First train fare increases are 'legalised mugging'

[whole diary]

[Btline]

http://www.thisisbath.co.uk/news/train-fare-increases-legalised-mugging/article-1258402-detail/article.html

If these are the first fare increases, what will the second ones be like? Legalised bank robbery?

[Timmer]

  Wow thats quite a strong headline from my local paper.

[Timmer]

A more detailed article regarding fares out of Bristol from the Bristol Evening Post:
http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/s-peak-Bristol-London-rip/article-1253412-detail/article.html

[moonrakerz]

From the Bristol Evening Post article:-

"The company is .............. charging customers 10 per cent more if they buy an advance ticket over the counter or via a third party.

The company says it .................... is charging more for advance tickets over the counter to encourage more people to buy tickets via its website at a 10 per cent discount."

Put the price up by 10% then claim you are giving a 10% discount when you sell at the original price - I like it !

When did Michael O'Leary take over FGW^▸ (First Great Western) ? No manned ticket offices next ?

[Btline]

Don't FGW^▸ (First Great Western) understand basic maths?

If you increase a price by 10%, then lower it by 10%, you don't have the original price!

e.g. ^50 fare. 10% is ^5.

Increased price is ^55. 10% is ^5.50

Discounted fare is ^49.50.

So the prices will have to go up by MORE than 10% for the prices to remain the same when bought online.

[devon_metro]

Which is why AP fares are raising on average 11%...

[Btline]

Which is why AP fares are raising on average 11%...

<Btline slaps head>

[basset44]

It would appear that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) want to drive people of the trains then they are succeeding, I want to go to London from Cardiff on a early Sunday Morning and return the following Saturday afternoon. To many prices. Went on NE coaches and Megbus easy to understand prices and booked them.

Are travelling across Europe by Train Dusseldorf to Dresden to Innsbruck to Basel because I find it easier to understand the prices in Europe then in this country.

Basset

[Chris from Nailsea]

From Business Cornwall:

Cornwall MPs^▸ (Member of Parliament) slam ^railway robbery^

Hard pressed rail passengers across the south west are being hit by 20% fare hikes from September 6, in a move by First Great Western condemned by Cornish MPs as ^railway robbery^.

The shock price rises are a result of First Group^s decision to further restrict availability of their cheaper rail fares.

From September 6 the current cheapest rail ticket ^Off Peak^ will be up to 20% more expensive. Whilst a new cheaper ^Super Off-Peak^ ticket will be introduced at the current price of ordinary off-peak, these tickets will have much tighter time restrictions. Advance purchase tickets bought at the ticket office will also see a big price increase, of 11% ^ at a time when the retail price index is falling.

Commenting on the news, Matthew Taylor, MP for Truro and St Austell said: ^First Great Western have now made it even more restrictive ^ and complicated ^ for passengers to get the cheapest fares for their journey. Even more limited travel times will hit people wanting to take long distance journeys especially hard, so Cornwall is especially badly affected. It is now simply impossible for someone from Cornwall to have a day in London by rail without paying huge amounts for their train tickets, or staying overnight. At a time when everyone else is tightening their belts in the credit crunch, and most businesses are having to cut prices, what possible excuse is there for this move. Conservative rail privatisation has already proved ill-judged, now it is clearly a costly mistake.^

The Cornish MPs have written to the rail regulator and to First Group to challenge the increases. Commenting on their last ditch effort to get a re-think, MP for South East Cornwall Colin Breed said:

^The reintroduction of different tickets will increase confusion at the station, at a time when people need to be encouraged to take the train, not put off. Many people still rely on the ticket office to make a purchase, and the 11% increase discriminates against those without internet access. It does not make economic sense for train fares to be so much more expensive than the equivalent journey by car. First Great Western has made a lot of progress in the last few months in quality and service ^ this rise could jeopardise that progress. It is very disappointing.^

[devon_metro]

About time the govenments farcical franchise policy was scrapped. Businesses must make money, which is understandable for first, but the governments policy of taxing passengers through the roof can not take place simultaneously. Either the government washes their hands of meddling with the railway, or alternatively do everything themselves.

Not to worry, so long as the chancellors empty pot of money is ok. Bring on 2.3p fuel duty

[inspector_blakey]

I just don't buy the coach/train comparison. Coaches are grindingly slow (limited to 58 mph for the most part, and that's when you're not stuck in traffic) and for someone my height extremely uncomfortable. If you're happy making the Cardiff to London journey by coach then good on you, but I'm firmly of the opinion that the rail fare is worth every extra penny both in terms of additional comfort and time saved.

[JayMac]

I just don't buy the coach/train comparison. Coaches are grindingly slow (limited to 58 mph for the most part, and that's when you're not stuck in traffic) and for someone my height extremely uncomfortable. If you're happy making the Cardiff to London journey by coach then good on you, but I'm firmly of the opinion that the rail fare is worth every extra penny both in terms of additional comfort and time saved.

Just a small point but coaches can travel at 70mph on UK^▸ (United Kingdom) motorways. If they are less than 12 metres in length, otherwise 60mph.

Interesting to see Moir Lockhead on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Breakfast, today, interviewed regarding the introduction of 'Greyhound' coaches between London and Portsmouth/Southampton. The fleet will have wi-fi and no doubt favourable timings to compete with SWT^▸ (South West Trains) services. So I think this will be a good coach/train comparison. No idea about legroom though!

I think the interviewer missed a trick in not bringing up the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) Off-Peak increases though. Mr Lockhead neatly dodged the question regarding regulated fares price reductions in January though....

(edited to clarify coach speed limits)

[Chris from Nailsea]

Mr Lockhead neatly dodged the question regarding regulated fares price reductions in January though....

Pedantically: it's Sir Moir Lockhead, actually ... 

See http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=3010.msg31668#msg31668

[Btline]

Coaches [are] limited to 58 mph for the most part...

Where did you get that figure from? Why would is be a strange speed like 58? Surely 60 would be more likely.

And they can go at 70.

[JayMac]

Mr Lockhead neatly dodged the question regarding regulated fares price reductions in January though....

Pedantically: it's Sir Moir Lockhead, actually ... 

Sorry, my republican views came through. Do I have to doff my cap if I ever meet 'Sir' Moir?