Fares

ScotRail 170403 passes Hillend (near Dalgety) on October 10 2024 with the 0939 Edinburgh-Perth service. PAUL BIGGS.

News

Peak fares in Scotland to be permanently scrapped from September

Scottish government announces peak fares will be no more from September 1.

Scottish Government 7 May

News

Scottish Labour vows to end peak fares despite trial not leading to sufficient demand increase

Pledge made to axe peak fares "for good" if it wins the next Scottish election.

Ticketing 10 Mar

Comment

Opinion: How to tackle fare evasion

Now the regulator is to review protection practices and prosecutions process, our Industry Insider looks at the issues around fare evasion.

Industry views 2 Dec

A ticket being checked by a conductor on a train

News

Transport Secretary announces review into fare evasion practices after 'egregious' prosecutions

Louise Haigh has commissioned the Office of Rail and Road to look into the way train operating companies tackle suspected fare evasion

Louise Haigh 13 Nov

Comment

Comment: Ticket pricing must evolve, against a £2.4bn annual shortfall

“It can be expected that fares will be higher for travel at peak times which relate to specific events.” - Industry Insider

Industry views 11 Nov

Comment

Opinion: This is how we can make ticketing simple and transparent

Christian Wolmar reckons he has a simple plan to sort out the network's confusing fares structure and ticketing anomalies.

Christian Wolmar 4 Nov

Comment

Opinion: passenger trends are evolving and prices must change

Against a £2.4bn annual shortfall, ticket pricing will need to change, says our Industry Insider.

Industry views 31 Oct

News

Northern stops railcard prosecutions

Northern Trains is halting all current cases of passengers prosecuted for using 16-25 Railcards to claim discounts at the wrong time of day.

rail 15 Oct

News

Scotland to restore peak fares after year’s trial

Ministers announced that passenger numbers had not increased enough to make an all-day off-peak trial permanent.

ScotRail 19 Sept

LNER_Azumas_at_KX_Apr_2023_ALAMY_2RWW47F

Feature

The first steps on the path to fares reform?

LNER ditching Off-Peak for a 70min semi-flexible fare has attracted criticism, but with TfL and the Scottish Government also encouraging new ways of paying for your journey, is momentum gathering?

Passengers 5 Jun

Comment

Fares reform: passengers must be the priority

Transport Focus research consistently confirms value for money as a top priority for passengers. Only reliability and punctuality come close in importance.

Passengers 28 May

Passenger going through the ticket gatelines

News

Lowest ever level of fare evasion recorded by Northern

Northern has recorded the lowest level ever for fare evasion on its network as it released its annual figures from its Debt Recovery and Prosecutions Unit.

Northern 24 Apr

David Flesher, LNER's Commercial Director at York's LNER forum in 2023

Comment

LNER: Why we're reforming our fares

David Flesher, Commercial Director at LNER explains the reasoning behind its 'Simpler Fares' scheme, which some critics fear will push prices higher.

Industry views 7 Feb

News

Contactless fares coming for West Midlands and Greater Manchester

‘Pay As You Go’ pilot schemes to be trialled across more than 90 rail stations in the West Midlands and Greater Manchester areas from 2025.

Fares 1 Feb

News

Division over 5.9% increase in regulated rail fares

Regulated rail fares in England will rise by 5.9% from March 5, the Government has confirmed.

4 Jan

News

Heaton-Harris: fare payers should make “fair contribution”

“Taxpayers have been very generous in their support to keep trains running throughout the COVID-19 pandemic" - Rail Minister

21 Jan

News

Fare rise confirmed; three-day season tickets in the offing

The annual fares rise will happen in January despite calls for them to be frozen

3 Sept

News

'Hellish' fares: Former Transport Secretary McLoughlin calls for urgent reform

"With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more to grasp the nettle of fares reform" - Patrick McLoughlin

10 Mar

Comment

COMMENT FROM THE ARCHIVES: R873 - RDG proposals are a lifeline Government should seize

“A new way of delivering the railway cannot now be avoided… and a radical fare review must be part of it.”

Editor's comment 3 Jan

Comment

COMMENT FROM THE ARCHIVES: R870 - Long fare freezes don’t work ...but passengers deserved to pay no more in 2019

“Raise fares reasonably, then improve services - this is the only sensible way forward.”

Editor's comment 31 Dec