Watchdog calls for an end to unfair fares system which disadvantages Hemel commuters

As commuters await this week’s announcement about how much rail fares will rise in January 2021, London’s transport watchdog has called for an end to unfair season ticket prices which mean commuters from Hemel Hempstead are paying up to £35 more than others travelling a similar distance.

London TravelWatch is calling for three changes to support people commuting into London:

- End unfair season ticket prices. For some years, London TravelWatch has highlighted how unfair season ticket prices can be, with people commuting into London from places like Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire paying up to £35 a week more than those travelling a similar distance from Oxted in Surrey.

- Part-time season tickets. London TravelWatch’s work with Transport Focus during the current pandemic has shown that the world of work is changing, with 49 per cent expecting their job will be home-based in the future, rising to 54 per cent in London.

- Fares capping. Transport for London are able to use fares caps to help part time bus and Tube workers using Oyster/contactless by guaranteeing that they will pay no more in a day than a fifth of the cost of a seven day Travelcard ticket. London TravelWatch wants commuters into London to benefit from this kind of capping too.

London TravelWatch director, Emma Gibson, said: "This year we have a once in a generation opportunity for the Government to fix the broken fares system.

"Not only are some people paying up to £35 a week more to travel into London than others travelling a similar distance, towns like Hemel Hempstead, with some of the worst affected commuters, also have some of the highest rates of people moving onto Universal Credit since the coronavirus lockdown began.

"It is also time to properly recognise the needs of part time workers or those who no longer commute into the office five days a week.

"We know some operators have already introduced carnets and flexible ticketing but more needs to be done as millions of passengers are currently missing out.

"Now the Government is effectively in charge of train operators it has a unique opportunity to act to make fares fairer and ensure that they work for passengers."

Adam Tyndall, programme director for Transport at London First, said: "All options for boosting London's post-Covid economic recovery should be on the table and allowing greater innovation in train ticketing could help to encourage people back into the capital for both work and leisure.

"The need for wholesale reform of rail fares has not diminished as a result of the pandemic, but we need to be honest about the solutions that will be viable in the new normal.

"A new fares structure must work for commuters across the South East and ensure that our railways receive enough funding to run safely, invest in modernisation, and support the shift to sustainable travel."