CALL FOR CAP ON LONG-DISTANCE FARE PRICES
Published at 14:58 on Tuesday 28th January 2025
Tags: Rail fares, DfT, Campaign for Better Transport, UK Government
The Campaign for Better Transport is calling on the Government to cap on-the-day, long-distance fares. Jack Boskett
Campaign for Better Transport is calling on the Government to make rail travel more affordable by capping long-distance, on the day fares as its research finds 44% of people are put off travelling by train by the cost.
With 71% saying cheaper fares would make them more likely to travel by train, the transport charity is urging the Government to place tackling unaffordable and complex fares at the centre of its plans to reform the railways. The Campaign for Better Transport wants the Government to start by tackling expensive long-distance, ‘walk-up’ fares, which it believes are harming rail’s competitiveness with other, less sustainable transport modes like driving.
Currently, passengers who can book months in advance and travel on specific trains are able to get the cheapest tickets, with costs rising for more popular services during peak times and for tickets bought closer to the day of travel. Campaign for Better Transport argues that this system penalises passengers who can’t book in advance or need a more flexible ticket and is calling on the Government to introduce a price cap for both peak and off-peak fares, release more advance fares so that people are not penalised for when they book and reserve a proportion of fares from each type and different price brackets for sale on the day of travel.
Michael Solomon Williams, from Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Unaffordable rail fares have been a serious problem for many years with potential passengers put off taking the train, and existing passengers priced off the railway. While there have been some attempts to simplify the fares system, root and branch reform is desperately needed. The creation of Great British Railways provides an ideal opportunity for the Government to fix fares for good and create a fairer pricing system that provides more of an incentive to choose the train.”
