Scrap £80 rail fare rise to restore faith ministers are told
MINISTERS are facing calls to ditch a hike in rail fare after commuters were told they face paying up to £80 a year more to travel to work.
The price of season tickets will rise by 1.6 per cent in January unless the Government steps in.
Critics warn the increase will force more people into cars and push them into continuing to work from home.
The Government is understood to be considering delaying the 2021 rise due to low passenger numbers.
But watchdog Transport Focus has called for a fare freeze and changes to ticketing. Chief executive Anthony Smith said a system that fits “the way we live and travel now” is needed, including flexible season tickets and carnet-style tickets.
Darren Shirley, chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: “The rail fare rise will do nothing to restore people’s faith in the railways.
“The Government must do more than just pay lip service to encouraging people to take public transport, it must now also provide the financial incentives to do so.”
The annual rise in most regulated fares is linked to the previous July’s Retail Prices Index measure of inflation, which was announced yesterday.
Commuters between Brighton to London will be hit by an increase of £80 to £5,060, while Edinburgh to Glasgow will rise by £67 to £4,267.
Unregulated fares, including advance and peak long-distance tickets, can be increased at the discretion of train companies.
Department for Transport figures show car use has nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels, but rail travel is below a third of what it was.
Taxpayers already face a £3.5billion bill for propping up train companies during the crisis.
Conservative MP Huw Merriman, chairman of the Commons Transport Select Committee, said the system needs to deal with the change in commuter working patterns.
He said: “For years we’ve been trying to push this idea of having a three-day season ticket, so that it makes it more flexible.”
Industry body the Rail Delivery Group said it is working with the Government to offer flexible season tickets and wants regulations to be updated “so that we can build an easier-to-use, better-value fares system”.