off-peak

off-peak (not comparable)

1. During a period of less use or demand than the maximum (peak), generally overnight.

   Phone calls on weekdays between 18:00 and 08:00 the following day are charged at an off-peak tariff, lower than peak, but higher than weekend.

   • 2012, Andrew Martin, Underground Overground: A passenger's history of the Tube, Profile Books, →ISBN, page 78:

     At the time of writing some of the As are still running, and they are my favourite Underground cars. They are roomy and airy; the seats are transverse benches that you can stretch out and sleep on in the off-peak.

   • 2020 May 20, “Social distancing: Questions and answers”, in RAIL, page 9:

     What about overcrowding?
     Passengers are being asked to allow longer than normal for travel on some routes, due to reduced capacity on trains.
     If you can, you should travel at off-peak times. Employers are being asked to agree alternative or flexible working hours to support this.

   • 2021 October 20, Mark Rand, “S&C: a line fit for tourists... and everyone?”, in RAIL, number 942, page 42:

     As with other tourist lines, actual peak demand is from mid-morning to late afternoon - 'off peak' in conventional fares jargon. This can (and does) result in overcrowding at off-peak times and near empty trains at 'peak' hours. National one-size-fits-all simply does not apply on the S&C.

• base (period)

• base fare

• “off-peak”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.