How do multi-segment trips work for multi-ride passes?

[BCL]

I was looking up some stuff and realized that it's possible to book multi-ride or monthly passes for trips that can only be accomplished with one or more bus ride segments. I vaguely remember finding that option years ago when Amtrak still had multi-ride passes on live tickets (could only be on Amtrak ticket stock) with spots for a conductor to use a hole punch. Back when the tickets were punched, I don't think the bus drivers had any means to punch a hole. Not sure how that would work anyways.

An example would be a 10-ride for Emeryville to Reno, which can be done (unreserved) on Capitol Corridor to Sacramento and then a bus to Reno. California Zephyr is specifically excluded. Right now that's $407. One-way is $76, so it's a pretty substantial discount.

I suppose RideReserve might take some of the guess work out of it for most routes. That would clearly be reserving a complete ride with all segments. but it's still possible to get a 10/6-ride or monthly for Pacific Surfliner or Capitol Corridor where it might need a bus ride to complete the route.

 

[caravanman]

I think for Amtrak, the "segment" aspect of journeys is quite recent, and seems to apply only to the monthly rail pass tickets. When you buy a regular ticket from A to B, even though it may mention the "segments", it just means changes of vehicle.
I assume that with a non-rail pass ticket such as the multi ride between 2 specific stations, there is no "segment" restriction aspect to those tickets.

I haven't used those multi ride tickets myself, the above is my best guess!

 

[BCL]

I think for Amtrak, the "segment" aspect of journeys is quite recent, and seems to apply only to the monthly rail pass tickets. When you buy a regular ticket from A to B, even though it may mention the "segments", it just means changes of vehicle.
I assume that with a non-rail pass ticket such as the multi ride between 2 specific stations, there is no "segment" restriction aspect to those tickets.

I haven't used those multi ride tickets myself, the above is my best guess!

I have, but only for rides on Capitol Corridor at a time when I was working in Silicon Valley. However, those were exclusively by train without transferring.

My question was really more about the mechanics of it if the only way to travel a certain route is to transfer to another train or to bus. My use of "segment" was really meant to describe transferring on one ride. I'm wondering how they sort out the transfer. And especially what bus drivers do when they see an unreserved multi-ride as the first leg of a ride (like San Francisco to Emeryville to Sacramento).

Obviously with RideReserve one is pretty much booking a ticket for a complete ride. But imagine someone with an Emeryville to Los Angeles 10-ride ticket. And yes that can be booked. Apparently it would need to be attached to the Pacific Surfliner (unreserved) or San Joaquins (reserved) where there are several routes per day. But not valid on the Coast Starlight, which would be a single train segment.



I would think maybe it would make more sense to require such a ride must go through RideReserve even on unreserved routes. Then the reservation would be like any other ticket on that route, where they see travel segments that haven't been used yet.