(27 Aug 2014, 5:01 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote Write/email to the operator with an image of the tickets and CC Nexus in.

Sorry I was talking about the Lakes
Should have said.

(27 Aug 2014, 5:06 pm)Tom wrote Sorry I was talking about the Lakes
Should have said.

haha, thought it strange I hadn't seen/heard anything on top of the funny prices.

In that case, do the same, but just miss Nexus out off the CC bit

(27 Aug 2014, 5:11 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote haha, thought it strange I hadn't seen/heard anything on top of the funny prices.

In that case, do the same, but just miss Nexus out off the CC bit

I'll do that then!
Hopefully I'll get a free Explorer.

(27 Aug 2014, 4:49 pm)Tom wrote Just found out the Child Explorer is priced at £4.00 until the 31st August.
However, I was charged, on the three occasions I bought one, £7.50. So that means I'm £10.50 out of pocket.
Not sure what to do? I'm sure I still have at least one of the tickets too, so might email them.

I asked one of the drivers on the 685 about the £4 child explorer and she told me that it could only be purchased on Stagecoach Buses that are boarded within Barrow, West Cumbria and parts of North Lancashire. Also to get the £4 offer the child has to be travelling with an adult fare paying passenger.

I am not saying that the information above is correct but it’s probably best to check the small print in the terms and conditions of the £4 Explorer offer before you contact Stagecoach or Arriva for a refund.

(28 Aug 2014, 10:54 am)GuyParkRoyal wrote I asked one of the drivers on the 685 about the £4 child explorer and she told me that it could only be purchased on Stagecoach Buses that are boarded within Barrow, West Cumbria and parts of North Lancashire. Also to get the £4 offer the child has to be travelling with an adult fare paying passenger.

I am not saying that the information above is correct but it’s probably best to check the small print in the terms and conditions of the £4 Explorer offer before you contact Stagecoach or Arriva for a refund.

I bought it on the 530, 555 and 800 respectively. So why should I be charged double the price?

(28 Aug 2014, 2:58 pm)Tom wrote I bought it on the 530, 555 and 800 respectively. So why should I be charged double the price?

Unfortunately 555 & 800 are Central / Southern Lakes Zones and the Explorer promotion is taking place in the Barrow and West Cumbria Zones. The 530 is is not so clear cut and I guess it will be based on the zone where you board the bus.

In my opinion Stagecoach have scored an own goal by trying to promote explorer in a selected part of Cumbria leading to customers in other parts of the county being disappointed by not receiving the same discounted rates.

Nothing lost in sending an email to customer services though you might get some gesture of good will from them.

(28 Aug 2014, 7:07 pm)GuyParkRoyal wrote Unfortunately 555 & 800 are Central / Southern Lakes Zones and the Explorer promotion is taking place in the Barrow and West Cumbria Zones. The 530 is is not so clear cut and I guess it will be based on the zone where you board the bus.

In my opinion Stagecoach have scored an own goal by trying to promote explorer in a selected part of Cumbria leading to customers in other parts of the county being disappointed by not receiving the same discounted rates.

Nothing lost in sending an email to customer services though you might get some gesture of good will from them.

I boarded them all at Kendal Bus Station.
I wasn't aware of that, so cheers.

I was looking at the prices of travel from Newcastle to South Shields and return for the Great North Run yesterday. The three most popular options all had the same single fare of £3.30 but when checking the return price I was offered a day ticket option and the price variation was quite wide.
Metro = Single £3.30, All day £4.50.
Stagecoach 553 = single £3.30, All day £3.80.
GNE R1 = Single £3.30 All day, £5.00
That is a shocking price difference between Stagecoach and GNE.

(08 Sep 2014, 9:11 am)GuyParkRoyal wrote I was looking at the prices of travel from Newcastle to South Shields and return for the Great North Run yesterday. The three most popular options all had the same single fare of £3.30 but when checking the return price I was offered a day ticket option and the price variation was quite wide.
Metro = Single £3.30, All day £4.50.
Stagecoach 553 = single £3.30, All day £3.80.
GNE R1 = Single £3.30 All day, £5.00
That is a shocking price difference between Stagecoach and GNE.

GNE was £3 per single on the R1, and Stagecoach was £3.50 on the 553?

Difference in all day tickets are down to the fact GNE were offering an all day ticket on all their services regionwide, whereas Stagecoach were offering Tyne and Wear only.

How does this work, £1.15 Single from Stagecoach Offices into Town on the E2 and any other Stagecoach Services in Sunderland, but it's £1.30 into Park Lane, I am Baffled as Park Lane is in Sunderland City Centre.

(10 Sep 2014, 1:49 pm)NEBCD Malarkey wrote How does this work, £1.15 Single from Stagecoach Offices into Town on the E2 and any other Stagecoach Services in Sunderland, but it's £1.30 into Park Lane, I am Baffled as Park Lane is in Sunderland City Centre.

There are departure charges for buses leaving Park Lane Interchange which are not imposed on buses departing from "on street" stops such as Fawcett Street.

