Multi-operator tickets are a great thing, but they're nothing new. Many of us grew up with Explorer tickets allowing us to travel far and wide, well beyond the reach of our local operator. While the Explorer tickets were introduced by the National Bus Company before privatisation and deregulation, the tickets have survived in some regions, although there can be confusion as to how much the tickets cost and on which operators they are valid. This confusion has led to many Explorer schemes disintegrating as operators fail to promote the availability and passengers err on the side of caution, choosing a different destination or mode of transport instead.
One of the most confusing Explorer schemes has been in the South East, covering Kent, Sussex and Surrey. There you have different prices depending on who you buy your ticket from and in some cases, different validity, even though the ticket carries the same name. That is changing from 19th May as Explorer becomes Discovery.
It's currently only being promoted by Go Ahead's Brighton & Hove and Metrobus subsidiaries, but they say that it will be valid on a long list of operators including Arriva and Stagecoach. Let's hope it simplifies a very unnecessarily complicated product and allows it to perform its function: attracting more people to bus travel by allowing them to explore, er I mean discover, a wider region.
So which Explorer tickets are still available? Here are the ones I know of. Please leave a comment and let us know if you know of any more.
- Intalink Explorer - Largely promoted by Hertfordshire County Council but valid beyond the county borders on some operators. Also available in a weekly version.
- Explorer North East - One of the better promoted tickets, co-ordinated by Network One and valid from Berwick down to Scarborough and across to Carlisle.
- North West Explorer - Stagecoach only, but valid across a wide area, from Chester to Dumfries and across to Newcastle. Excludes Greater Manchester. Exact validity area varies according to which Stagecoach subsidiary's website you view.
- Bluestar Explorer - Valid across Go South Coast's brands, including Bluestar, Unilink, More, Salisbury Reds and Damory. Confusingly, the rest of GSC call this ticket the Dayrider ABC, but it has exactly the same validity. Years ago it also used to be valid on other operators to the East of Southampton but that has gradually been reduced.
- Explorer South West - Stagecoach only, plus some routes that are supported by Devon County Council, but Stagecoach don't tell you that.
- Norfolk Green Explorer - This Stagecoach subsidiary says this ticket is also valid on Go Ahead's Konectbus, but Konect's website doesn't carry any mention of this.
- FirstDay Explorer - Another name for the FirstDay South West, but publicity says it is only valid between Bournemouth (unserved by First) and Exeter. Not valid on any other operators' routes.
The whole FirstDay South West thing is a complete disaster for local bus users, all the various First websites have had different info about it and the whole thing's now got even more confusing with the launch of Buses of Somerset and the bizarre scrapping of day tickets in the Weymouth area. I've steered clear as I don't want the confrontation. First has lost out as I've visited other areas instead (and I know I'm not the only one).
ReplyDeleteUnder National Bus we had one ticket that would take you almost anywhere in the UK. With deregulation over the years it's all changed, and as with many other aspects of deregulation become in some areas a complete mess.However most politicians seem happy with it all and treat it as a success story,as most would not know what a bus looked like,let alone travel on one, to experience the inconvienience it can be to get from A to B
ReplyDeleteFares information is one of the things that the larger groups are not good at disseminating.
ReplyDeleteExplorer South West - If you look at the Stagecoach South West network map it gives you details of additional validity:
"Plus all services operated by Western Greyhound in Cornwall, Local
Link in Torbay, Country Bus (excluding route 39C) in Newton Abbot,
Rail River Link service 100 (Paignton - Totnes)."
First Day Explorer - First obviously sell to the highest bidder. Buses in Somerset only are advertised at £10.00, a FirstDay Explorer from Exeter to Bournemouth at £7.70 (I think they mean most First services in the area between these two points),, but if you ask for a FirstDay South West, as advertised under South Somerset, it is only £7.60 and gives validity as "FirstDay South West allows travel for one day on most First bus services in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall with the exception of Park and Ride, Night Flyers, Bristol International Flyer and services operated on behalf of third parties or special events. Some local restrictions may apply so do check before travelling."
Anonymous@1802 says that day tickets in the Weymouth area have been scrapped, yet the FirstDay Weymouth at £3.00, FirstDay Weymouth Plus at £4.10, with a wider Dorset area covered under the Explorer at £7.70
The day explorer was also scrapped at the same time. You now have to buy singles or returns between zones. If you buy a return it is valid all day. (effectively a day ticket!)
DeleteYou have amde a huge error it's much more confusing then you thought! The Dayrider Zone ABC is not the Explorer they both co-exist and cost the exact same except the Explorer is also valid on Stagecoach in Hampshire, First in Hampshire and Dorset, Gard bus Service 41 between Fordingbridge and Salisbury and many other opaerators as far as Hastings and Bristol! The Exploree is now completley unadvertised but if you ask for it you will get a ticket with "EXPLORER" clearly priinted on it, if you ask for Dayrider Zone ABC you will get a ticket with "DAYRIDERZONEABC" printed on it.
ReplyDeleteThe restrictions are extremley complex and even I don't know most of them the only ones I do know are the Explorer is not valid on First X53 between Poole and Wareham and Lyme Regis and Exeter and it is also not valid on most First services within Southampton. Not only that but it varys depending whether you buy the Explorer on Damory or Wilts & Dorset!
