Rail fares – have your say!

03 May 2012

Don’t forget to get thinking about your response to the Department for Transport’s consultation on the future of fares and ticketing. The consultation Rail Fares and Ticketing Review is on the Department’s website and the deadline is 28 June 2012. There is an online form on there which is pretty easy to fill in. Passenger Focus’s summary of the key issues and consumer questions will soon be on our website – this should help you navigate the document and concentrate on the important questions. Passenger Focus will respond to the consultation, although much of our work on this subject is already on our website.

There is much to welcome in the Government’s recent fares consultation: a commitment to stopping the endless rounds of above-inflation fare rises; and making it easier to buy tickets and improving ticketing information. Much of the analysis is based on work we have done in the last three years. However, the mooted move towards greater demand management is significant. This will affect passengers in two ways: longer-distance and commuting-peak travel. If changes are made it could mean you have to travel and buy tickets in quite different ways in the future. There may be nothing to fear about this, but given this is the biggest potential shake up of fares in years it is really important your voice is heard.