(10 Sep 2014, 1:49 pm)NEBCD Malarkey wrote How does this work, £1.15 Single from Stagecoach Offices into Town on the E2 and any other Stagecoach Services in Sunderland, but it's £1.30 into Park Lane, I am Baffled as Park Lane is in Sunderland City Centre.

That's been going on for a very long long time, even before Stagecoach took over Busways, if i remember correctly from speaking to the busways drivers in the early 1990's, theres about 3 fare stages eastbound through the city and only 2 westbound.

ie. it will cost passengers more money for singles eastbound than westbound.

It would be better looked at if any member has updated faretables to hand

(10 Sep 2014, 2:42 pm)BJ10VUS wrote There are departure charges for buses leaving Park Lane Interchange which are not imposed on buses departing from "on street" stops such as Fawcett Street.

I thought had crossed my mind but I had thought I had been overcharged, but yeah I suppose that would make sense then.

Has anybody else realized that when buying a Day Ticket on the X9/X10 that your been done out of £1.70, merely due to the fact that those Services serve Testos Roundabout which is in the Red Zone, In reality it should only be £6.20 rather than £7.90 as the few Occasions I have used the Service it hasn't stopped there at all, Was checking how many Zones there were along the route as I am considering going to the Stockton Depot Open Day on the 28th, GNE's Profits must be High on the TTX as a Result.

(11 Sep 2014, 3:30 pm)NEBCD Malarkey wrote Has anybody else realized that when buying a Day Ticket on the X9/X10 that your been done out of £1.70, merely due to the fact that those Services serve Testos Roundabout which is in the Red Zone, In reality it should only be £6.20 rather than £7.90 as the few Occasions I have used the Service it hasn't stopped there at all, Was checking how many Zones there were along the route as I am considering going to the Stockton Depot Open Day on the 28th, GNE's Profits must be High on the TTX as a Result.

Ah, simplified pricing structures!

(11 Sep 2014, 4:13 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote Ah, simplified pricing structures!

What's confusing about that?

(11 Sep 2014, 3:30 pm)NEBCD Malarkey wrote Has anybody else realized that when buying a Day Ticket on the X9/X10 that your been done out of £1.70, merely due to the fact that those Services serve Testos Roundabout which is in the Red Zone, In reality it should only be £6.20 rather than £7.90 as the few Occasions I have used the Service it hasn't stopped there at all, Was checking how many Zones there were along the route as I am considering going to the Stockton Depot Open Day on the 28th, GNE's Profits must be High on the TTX as a Result.

I don't think it doesn't matter if the bus stops their or not, if the bus goes through that coloured zone then that's what you pay for, it's like travelling from Peterlee to Durham on service 208, the bus goes through 3 zones even though the middle zone is a limited amount.

(11 Sep 2014, 4:14 pm)Dan wrote What's confusing about that?

Erm, not sure what you are on about - nowt is confusing... :s

I was simply referring to the famous line about simplified pricing structures - usually trotted out on fb, whenever there is a question, comment or query relating to fares, zones or boundaries.

(11 Sep 2014, 4:20 pm)cbma06 wrote I don't think it doesn't matter if the bus stops their or not, if the bus goes through that coloured zone then that's what you pay for, it's like travelling from Peterlee to Durham on service 208, the bus goes through 3 zones even though the middle zone is a limited amount.

But why should a Passenger pay an extra £1.70 for the sake of One Stop which is Rarely Stopped at, well other than at Peak Times where I would assume Passengers may get on/off.

(11 Sep 2014, 4:20 pm)cbma06 wrote I don't think it doesn't matter if the bus stops their or not, if the bus goes through that coloured zone then that's what you pay for, it's like travelling from Peterlee to Durham on service 208, the bus goes through 3 zones even though the middle zone is a limited amount.

I disagree here - if a service passed through a zone but didn't actually offer customers the opportunity to board or alight in this zone, I wouldn't be too keen on having to pay for a day ticket including that zone.

In the case of the Tyne Tees Xpress, there is a stop there which can be used. It is used, which has been proven in previous posts by our members on Teesside in the past regarding this bus stop, so I can't see what the issue is with the charge for 3+ Zones?

Testo's Roundabout is on the border of Boldon, which is in the Red Zone, so why shouldn't passengers have to pay for a 3+ Zone day ticket?

I can't see why this would be perceived as anything other than simple - the company gives a zonal map on their website, shows the zonal colours for that service in their timetables, etc...

(11 Sep 2014, 4:21 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote Erm, not sure what you are on about - nowt is confusing... :s

I was simply referring to the famous line about simplified pricing structures - usually trotted out on fb, whenever there is a question, comment or query relating to fares, zones or boundaries.

Exactly - nothing is confusing.
In this case, the pricing structure is simple to understand...

It goes without saying that the company is likely to design their zonal structure in such a way that they generate more profits, but if a customer asks why they have to buy a 3+ Zone ticket on the 8 and not the 78, they're not going to turn round and say that they want more profits, are they?

