Commuters in England will be able to purchase paperless tickets that offer travel on any eight days within a 28-day period – but some are disappointed
Transport secretary Grant Shapps: “They give us greater freedom and choice about how we travel, simpler ticketing and a fairer fare.”
New flexible rail season tickets, reflecting changed working habits and offering savings of hundreds of pounds, will be available to commuters across England from next week.
The paperless tickets will allow travel on any eight days in a 28-day period, with passengers able to tap smartcards or scan mobiles at the station with no need to select the days of travel in advance. Commuters can visit an updated online ‘season ticket calculator’.
“As we kickstart the biggest reforms to our railways in a generation, flexible season tickets are the first step,” said transport secretary Grant Shapps. “They give us greater freedom and choice about how we travel, simpler ticketing and a fairer fare.”
Unfortunately, these new flexible tickets do not appear to offer the kind of savings we had hoped for and are not comparable to the discounts for people commuting full time
Responding on behalf of the Campaign for Better Transport, former transport minister Norman Baker said: “Unfortunately, these new flexible tickets do not appear to offer the kind of savings we had hoped for and are not comparable to the discounts for people commuting full time. There appears to be no standard level of discount and in some cases the flexible season ticket could end up being more expensive than the day return option.
“The projected growth in hybrid working has made this an urgent issue and to avoid an increase in commuting by car we need to encourage people back on board trains. The test will be whether the level of discounts offered will entice people onto rail. Sadly, we don’t think these will, except at the margins, so this could turn out to be a real missed opportunity.”
Norman Baker – Root and branch? This is twig and leaf
This article appears alongside further coverage in the latest issue of Passenger Transport.
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