A COMMUTER has hit out at rail companies after being quoted a staggering £115 fare for a journey in three months’ time – despite it being partly replaced by a bus.
The unnamed Brit was using railway information platform Trainline on Sunday to book their journey from Manchester Piccadilly to Swansea on November 5.
The first fare offered came to £115.40, and involved two trains, then a rail replacement bus for the last leg of the journey, between Port Talbot Parkway and Swansea.
Despite not even having access to a train for the last portion of the journey, the price remains unaffected by this fact, with the triple digit sum budging very little regardless of the departure time nor mode of transport.
A screenshot of the booking showed later journeys for the same route with the same journey leaving Manchester one hour later – a faster direct train – bizarrely coming in at £3.10 cheaper.
The price was back at £115.40 for the journey after this, which took the longest but only required one change of train.
Out of curiosity, the commuter looked into the price of a train from Cologne to Berlin on the same date, as they were also considering a trip to Germany.
The journey, which would take around the same length of time as travelling from Manchester to Swansea, came in at just £17.
Upon sharing their frustration, many fellow Brits were quick to weigh in with their own views, such as waiting to book within a 12-week window to get cheaper advance tickets.
The screenshot was shared to social media on Sunday with the caption: “Sorry but this is pretty insane.
“£115 for a rail replacement bus Manchester to Swansea booking three months in advance.
“Can save £3 if I get the one direct train. The miserable people who say this is how you should book trains to get a good deal, got any tips?”
The post has since received over 3,600 likes and more than 190 comments from commuters sharing their own opinions on the absurd pricing.
One said: “Almost certainly, the advanced booking window isn’t open yet for that weekend so the cheaper tickets aren’t available. By my reckoning, look again in a week’s time.”
Another replied: “Why is there a window, seems more complicated for them to organise than just having advance booking until a certain date?
“And why should you be penalised for booking too early?”
A second commented: “I could drive up to Manchester then Swansea and get back home, 507 miles for about £90 in petrol, and they wonder why people don’t use the train.”
Another wrote: “It’s insane that a rail replacement bus is charged the same as a train when you can get a coach for much less.”
A fourth said: “Yep. Just boarded a train from King’s Cross to Edinburgh that I booked months ago.
“Only one of my three kids is under 15 so even with a friends and family railcard it was over £300.”
Another joked: “Entirely your fault.
“You should have booked at least six months ago, you’re trying to travel on a Tuesday afternoon when you should only be looking at trains after 8pm, and you should have at least three different railcards you should be using.
“Do all that and it will only be £89”
