The Campaign for Better Transport has called on the Government to cancel January’s rail fare rise.
The message comes from its Chief Executive Darren Shirley ahead of July’s Retail Price Index (RPI) figure announcement next week, which will be used to set the rail fare rises for January.
The view from the Campaign for Better Transport is:
- The Government should cancel the January 2021 fare rise and hold fares at the current level
- Raising rail fares at this time is counter-productive to encouraging passengers back to the railways and to limiting the cost of people’s commutes
- Reforms to fares, including the introduction of flexible season tickets, should be prioritised to provide passengers with value for money and encourage people back to the railways as part of a green transport-led recovery.
Darren Shirley, Chief Executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Millions of people around the country are starting to plan their return to work and a rail fare rise in January is the last thing they need.
“Raising rail fares when people are already staying away from the railway will further damage the economy and the environment at a time when we need to be investing in a green sustainable transport-led recovery.
“The Government should hold fares at the current level and prioritise the introduction of flexible season tickets for the millions of people who will be working and commuting part time in January.”
Regulated rail fares, including season tickets and standard returns, make up almost half (45 per cent) of all fares and increases are set by the Government. Since 2014, fare increases have been capped at the previous July’s Retail Price Index (RPI) figure. Regulated fares rose by 2.8 per cent this January because this was the RPI level in July 2019.
Unregulated fares: The remaining tickets, including advance and peak long-distance tickets, can be increased at train companies’ discretion, so looking at fares as a whole, the average rise was 2.7 per cent this year.
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