Fare avoidance, as distinct from fare evasion is the lawful use of knowledge to travel using tickets which cost significantly less than the 'normal' fare for a given journey, which is what one might be expected to use. It has become somewhat of an art in some parts of the world with complex travel networks, notably the National Rail network of Great Britain.
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Apart from mileage, some rail systems or airlines calculate fare based on an individual route's popularity and a host of other factors. Therefore, instead of a fare directly from A to B, a passenger may go from A to P and then P to B for less. This price advantage is more pronounced if P is en route between A and B.
Even if mileage is the sole factor in pricing apart from discounts, applicable to journeys exceeding a certain mileage, paradox may result for borderline cases. For example, a rail system practises a fare structure of $100 for the first 100 km and $6 for each additional 10 km. A ticket from A to B, 380 km apart, costs $268. If a discount of 15% applies to mileages exceeding 400 km only, a ticket from A to C, 420 km apart, would cost $292 × 85% = $248.2. A traveller may buy a ticket from A to C and alight at B, avoiding the $19.80.
In the case of the latter, privatisation has resulted in a highly complex fare structure, with passengers regularly mis-sold tickets, or not aware of the full entitlement a ticket gives them. Enthusiasts, and those with connections to the industry, use the Great Britain railway technical manuals to identify which fares offer best value. This often involves purchasing tickets for stations which one has no intention of actually visiting, for a number of reasons. Since rail journeys in Great Britain are not priced on distance, often it is cheaper to buy a ticket from A to D via B and C, solely to travel from B to C (in some cases A = B or C = D). UK train operators have responded by often levying stiff penalty fares on passengers who attempt to leave the train before their ticketed destination. When splitting a journey it is important to have separate tickets covering the exact start and finish destination of each leg. It is even possible for two or more legs to involve the same train with no need to alight.
In the MTR system of Hong Kong, Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau Station of East Rail Line serve as checkpoints for rail passengers between Hong Kong and mainland China and vice-versa. Passengers using these stations will be charged departure/arrival tax which is included in the fare. However, if a passenger travels to/from stations from urban area (on or before Kowloon Tong), it is possible to save money by splitting the journey into 2 legs. For example, travelling directly from Hung Hom to Lo Wu costs HK$31.30. If the passenger exits and enters again at Sheung Shui Station, the journey costs HK$27.70 (Hung Hom - Sheung Shui: HK$8.20, Sheung Shui - Lo Wu: $19.50), which is HK$3.60 lower than the direct journey.