[Article] Cheaper online rail fares? Not necessarily

[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

[Colm Moore]

Originally Posted by Mark Gleeson

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