Great Western Coffee Shop

Some rail passengers are paying 16 times more per mile than those in other parts of Britain, it emerged last night.
For ^10, customers in some areas can travel more than 160 miles while others will get only ten miles down the track.
The dearest is the Heathrow Express from Paddington, which even at off-peak times costs ^32 for a 35-mile return, meaning passengers travel just over ten miles for ^10.

Range of prices: Some rail passengers get a lot more miles for their ^10
However, the 155-mile two-way journey from Plymouth to Penzance with First Great Western is priced at just ^9.50 ^ allowing passengers to travel 163 miles for a tenner.
The research, by the LibDems, is based on the cheapest fares available on rail firms^ websites on July 15, usually off-peak return or off-peak day-return fares, for travel this coming Saturday.
LibDem transport spokesman Norman Baker said: ^Far too often, travelling by train is hugely expensive. If more people are to be persuaded off the roads, they need to be offered an affordable and reliable service.
 
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^Year-on-year inflation-busting rises are hitting passengers hard.^
The figures were revealed as MPs on the Transport Select Committee warn today that huge rises of more than 11 per cent on supposedly capped fares are ^unacceptable^.
In a report, it said the fares system had led to hikes ^out of all proportion^ to the economic situation.
The Government limits annual rises on ^regulated fares^ to 1 per cent above inflation as measured by the retail prices index from the previous July, which this year has led to unfair rises compared to the current RPI of below zero.
And although regulated fares are limited, they can increase by far more than RPI plus 1 per cent because the limit applies to the average of all a firm^s tickets ^ its ^basket^.
Individual fares can exceed the Government^s cap, as long as others go down, maintaining the average rise of the basket. This practice will be banned next year.
The MPs said: ^Since the annual January fare increase is based on the RPI the previous July, which, in this case had been 5 per cent, a very large real-terms increase was possible.
Some fares increased much more than the average, with some regulated fares rising by more than 11 per cent.^
Chairman Louise Ellman said the RPI plus 1 per cent system will be a boon to passengers next year when rail firms must base fare rises on this year^s low inflation.
She added: ^This means the price of regulated fares should go down, giving a little respite to long-suffering passengers.^

cheapest local fairs in the country!

Well, it is the season for summer f^tes/fairs and the like... ;)


Sorry - couldn't resist

West country fares are VERY cheap, and lets not forget that FGW actually LOWERED these fares by around 40% in 2006!

its a shame that there isnt a combined ticket for bus and train

But Plusbus is useless, for me at least. I get the bus to the station!

the bus fairs are very strange in devon i have never known such expensive fairs...

that wasnt fair was it  :'(

the bus fairs are very strange in devon i have never known such expensive fairs... exeter to sidmouth single ^5.90, this is why i hate having no train station! once im in exeter with my railcard i can get anywhere in devon for ^6.60 on the train with no restrictions after 930 am.... then again you can get a day ticket on the bus for ^6.50, its a shame that there isnt a combined ticket for bus and train, like the dartmoor rover that ticket has encoraged me to stay out of the car many times however paying ^6.50 just to get to the train station......