(11 Sep 2014, 4:27 pm)NEBCD Malarkey wrote But why should a Passenger pay an extra £1.70 for the sake of One Stop which is Rarely Stopped at, well other than at Peak Times where I would assume Passengers may get on/off.

That one stop is in the Red Zone, therefore it should be charged for. Unfortunately its the system. I dont think it'd be good to withdraw the zone system for the TTX and keep it for the rest.

(11 Sep 2014, 4:29 pm)Dan wrote I disagree here - if a service passed through a zone but didn't actually offer customers the opportunity to board or alight in this zone, I wouldn't be too keen on having to pay for a day ticket including that zone.

In the case of the Tyne Tees Xpress, there is a stop there which can be used. It is used, which has been proven in previous posts by our members on Teesside in the past regarding this bus stop, so I can't see what the issue is with the charge for 3+ Zones?

Testo's Roundabout is on the border of Boldon, which is in the Red Zone, so why shouldn't passengers have to pay for a 3+ Zone day ticket?

I can't see why this would be perceived as anything other than simple - the company gives a zonal map on their website, shows the zonal colours for that service in their timetables, etc...


Exactly - nothing is confusing.
In this case, the pricing structure is simple to understand...

It goes without saying that the company is likely to design their zonal structure in such a way that they generate more profits, but if a customer asks why they have to buy a 3+ Zone ticket on the 8 and not the 78, they're not going to turn round and say that they want more profits, are they?

Completely lost me off Dan.
No idea what you are on about or why you have brought up confusion, points about profits etc. - when all I did was quote a line used by GNE...

#mountain
#molehill
#hashtagsonNEB

(11 Sep 2014, 4:59 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote Completely lost me off Dan.
No idea what you are on about or why you have brought up confusion, points about profits etc. - when all I did was quote a line used by GNE...

#mountain
#molehill
#hashtagsonNEB

Yes - you regularly quote that line sarcastically when something could be perceived as slightly confusing, with regards to pricing, zonal structures, etc. An antonym of 'simple' is 'confusing' or 'complicated', hence my posts.

In this instance, it is simple; nothing is confusing, nor complicated.

(11 Sep 2014, 5:13 pm)Dan wrote Yes - you regularly quote that line sarcastically when something could be perceived as slightly confusing, with regards to pricing, zonal structures, etc. An antonym of 'simple' is 'confusing' or 'complicated', hence my posts.

In this instance, it is simple; nothing is confusing, nor complicated.

It's a rip off though.

(11 Sep 2014, 5:18 pm)Tom wrote It's a rip off though.

How do you justify this statement?

According to this website, the average miles per gallon achieved by a car is 24.9.
When travelling via the A19, the distance between Newcastle and Middlesbrough is 40 miles.
When using this website to calculate the fuel cost for a car using the above figures (rounded), the journey would cost £7.05 - this is before you add the cost of parking, etc.

A ticket, which can be used as many times as the customer likes, costing £7.90, is therefore very good value - regardless of the additional zone cost by having a stop within the Red Zone.

(11 Sep 2014, 5:24 pm)Dan wrote How do you justify this statement?

According to this website, the average miles per gallon achieved by a car is 24.9.
When travelling via the A19, the distance between Newcastle and Middlesbrough is 40 miles.
When using this website to calculate the fuel cost for a car using the above figures (rounded), the journey would cost £7.05 - this is before you add the cost of parking, etc.

A ticket, which can be used as many times as the customer likes, costing £7.90, is therefore very good value - regardless of the additional zone cost by having a stop within the Red Zone.

Who mentioned Newcastle to Middlesbrough?
What about Heworth to Peterlee? Still £7.90.

(11 Sep 2014, 5:26 pm)Tom wrote Who mentioned Newcastle to Middlesbrough?
What about Heworth to Peterlee? Still £7.90.

19 miles - costing £3.35 - using the same figures as above.
Accounting for the return journey, plus the cost of parking, the £7.90 day ticket still works out at much better value.

Think people seem to be forgetting that these zone tickets are day tickets that can be used on all services within those zones. They are not designed to be used as singles and returns...no wonder people are classing it as a rip off.

(11 Sep 2014, 5:27 pm)Dan wrote 19 miles - costing £3.35 - using the same figures as above.
Accounting for the return journey, plus the cost of parking, the £7.90 day ticket still works out at much better value.

Parking is free though. So 20p cheaper using the car.
ANE are a lot cheaper than GNE in some instances, as I think a return on the X1/X2 from Newcastle to Middlesbrough was £6.50, although it takes 30 minutes longer.

(11 Sep 2014, 4:27 pm)NEBCD Malarkey wrote But why should a Passenger pay an extra £1.70 for the sake of One Stop which is Rarely Stopped at, well other than at Peak Times where I would assume Passengers may get on/off.

even if the X9/X10 didn't stop at that 1 single bus stop, passengers are still going to be charged to go through the red zone.