VTEC deters customers by prioritising discounted tickets
Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC) is reportedly heading for financial difficulty, unable to meet its hefty premium payments, and is being released from its franchise early ( RAIL 844).
Yet a glance at the departure screens at King’s Cross will show most VTEC trains - especially Anglo-Scottish ones - to be heavily reserved and often fully booked.
This is presumably the result of making every seat on the train available for advance purchase, at fares that are cheaper (often substantially) than flexible ‘walk-up’ ones.
But for passengers who cannot commit in advance, and who value and need flexible travel arrangements, it can be a truly daunting experience trying to find a seat. Often a long journey will be spent sitting on the vestibule floor - even with a First Class ticket.
This must deter many from travelling with VTEC. I travel extensively by rail, but will always use my car rather than face travel on the floor of an overcrowded VTEC train.
One result of this policy is that each seat will generate only the lower advance purchase rate per journey. It is also an ethically dubious practice to expect passengers who have paid the most for their tickets not to be able to find a seat.
In complete contrast, every Pendolino on the parallel West Coast service out of Euston always has two unreserved coaches (U&F) for walk-up passengers, who can thus be reasonably confident of finding a seat.
The original concept of advance purchase was to sell off unused seats on a train at a discount, after making allowance for the number of passengers likely to be travelling with walk-up tickets.
It is difficult to see how VTEC can improve its finances when it is filling every seat on its trains with discounted tickets and deterring full fare travel. And while a 100%+ full train may satisfy the accountants, it creates a stressful and cramped journey that does not encourage future travel.
It seems to me that VTEC needs to encourage and take more note of its full fare walk-up passengers - ensuring that every train always has sufficient unreserved accommodation for the likely number of full fare passengers before releasing seats for advance purchase.
Nor would it be a bad thing if VTEC recognised the high fare passengers pay for a flexible ticket, by offering complementary light refreshments in unreserved coaches.