the 0 fare was an error they avoided them, they became 1 euro fares