Again another error the FirstDay Explorer IS valid on other operators such as Damory Coaches, not only that but First do run to Bournemouth (college days only but technicaly public service). Basicly all explorers are valid on other operators services but for some reason the compaies selling them don't want you to know that (maby so you don't use explorers from other companies on their services a sort of cartel!) and you try be prepared for a dsipute with the driver. (although in my experinence this is unlikely)
ReplyDeleteAnon 18:02 here. I'm even more confused now. When I mentioned scrapping of day tickets in the Weymouth area, I meant Explorer tickets as prices on the X53 also got ramped up recently at the same time. However now looking at the Dorset website (listed under 'W', of course), they're now promoting a Wessex Family Day Explorer for £17.50 which includes the X53 to Exeter. No mention of the X53 to Poole, mind. Nor any suggestion that non-Family Explorers are available for people travelling on their own.
ReplyDeleteA footnote on another page includes the gem that "First Day South West Tickets are accepted but cannot be issued in Dorset". As a mere fare-paying passenger, the obvious question (with no obvious answer) is WHY?
Does that mean on the X53 it's only issued in Devon...or more likely its not issued at all!? W&D Explorers were begrudgingly accepted on the X53 but are NOT accepted on Stagecoach Hampshire as they are part of Stagecoach South who recently stopped acceptance of ANY explorer. However Metrobus claim they will now accept the Discovery but who knows.
ReplyDelete"..NOT accepted on Stagecoach Hampshire as they are part of Stagecoach South who recently stopped acceptance of ANY explorer." Do you have a source? This could be extremley important information.
DeleteStagecoach South aren't yet making any mention of Discovery. I think the problem with Explorer was that prices across other operators were generally up to a couple of quid less than Stagecoach's own Gold Rider Plus. At £8.50 on every operator, Discovery is now 50p more, so presumably that's why they'll be accepting it.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a source? This could be extremley important information.
DeleteSource for what?
DeleteAploigiesd this was intended for Anon at 15 May 2014 05:58.
DeleteThese multi-operator tickets are a nightmare as all participating operators tend to say different things. It really needs a dedicated website that all operators point too, like System 1 in Manchester.
ReplyDeleteUpon privatisation the train operating companies were obliged to retain the existing rover tickets as part of the franchise. Some have even added new ones. Its a great pity the same did not happen with bus privatisation.
ReplyDeleteThe availability and the acceptance of ticks especially other than singles can be pretty much a black art. Even bus companies own staff usually are confused, It is basically a mess
ReplyDeleteIn theory Bus companies should be able to provide you the term & conditions of tickets in fact it is required by law but you try getting that information out of them
ReplyDeleteDiscovery is NOT replacing the South East Explorer ticket. This is an additional product principally valid in and around the South Downs National Park, but in practice accepted by almost all operators for travel in East Sussex, Brighton & Hove and West Sussex (the two counties also insisting on Explorer acceptance on their contracted routes) - as detailed on the B&H website.
ReplyDeleteStagecoach South East and Arriva South East will be continuing with Explorer, still priced differently though accepted by each operator; it is also valid on all Kent County Council tendered routes.
Contrary to Wilts & Dorset staff notices, their Explorers were not officially accepted by Stagecoach South East.
So are arriva/stagecoach south east issued explorers still valid on Brighton and hove/metrobus........?
DeleteAND
Can I still buy an explorer from metrobus/Brighton and hove drivers on occasions where later I want to use arriva or stagecoach services in Kent....?
(metrobus/b&h websites imply no to both of these, as "discovery replaces explorer" suggests explorer is no longer accepted or issued by them even if the Kent operators are continuing with them....)
Seems quite clear to me in that Metrobus and B&H no longer accept or issue Explorers.
DeleteWhat's less clear is whether Arriva or Stagecoach accept Dicovery in Kent / East Sussex. I would guess not as they still have the Explorer.
Looking at all the comments so far on the issue,What a joy it is to travel by bus-Stick to my car I think.
ReplyDeleteThe various post here show what a shambles ticketing is on buses particularly Explorers and other weekly & monthly tickets, No one easily understands the availability and what services & companies buses they can be used on
ReplyDeleteIt is little wonder that in general bus usage is falling
Surely the difficulty is that most opertaors would prefer to sell their own day tickets, so make little effort in promoting the multi-op ones. First Essex makes no mention whatsoever of the Essex Saver on their website, just their own First Day Essex. Both are exactly the same price at £8. Or at least, I assume they're different tickets.... but you have to wonder. How this is helpful to tourists and prospective passengers, I really don' tknow!
ReplyDeleteI think Anon 18 May 09:51 is being overly pessimistic. Now we have the internet it has never been easier to find out about which bus tickets are available and largely, the bus companies actually do quite a good job of letting us know which tickets are available. Where some of them do fall down is in clarifying the validity area of certain tickets, especially where some routes extend out of the validity zone. Multi-operator tickets are another weak point - I don't think it's a coincidence that the best publicised multi-operator tickets are those that operate with the support of the local authorities - the PTEs in the North and particularly Essex, Wiltshire and Hertfordshire in the South.
