The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Money
Back to work? Penalty for part-time rail commuters
Commuters have called for the urgent introduction of parttime rail season tickets to help employees return to work after the coronavirus outbreak. The pandemic has changed the way millions of people do their jobs, with many working from home. Even after lockdown rules are fully lifted, it is expected that many people will visit workplaces less frequently.
The Campaign for Better Transport, a group that represents rail and bus passengers, has called for part-time and flexible season tickets to be offered to reduce the cost of travel and encourage workers to minimise their trips on busy commuter services.
Analysis by this newspaper shows that part-time commuters pay around 55pc more for a rail journey than those who visit the office every day using a season ticket.
Flexible season tickets have long been demanded by part-time employees and those who commute less frequently, such as the selfemployed and women returning to work after pregnancy.
Such tickets would allow customers to make the same return journey two, three or four times a week at a much lower cost.
The creation of these tickets would eliminate the need for travellers to buy expensive anytime tickets on the day of travel or to purchase traditional season tickets which are not fully used.
As new rail franchises have been agreed, the Government has mandated that firms introduce flexible tickets for regular travellers. However, many operators have chosen to offer “carnet” tickets, which contain between five and 10 single journey tickets. These typically offer a 5pc reduction on the standard fare, which is much lower than the discounts offered to season ticket customers.
Campaigners have called for the introduction of fully flexible tickets, now that rail lines are being run by the Government under emergency management agreements.
Darren Shirley, of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Covid-19 will continue to have an impact on how people travel long after the lockdown measures are lifted. There is likely to be much more flexibility in how people work and for some businesses there will be less of a need to have staff in the workplace full time.” Chris Heaton-Harris, the rail minister, said the Government was working with rail firms to trial flexible season tickets, but that this had been delayed by the pandemic. “While our top priority, rightly, is combating the spread of coronavirus, we know long-term the outbreak will likely affect how we commute,” he said. “We’re continuing to work at pace with industry to examine how we can help make sure part-time and flexible commuters are provided with better value and more convenient options.” Mr Shirley called for the urgent introduction of flexible tickets to encourage people to work from home, knowing they will not face much higher fares when they are required to visit the office. He added: “To help reduce the burden on part-time commuters as they start to return to work, the Government should move beyond trials and introduce flexible season tickets now for those working parttime or no longer having to commute five days a week.”
Workers have been told to reduce trips, but those who must occasionally travel face higher fares, writes Adam Williams 55pc The penalty that part-time commuters between Woking and London Waterloo pay over regular users