UK Scrapping Return Train Tickets

This is unlikely to result in what a lot of people here think will happen.

Unfortunately the UK Government and the departments that make it up have been fixated with optics for some time. The golden rule has always been about making the Government look like they are doing something good on the surface to the public even if the reality is something different.

Right now and for a number of years the UK press is obsessed with quoting the price of the most expensive walk up single tickets on any route. When you see any price comparisons in the UK media it is always this figure that the media quote despite the fact that this kind of ticket is not used by a lot of the traveling public as many are using advance tickets, off-peak tickets, railcards or season tickets.

I imagine their primary focus will be reducing the price of the open anytime single tickets on each route, since that will allow them to present them as truly making a large price cut by showing that they have reduced the fares by a certain percentage. It is true, they would have cut the anytime fares by a decent amount

However the devil in the detail is that all this is being talked about at the same time as 'simplification' of the fare system. This is what needs to be watched closely, as it may see many types of discounted, special tickets, rovers and Groupsave tickets disbanded as well. So whilst those who have always bought the anytime walk up fare will see a saving, it is likely that there may be some people who are now pushed to more expensive fare types (even after the reductions) than they were on previously, because their cheaper product has been withdrawn.

This has been trialled already by the UK Government - and the above happened.

Don't believe me it will work that way with stealth rises by the back door? A short while ago, Government owned operator LNER trialled single leg pricing.

The company, instructed by the same department who is suggesting these reforms, withdrew all off-peak fares at the same time as they introduced single leg prices on the trial area.. The end result was the passengers who used to travel during peak paid a little bit less for singles as they were now half the price of the return ticket, but the off-peak passengers saw very substantial rises as they were now no longer benefitting from off-peak discounts. The average ticket price actually rose during this period because the number of people who saved money through the cut to the anytime fares, was less than the number of people who paid more because of the 'simplification' aspect which removed discounted tickets.

To give you an example under the single leg trial of LNER a passenger travelling from Leeds to Kings Cross mid-morning and departing early evening is almost £90 worse off because of the idea of single legs than they were before it, since they are now forced to purchase a standard anytime ticket because their discounted off-peak ticket no longer exists, all in the name of 'simplification' of fare systems.

Marvellous to see the Tory press cheerleading their beloved Government again, by not mentioning that previous trials included stealth rises to many. Why give people the full story and details when you can give them just the high level overview so they can't see what is really going on?