Ex-transport minister backs the calls for 2023 fares freeze

Former transport minister Norman Baker has become a leading voice in the Campaign for Better Transport’s bid to stop rail fares going up by 12% at the beginning of 2023.

The former Liberal Democrat MP, who served as Transport Minister between 2010-13, has called for new Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi to freeze ticket prices.

CBT wants an end to the rules that match ticket prices with the inflation figure for the month of July, which is predicted to be at its highest level for 40 years.

The current rules match the annual rail fare rise to the Retail Price Index (RPI) figure. This year’s increase was postponed until March, when fares rose by 3.8% the highest since 2013.

Baker said: “Making rail travel more attractive will help cut congestion and air pollution, and stimulate economic activity in our towns and cities.

“If fares rise next year, we are in very real danger of pricing people off the rails. The Government has helped out drivers with the cost of living crisis, now it’s time to help public transport passengers, too.”

CBT reminds the Government that commuters are no longer the captive market they once were, and that passenger numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels. It says it is crucial for the industry to ensure that future rises do not price people back into their cars, which would be bad for both the economy and the planet.

Fare increases apply to almost 45% of all fares which are set by the Government, including season tickets on most commuter journeys, some off-peak longdistance return tickets, and anytime tickets around major cities. In recent years, fares have risen 1% higher than the RPI, but not in 2022.

In July 2018, former Transport Secretary Chris Grayling spoke of a change in the rules to match rises to the Consumer Price Index instead of the Retail Price Index. That hasn’t happened, but if adopted would have meant a 2.1% increase instead of 3.8%.

CBT says there is mounting evidence that passengers are being put off by high fares, and that those who can work from home are consciously not going back to their office workplaces to save money on commuting.