North Yorkshire Moors Railway General Discussion

Dynamic pricing only works if there is no alternative if you want to do a particular thing, such as watch a one day performance in your area. If there are alternatives, people will seek out the cheaper ones. Or not bother.

 

I think all agree that it was a pathetic gathering, and we can safely assume that they will not do anything of the sort, in terms of hanging their heads in shame. Rather, I expect them to award themselves a big pay rise as soon as they feel it is safe to do do so, regardless of the situation the railway's finances are in at the time - that's the level of faith I, for one, have in them.

 

Dynamic pricing is for the likes of Sleazy Jet and Ryanscare.

Brutal capacity management by dynamic pricing has no place with leisure/ heritage businesses such heritage railways.

However, there is definitely scope for heritage railways to respond to variations in passenger demand within and outwith traditional periods of decent passenger numbers like school holidays.
Maintain your headline fares at busy times, and offer discounts away from school holidays and enthusiast events.

 

Would you like to be the new GM at the NYMR? You are talking reality sense, and that's something that is desperately needed at Park Street!

 

Dynamic pricing has given me an idea. How about dynamic salaries?

At a rough estimate our CEO, FD and other Directors owe the railway about £1.5 million due to overpayments for the last three years.

 

A serious answer - this idea is precisely why dynamic pricing is so disreputable. People make decisions and then find the ground moving underneath them. That works both ways. Even if more financially advantageous, it stinks

 

The CEO of Yorkshire Water has resigned. Hopefully this will be the start of a trend.

 

That is what used to happen, there were peak fares that applied during the periods you suggest, and cheaper fares the rest of the time.
There were times the trains would fill themselves and times you need to coax people on to them.

Sawdust.

 

The risk with that is like the package holiday companies you get accused of hitting those tied to school holidays. I fine balancing act I suggest.
The "big railway" of course forces more dynamic pricing by the year, but calls them advance tickets. Apparently we all prefer the set up, or at least according to Lord Hendy and the TOC 's

 

There’s considerable evidence

 

You could debate pricing models until the cows come home, and clearly different railways have chosen different models based on their own insight about their passengers. (One very clear divide for families, for example, are lines - such as the Bluebell - that basically offer full-price adult fares but "kids for a quid" for children during school holidays; and those such as the SVR that offer child fares about half adult, but a family ticket pitched somewhere around the cost of 2+1, and a bargain at 2+2).

What is striking about the NYMR though is that their prices just seem to lurch about erratically, to the point I'd defy anyone to discern any kind of strategy. What are they trying to achieve with their price model? All it seems to do to me is say "if you don't like these prices, hang around for a day or two and we'll show you some different ones".

And it's not as if the fares are very clear on the website either. Here's the exact wording of "day rover" ticket prices:

DONATION DAY ROVER TICKETS

Adult (16+) from £38.12
Kids Go Free (1 Adult + 1 Child) from £38.12
Additional Child (4-15) from £9.45
Your Thank You Voucher from Adult £5.72 / Child £1.42
Effectively You Pay* Adult £32.40 / Child £8.03
Gift Aid Eligible Yes
Booking Fee Per Transaction £1.50

STANDARD DAY ROVER TICKETS
Adult (16+) from £34.65
Kids Go Free (1 Adult + 1 Child) from £34.65
Additional Child (4-15) from £8.55
No Thank You Voucher
Effectively You Pay* Adult £34.65 / Child £8.55
Not Gift Aid Eligible
Booking Fee Per Transaction £1.50

(Source: https://shop.myonlinebooking.co.uk/NYMR/sessions.aspx?tid=258)​

Can anyone tell me how much a ticket actually costs? It's all just a muddle of words.

Tom