ReplyDeleteThere is more that the bus companies can do to make the situation clearer and more attractive to potential passengers however. Hopefully some of them will see this post, look at their offering and improve it to the benefit of everyone, not least themselves.
Good point anon @ 10:30. That's why those who say local authorities shouldn't have anything to do with public transport are misguided. Local authorities are absolutely best placed to act in the passengers' interest and promote multi-operator tickets that make journeys possible that would otherwise cost so much that passengers would be lost. It would help if bus companies played along. Essex is a prime example as a FirstDay Essex is the same price as an Essex Saver but is valid on fewer buses - it only exists to confuse passengers into buying a ticket that might not be valid on all the buses they need and to let First keep all the revenue.
ReplyDeleteStill no mention on the Stagecoach site as to the existence of Discovery. I know it's a company-owned commercial web-site but surely to a prospective passenger it's somewhat disingenuous for there to be no reference to a ticket that you may be looking for reassurance that they accept (let alone issue!). Shades of the First / Essex problem, mentioned above. It really ought to be a requirement of participating operators to make reference to it or their share of revenue should be withheld. Tough to police/adminster I know but the interests of the customers should be paramount. If Brighton & Hove, Metrobus, Sussex Bus and the like can do it properly, why not Stagecoach?
ReplyDeleteIt should be noted that, with most of these multi-operator tickets, there is no "revenue share". The revenue is left "where it falls", and it is assumed that for every ticket sold, journeys are made using tickets sold by other operators. Frankly, even with "smart" ticket machines, the time taken to account for such revenue, pass it onto an equivalent of the Railway Clearing House of blessed memory, accumulate it and distribute it by (usage) (mileage) (%age of PVR) {select one} would cost more than the price of each ticket sold!
ReplyDeleteI agree that such a ticket should be better promoted, but with many similar tickets not actually being sponsored by a Local Transport Authority, is it reasonable for a bus company to (a) spend time and resources publicising a ticket that they have no control over; (b) publicise the services of a competitor; (c) promote a ticket that, frankly, will have sales of a microscopically small number compared with sales of thir "own brand" tickets that they can control the price of and will help to get more bums on seats instead of their competitors.
A cynical response? Yes, to an extent, but we do forget that bus companies are commercially-oriented organisations. With LTA's ever cutting back OAP reimbursement, with fewer services being contracted, with the ever persistent threat of BSOG disappearing, can you blame a bus compan for not promoting a ticket that few will use?
More power to LTA's such as Hertfordshire; Wiltshire; WYPTE; GMPTE; WMPTE; Derbyshire; Gwynedd and the like - mind you, these tickets have been around for well over 15 years now.
Any volunteers out there to set up a website? Come on, then - money where mouth is!
But if there's no revenue sharing (which is understandable) and prices are the same or slightly higher than an operator's own ticket, why would they at least not mention them on their websites e.g. Stagecoach (South) or First Essex? Surely better to sell such a Discovery or Essex Saver on their bus and keep the money rather than someone buy it on a Compass bus or a Regal Busways bus instead and them get the money? It doesn't make sense plus of course it annoys and confuses potential passengers. So, what am I missing?
ReplyDeleteWhat you are missing is the point of view of the bean counters, who nowadays are the predominant species in bus company management. The old days when a time-served manager was in charge of fares and ticketing policies are long gone. The oldun's have the interest of the passenger at heart; the youngun's are much more concerned about "not spoiling the image" or "not diluting the brand" to the exclusion of common sense.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried contacting these companies about this? Elsewhere someone was trying to travel along the South Coast from Southampton to Plymouth in one day, and gave up because he couldn't get information from the (allegedly) participating companies as to validity of an Explorer ticket. Mind you - as a driver I'd query a Bluestar Explorer in Plymouth!
You have to make allowances for Joe Driver being reminded to stop fare evasion by his manager, and then being asked to accept a ticket that he's no idea about!
When I was driving on Green Line in the Eighties - one of our routes had 27 different OAP passes to be accepted, with differing validities and discounts. A driver from Surrey was hardly going to be fully "au fait" with a pass issued by Luton Borough Council!!
Perhaps the answer is to not expect a ticket to be honoured way out of the area - after all, generally the ticket pays for itself after a couple of journeys (when compared with singles).
So now stagecoach have declared the discovery ticket is valid on all it's services in Kent, we have a situation where we are back to having all the validity of the old explorer (albeit more expensive to buy though), EXCEPT for arriva in Kent (though 228 and 229 are ok)... So there's no day ticket from Crowborough to Maidstone for example, unless one goes via Brighton, Eastbourne, Hastings, Folkestone and Ashford!!! Let's hope Arriva elects to join the party again, as it appears that everyone else has! Come on arriva!
ReplyDeleteOk I slipped up there, should have said "Uckfield" instead of Crowborough, but the point remains that as adjacent operators, a day ticket valid across both Arriva and Metrobus/Brighton and Hove is a useful feature that we have now lost.... Not such a great discovery I think...
ReplyDelete