So my train ticket went up 10% how about you?

DBT85

DBT85

DBT85

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Joined
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Midlands
Knowing full well that the rail prices have gone up I thought I'd better check to see by how much to save myself the shock when I get to the station.

My current fare from East Croydon to City Thameslink is £7.90 and will be going up to £8.70. The saving using Oyster PAYGO is currently £2.70 (fare is £5.20) and will be going up to £6.80 (saving just £1.90).

Now I've only just got my Oyster card (I think it was only recently that you could use PAYGO on my particular rail route) so regardless I'll be paying less in the next 12 months than I did last year by £1.10 a journey. It'll save me about £60 over a year.

But by my reckoning, the standard rail fare went up 10% and the oyster fare went up 30%!

Anyone getting stung by this hard this year?

Note: before anyone asks, I do shift work and so a weekly or monthly card is pointless as I drive on night shifts and weekends. Day tickets or PAYGO are the only viable options.
 
It's disgraceful. 10% increase in rail fare and I still have to stand up for 3.5 hours because there are no seats or even room to visit the toilet.
 
Yeah single bus ticket prices are getting way too high now, i know its still relatively cheap compared to other British cities but it should have never ever gone above £1
 
It is quite silly in an age where they are trying to promote you to use public transport instead of using your car to save on C02 emissions.

There is just on incentive to use public transport.

Example I wanted to go to Durham to go see some friends. A train ticket with set train times I had to use (aka stupid oclock in the morning) and I had to make a couple of changes would have cost me ~120quid.

I decided sod that and drove, petrol there and back cost me ~75quid. Using my car also meant I could just come and go when I pleased and not have to worry about getting a cab to and from the train station.

Edit: From Milton Keynes.

Its a pain for commuters, which I am one of :( but luckily for me my work pays for my travel down to London and back because it is not my normal place of work.
 
Efour2 said:
Yeah single bus ticket prices are getting way too high now, i know its still relatively cheap compared to other British cities but it should have never ever gone above £1
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Buses in the West Midlands will be going up to £1.80 and has been past the £1 mark for a few years now. Public travel is starting to become a rip off round here:mad:
 
6% rise on my fare into London, unjustified as the trains are getting more and more delayed and overcrowded. It really infuriates me when a three carriage train pulls up packed to the gills with people after watching longer, empty trains heading in the other direction, especially when the platform length excuse doesn't hold.

I think the truth is they know that it's a like it or lump it situation, why invest in longer rolling stock, better punctuality or facilities when they know most people have to take the train regardless.
 
Efour2 said:
Yeah single bus ticket prices are getting way too high now, i know its still relatively cheap compared to other British cities but it should have never ever gone above £1
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Fare paying passengers are unfortunately subsidising the concessionary pass system on Bus services. This is likely to get worse as councils especially in rural areas squeeze budgets and decrease funding, also the Govt is considering scraping the rebate on fuel Bus Operators receive which again will impact services and fares.
 
It's been £2 for a sinlge fare on the buses around here for about a year now. They are now pretty much always empty, apart from the kids and the pensioners.
 
At least you have the option of rail travel. Those lovely government types scrapped our rail links in the sixties to save money. :(
 
Castiel said:
Fare paying passengers are unfortunately subsidising the concessionary pass system on Bus services. This is likely to get worse as councils especially in rural areas squeeze budgets and decrease funding, also the Govt is considering scraping the rebate on fuel Bus Operators receive which again will impact services and fares.
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Get it right the goverment gives money to councils to offer free travel for OAPs. Fare paying passengers do not subsidise this concession, tax payers do. The rail companies are milking the system for all it is worth with is new fare increase.
 
simulatorman said:
Get it right the goverment gives money to councils to offer free travel for OAPs. Fare paying passengers do not subsidise this concession, tax payers do. The rail companies are milking the system for all it is worth with is new fare increase.
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It's somewhat more complex than that I'm afraid. Grants are given to councils who in turn negotiate a fixed journey price per Pass, currently between 50p-73p depending on the council. This doesn't cover the lowest single fair cost on even the shortest journey, some of the losses are regained by increased passenger numbers however there is still a huge shortfall and many routes outside London operate at a loss. This in turn is subsidised by increased passenger fares.

Some routes are subsidised directly by local councils, but this is increasingly an area where cuts fall, along with lower rates offered for concessionary passes and the expected loss of the fuel rebate, Bus services will get more expensive and some services will cease entirely.

Rail is separate issue.
 
Ahh, true market economics hits the transports systems.

Well, this is what happens when England votes in Tories.

You get a bunch of uncaring money dominated freaks.
 
I don't think it matters who's in power, the rail system suffered massive price hikes all through the Labour government and I don't see that changing under the Tories. The rules for the TOCs are just too lax.
 
OzyOly said:
It's disgraceful. 10% increase in rail fare and I still have to stand up for 3.5 hours because there are no seats or even room to visit the toilet.
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Catch 22 though isnt it? If they dont charge more to generate more income where does the money to increase seating come from?
 
[TW]Fox;18104849 said:
Catch 22 though isnt it? If they dont charge more to generate more income where does the money to increase seating come from?
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They've been charging above inflation for years.

Decades even?

At some point they have to stop foisting it all on the customer and act like a business not a racket.
 
Biohazard said:
Ahh, true market economics hits the transports systems.

Well, this is what happens when England votes in Tories.

You get a bunch of uncaring money dominated freaks.
Click to expand...

Tube prices have been going up for years, nothing to do with the tories. New Metropolitan line trains have been put into service recently, I'm pretty sure they've reduced seating capacity to further increase standing capacity.
 
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