CBT seeks investigation into South East ticketing

Campaign for Better Transport is calling for an investigation into the costs of the South East Flexible Ticketing programme (SEFT).

It has written to Public Accounts Committee Chairman Meg Hillier asking for scrutiny of £37 million of public money that it claims the Government has spent on the ‘failed’ programme.

CBT Chief Executive Stephen Joseph said: “The Government must answer some very important questions on how the introduction of smart ticketing on rail across the South East has gone so badly wrong, and how £37m of public money has been spent on the South East Flexible Ticketing Programme with very little to show for it.

“SEFT was meant to pilot new technology which could enable simpler ticketing across services, but the Government has decided it’s too difficult and is just passing the buck onto the train operators. What we need to see is a national strategy to deliver ticketing and fares that will allow for seamless travel across all operators with flexibility for part-time workers - not just in the South East but across the whole country.”

• For more on this story, read RAIL 795, published on March 2