Student TravelCard Scam

Psychedelik

You may be familiar with the Student TravelCard. Iarnrod Eireann and Bus Eireann give considerable discounts to people with this card. It costs €12, and you have to be a secondary or third-level student.

The company operating it is of course private, Stylemark Holdings. Why, I don't really know. All they are doing is putting cards together and running a website (http://www.studenttravelcard.ie).

Anyway I thought, this looks like good value, I'll sign up. I enquired about the card over the phone and was told they are valid for 15 months, after which it needs to be replaced. At another €12, I presume, as nothing was mentioned about a reduction. It's more like a subscription.

€12 mightn't be much but over say, 4 years, that's nearly €50. The card is used in conjunction with public, state transport and that €50 is going - wasted - into private hands.

Okay, ideologies aside, there is no mention whatsoever of validity on their T&Cs or FAQs, and this is the main problem. I'll be lodging a complaint with Consumer Affairs.

dudara

I don't get where you think there is a scam in this. Many students around the country save a tremendous amount from this card scheme.

Yes it is a disgrace that Bus Eireann/Iarnrod Eireann etc contract this out to a private company rather than just accepting student ID themselves. It is a money spinner in that sense, but it's still good value to students.

zeusnero

In my experience Bus eireanndo accept student cards. Theres a long list of the university cards they accept on their website. I think its only iarnrod eireann you need the specialised card for, but with their prices I don't know many students who can afford it

Lilly81

buseireann will except any uni/it/plc student card.

trains make you get those cards alright but what's 12 euro when you save so much?

maxheadroom

dudara wrote:

Yes it is a disgrace that Bus Eireann/Iarnrod Eireann etc contract this out to a private company rather than just accepting student ID themselves. It is a money spinner in that sense, but it's still good value to students.

I'd imagine its something to do with not wanting to have to train their staff to recognise valid student cards from hundreds of third level institutions and differentiating them from fakes. Remember, you used to need an ISIC + travelsave stamp, so the student travelcard probably works out cheaper.

Psychedelik

dudara wrote:

I don't get where you think there is a scam in this. Many students around the country save a tremendous amount from this card scheme.

Yes it is a disgrace that Bus Eireann/Iarnrod Eireann etc contract this out to a private company rather than just accepting student ID themselves. It is a money spinner in that sense, but it's still good value to students.

The reason I think it's a scam is because there is no mention of the time limit either on their FAQs (http://www.studenttravelcard.ie/faq.asp ) or their application form. Obviously, it's one of the main questions: "how often does it have to be renewed" or "how long is it valid". But no, no mention. It's the principle.

Granted, yes, the savings are big on train especially.

angeldelight

I still don't think it's a 'scam'. People who previously had ISIC cards also had to renew them, I'd think most people would know they're going to have to renew it!!

Funnily enough it is mentioned on the dublin bus website
http://www.dublinbus.ie/fares_and_tickets/photo_cards.asp

And on iarnrod eireann
http://www.irishrail.ie/news_centre/special_offers.asp?action=view&news_id=53

parsi

maxheadroom wrote:

I'd imagine its something to do with not wanting to have to train their staff to recognise valid student cards from hundreds of third level institutions and differentiating them from fakes. Remember, you used to need an ISIC + travelsave stamp, so the student travelcard probably works out cheaper.

Thats how it started - one central card issued/validated by ISIC/USIT. But back in the late 80s when a number of Students Unions left USI Bus Eireann agreed to accept college ID cards. I was in UL at the time we left USI and around that time we had a meeting with the local Bus Eireann sales guy discussing what would happen seeing as we couldn't get ISIC stamps and it was agreed that they would accept UL cards on their own. At the time the inability to get a travelsave stamp was being used as a reason to stay in USI...

Lemlin

I wouldn't mind but it clearly says on the leaflet about the card (a leaflet that I got last Thursday evening) that you can get it in Sayit Travel in Temple Bar. I came back from Sligo to Dublin last Thursday night to go and get the card Friday morning.

I then wasted 2 hours going into town on the train Friday morning to find that Sayit Travel has closed down. I nearly kicked the door in with frustration!

I had come back from Sligo a day early just to get it but now I have to bring the leaflet back to the student union in Sligo, get it stamped, send if off, and wait for it to come back.

maxheadroom

Lemlin wrote:

I then wasted 2 hours going into town on the train Friday morning to find that Sayit Travel has closed down. I nearly kicked the door in with frustration!

They've moved into the SU travel agency in TCD (which is also listed as somewhere you can get the card done). You did get the new form (its red) and not last year's (predominantly white)?