Campaign for Better Transport are using the publication of a new report ‘Fix Fares for Good’ as a springboard for a campaign to make rail travel more affordable.
The charity asked people to list what they felt were the main barriers to them taking the train more often. The most frequently given reason was ‘Train travel is too expensive’ (44%) with the second most cited reason being ‘Driving is more convenient’ (37%).
Tying for third place was: ‘Trains don’t go where I need to go’ and ‘Trains are too frequently cancelled or delayed’ (21%).
When asked what might make them use the train more 71% said ‘Lower fares in general’. 41% said lower fares would make them significantly more likely to take the train.
As the charity explain, while high ticket prices have long been an issue, it is becoming more so each passing year, given the annual rise in train fares against 14 years of fuel duty cuts or freezes for car drivers.
Another commonly quoted frustration is the outlandish complexity of the pricing system. As long ago as 2023, Campaign for Better Transport called for a Best Price Guarantee to be introduced, ensuring that the best value fare is always prominently offered to passengers, regardless of where or how they are purchasing the tickets.
Among the recommendations published in the report are:
- Full review and simplification of different fare types
- Full review of fare regulations and price setting mechanisms
- Freeze rail fares from annual rises until the full reviews are implemented
- Cap long-distance fares for both peak and off-peak times, reducing the difference between lowest and highest prices
- Release more advance fares overall
- Reserve a proportion of fares from each type and different price brackets for sale on the day of travel
- Manage demand by warning people of limited capacity when booking and releasing extra seats and carriages where possible.
- Extend the Best Price Guarantee to offer the best value fare at all sales points
- Introduce an ability to change or refund all tickets up to 24 hours prior to departure
- Introduce a national reward scheme with personalised offers and promotions
The charity are also calling on the public to write to their MP to voice their support for reform.
The letter reads:
‘With huge changes happening on the railways this year, it would be a major missed opportunity if we failed to resolve an issue which is of real concern to me and other passengers: fares.
‘Expensive, complicated and unfair fares are not just burdening passengers; they are putting people off travelling by train. A recent survey by Campaign for Better Transport found that affordability is the main thing stopping people from travelling more by train, with 71% of respondents saying cheaper fares would make them more likely to take the train.
‘With too much traffic on our roads, air pollution harming our health, and climate change being such a grave concern, action is clearly needed.
‘As plans for nationalisation progress apace, 2025 is the most significant year for the UK’s railways in decades. The upcoming reforms can remove any final structural barriers for meaningful, root and branch reform of fares and ticketing. And so, as the reforms progress and legislation for the establishment of Great British Railways comes before Parliament, I am asking you to remember the vital issue of fares, and work to fix fares for good.
‘In its report, Fix Fares for Good, Campaign for Better Transport calls for a full review of rail fares, and for fares to be frozen (as fuel duty has been for 14 years) until the review is complete. It has specific suggestions, including capping long-distance fares, and bringing in a Best Price Guarantee to offer the best value fare at all sales points.
‘While its recommendations may mean investing more in rail in the short term, in the medium term it will increase rail passengers and fare revenue, as well as benefiting everyone through clearer roads, a stronger economy, cleaner air and lower carbon emissions.
‘I urge you to read the report, and support fair, affordable fares as a priority.’
The full Campaign for Better Transport report can be read here.
Photo: Paul IJsendoorn