Is cash still important on today’s railway?

26 July 2024

Transport Focus has undertaken new analysis matching publicly available station ticket sales data with deprivation data. We mapped the ticket sales data at stations published in 2023 by five train companies against deprivation index scores.

We found on average almost one in three transactions were made with cash at stations in the most deprived areas. This analysis highlights how some passengers, especially in more deprived parts of the country, could be disadvantaged if they could not use cash.

Great British Railways’(GBR) must ensure the railway is accessible to everyone, including people that rely on cash. In developing their retail strategy for the future GBR should:

• ensure that where cash is a payment option at a station this is maintained – so people can continue to access the best value fares via key products such as Railcards and Advance tickets which are not available to purchase onboard trains
• consider enabling high street retailers, such as supermarkets, newsagents or post offices to sell rail products – to widen access and benefit people travelling from stations where key products cannot currently be purchased with cash
• support people to access the benefits of buying online or using Pay As You Go – including simplifying fares so people can feel more confident changing how they buy and pay for their travel.