Getting off early with Advance Ticket

Leeds has barriers. To get off legally*, you need to purchase an off peak or anytime (depending on your schedule) ticket from Harrogate to Leeds. You will use that to get off at Leeds and get through the barriers, without going first to Harrogate.

*not 100%, but the barriers will open and the case seems easily arguable in the unlikely event you are stopped.

If there are ticket barriers, I am wondering if it would work to just buy appropriately-timed Advance tickets for £3.20 each and use those to exit at Leeds without staying on to Harrogate.

Or maybe they won’t work since they haven’t been used for entry to the platform at Harrogate.

I’ll bet Nigel knows the answer. . . .

I can't imagine it would be any problem.. Where did you see that it would be a problem? It isn't an airline. You just must travel on the correct train.

The ticket you have will probably not open the exit gate at Leeds - just see a nearby member of staff - who should let you through.

Hi George -

The info about barriers at Leeds is correct. However they are always manned in case of malfunction of any kind.

As regards leaving the station I’m sure that you’d be able to leave without buying another ticket. What they are keen on currently is trying to stop people travelling without a valid ticket and are applying swingeing fines to discourage this. However if you explain to the barrier staff why you are not completing your journey, they’ll be able to advise without you getting into any bother. My view is that it will be fine and they’ll wave you through but it would be safest just to check first with them.

Whereabouts in the city are you collecting your hire car from? I don’t think I can recall anywhere especially central for hire cars (unless they are meeting you at the station with it). I recommend not trying to navigate the Leeds city centre one way system if you can possibly avoid it.

I live just outside Leeds and was born there so if you need any Leeds-centric advice, please feel free to contact me or ask here.

Ian

A few positions on this one

Legal Position: You would be attempting to do a journey that your ticket is not valid for, so in effect you are travelling without a ticket and subject to the penalties this action generates.
Policy Position: The current general policy of the railway companies is not to pursue extra revenue etc from people where they have stopped short providing they have still travelled on the booked train and there was no intent to do so at the time of purchase. This is deliberately a bit woolly and arose from a situation when a previous operator's employee in this area (East Coast) charged someone £150+ for getting off at Durham rather than Darlington as his plans changed last minute. This was a public relations disaster that railway managements wanted to avoid again. Not to say that all the like jobsworths have also been completely eliminated from the railway though.
Moral Position: buy the single from Harrogate to Leeds before boarding as has already been suggested. No theoretical deprivation of revenue and it will open the barrier, so no potential hassle from a jobsworth.

It's not strictly relevant, but might give some insights.
There was a "fiddle" when travelling to Guidford in Surrey on trains heading towards London. Buying a ticket to Guildford London Road was significantly cheaper than the main Guildford station. This was well known and commuters used to get off the rain and not change for London Road.
The train companies installed ticket barriers at Guildford main, and levied quite stiff fines for not having a valid ticket if you final destination was listed as London Road.

I have no idea if this is likely to happen at Leeds, but I'd probably buy a Harrogate Leeds ticket, if only for peace of mind (You do not need to be in Harrogate to buy one - any manned railway station should be able to sell you a ticket for the journey)

Thanks, everybody, for the thoughtful advice! So we don't run afoul of any law or other obligation, we'll just buy Harrogate-Leeds tickets while in Huntingdon. Then in Leeds, we'll see the gate attendants, give them our tickets, and plead our case.

After that, we'll hike over to the "city centre" Hertz office off the Wellington Bridge Road (looks to be less than a mile); or take an Uber if it's not possible to walk the entire way.

George

Hi George -

Drove past Hertz on Wellington Bridge yesterday. While it’s only a very short trip by taxi, I’d certainly recommend doing the journey by taxi or Uber. It’s urban motorway round there and not especially accommodating to pedestrians.

Ian

PS. I understand about getting the Harrogate to Leeds tickets, but as you’d probably have needed to change trains in Leeds anyway you could enquire if another ticket was needed at the barrier. There is a ticket office in the bottom left hand corner of the station or a ‘do it yourself’ ticket machine (card only) nearby. Both can be accessed without leaving the platform.

"...certainly recommend doing the journey by taxi or Uber..."

Well, who could turn down home-based, empirical research?

"I understand about getting the Harrogate to Leeds tickets, but as you’d probably have needed to change trains in Leeds anyway you could enquire if another ticket was needed at the barrier."

In other words, we can plead our case at the barrier first, then buy the tickets, if necessary, to exit the station? Okay, we can go with that advice, too.

Thanks a lot, Ian!