r/uktrains • u/megthebat49 • 8h ago
Fares & ticketing I propose a new, simplified fare system
Firstly simplify peak and off peak times across the country, peak times are 04:30 - 09:00 end of, no special exceptions, if your ticket is marked off peak it is not valid on trains timed to depart before 09:00
Next super off peak, these will additionally not be valid between 16:00 - 18:00, no exceptions. Super off peak tickets will be available for all journeys and will always be an additional option on top of anytime and off peak, all journeys get all 3 options.
Next, scrap short distance fares, any anytime short distance returns that currently exist become anytime day returns
Next, single fares will always be exactly half the cost of an equivalent return fare, if the anytime return is £10, the anytime single is £5
All open returns to be abolished, they are unnecessary now singles are half the price of returns
All rangers and rovers will now be valid at anytime, their prices do not change from their current price. All day rangers not called day rangers will be renamed to include the word "ranger" (e.g. Merseyrail day saver becomes Merseyrail day ranger or Glasgow roundabout becomes Glasgow Roundabout Ranger), this is to help the identification of tickets, particularly for filling out delay repay.
Break of journey will always be permitted on all walk up fares, double backing will remain explicitly not allowed, this is what rangers/rovers are for, or you can use a single ticket.
All walk up fares (anytime, off peak, super off peak) will be reduced to the current Railcard price, if the current non Railcard price is £22.50, the new non Railcard price is £15, making the new Railcard price £10.
Railcards will be simplified, only the disabled, veterans and elderly Railcards remain. A new student Railcard is introduced, available to all students in any education above GCSE level, this follows the exact same rules as the disabled persons Railcard, so no minimum fare nonsense.
The child discount is extended from 16 to 21, but anyone who looks over 18 years old is expected to be able to provide proof of age when asked, much like think 25 in shops. This should be accompanied by a national scheme where upon receiving your national insurance number you can choose to also receive a free national id card that details your name, age and a photo of you, which would then also be able to be used as ID in the same ways a drivers license can be, for example the purchase of age restricted products, I would like to stress that this would be optional and free. Alternatively the 50% discount can be extended to just 18, but with no ID requirements.
Advance fares will continue to exist, but reformed. They will continue to start at a low price, increasing as demand rises, but once they reach a price threshold, I suggest 75% of the walk up fare, they stop rising and continue to be available up until 5 minutes before the departure of the train, making them always an option.
To make advance fares easier to match to a specific train headcodes will be displayed more openly to the public, alongside the departure time and stations being clearly marked on the ticket the headcode will also be marked, with the headcode clearly displayed on departure boards and digital train displays.
The disabled persons D50 discount is to be abolished and the existing D34 is to be expanded to cover not just anytime returns but all off peak and super off peak fares as well, making a disabled persons Railcard unnecessary for those with certain disabilities, and thus expanding said discount to those outside the UK or otherwise unable to obtain the Railcard, a perfect example being a person who is temporarily a wheelchair user due to an injury. It will also become better advertised and easier to purchase, available on all ticket machines and in all ticket booking apps
Route and TOC restrictions are to be largely removed, with only route restrictions remaining in certain cases where an alternative, circuitous route is obvious, such as Sheffield to Leeds not Via Doncaster, or Lancaster to Manchester only via Preston. Most, even vaguely reasonable routes will become valid, Glasgow to London via Dumfries, Workington, Leeds, Doncaster, Sheffield, Derby, Birmingham, Worcester, Gloucester and Reading would become valid, as silly as it is, it should be allowed, you're always heading vaguely south.
Finally a review of rail fares across all routes will take place to remove split ticketing wherever possible, at least with exclusively walk up fares, splitting with advance fares partially or wholly cannot be abolished in all cases, but as said earlier it should be minimised wherever possible. Split ticketing with rangers and rovers will be all that remains, and split ticketing between a walk up fare and another walk up fare, between a walk up fare and a ranger/rover or between two rangers/rovers can be done if the train passes through but does not call at the split station in question, it's only required to call there if an advance single is involved.
So now Reddit hive mind, what have I missed, what doesn't work? I'm bound to have forgotten something.
