asdf wrote:

If Mr Hendy is "surprised" then he must really have no idea. There
must be many many such examples - it's easy enough to find them even
if you only look at routes where PAYG is already valid and even if you
disregard Railcard discounts.

e.g.
Harrow & Wealdstone to Euston: CDR £5.30; PAYG £5.80
[snip]

In some of these cases, the CDR remains cheaper even if one or both of
the outward/return journeys are during evenings/weekends when the PAYG
fares are discounted.

"No need to plan"?!

The whole thing gets messier and messier. Trying to explain to students
whether they benefit more from the TfL season discount or buying daily with
a YPR gets even more messy.