Ditch peak-hour rail fares across the UK, campaigners say

Peak hour rail fares should be scrapped across the UK to end an “unfair tax” on commuters and encourage people to abandon the car, campaigners have said.

It follows the end of a year-long scheme in Scotland which saw all peak fares scrapped in a bid to encourage more people to travel to work by train.

Scottish Labor hailed the project as a “rare achievement” by the SNP administration and said its analysis showed an increase in passenger numbers at peak times.

A travel expert said the SNP’s decision to end the scheme was a “serious mistake” and called on the Labor government in Westminster to implement its own UK-wide pilot.

Christian Wolmar, renowned railway expert, host of the show Calling all stations podcast, said: “It was a very interesting experiment and should have lasted longer because it would have been very useful to have evidence over a longer period of time.

“It’s a big mistake to end it (in Scotland).

“There should still be a trial for the whole of the UK to remove peak fares as ridiculous prices deter people from traveling by train.”

Mr Wolmar said the argument for peak-time tickets to help ease the flow of passengers during the day was now an “outdated” idea.

“It’s a pre-Covid, pre-work from home idea. We don’t work in the same way, we all go to the office at the same time. So why not remove peak fares and give people the choice of when they want to travel? »

Scottish Green MP Mark Ruskell, the party’s transport spokesman, said peak fares were an “unfair and outdated” tax on commuters. He encouraged the Labor government in Westminster to consider scrapping peak tariffs across the UK.

“The Scottish and UK governments must look at the impact that removing peak fares has had in Scotland – forcing people out of the car, dramatically increasing train use and saving people money money – and see that it’s an idea whose time has come.

The Campaign for Better Transport previously called for a pilot to remove peak rail fares in the UK on Mondays and Fridays.

Michael Solomon Williams, the group’s head of campaigns, said I the Scottish system could be “tweaked” to at least ensure that peak rates are capped.

Peak prices should cost no more than 20 percent more than off-peak prices, he said, adding: “This would help us balance the difference between peak and off-peak times.”

The campaigner added: “People are still put off using trains because of the cost. There are no peak costs for drivers. But people who choose the most sustainable means of transportation are penalized at times. »

Commuters heading to work across Scotland on Monday morning will face peak fares again, as the 12-month trial ends. This means a peak-time ScotRail return between Glasgow and Edinburgh increases from £16.20 to £31.40.

Scottish government agency Transport Scotland said the £40 million project had had a “limited degree of success” – but “failed to achieve its aims” in encouraging significant numbers of commuters to abandon their cars for travel by train.

Scottish Labor spokeswoman Sarah Boyack said the decision not to continue with the scheme was “insane”.

She highlighted official figures obtained via a Freedom of Information request showing that peak hour passenger numbers had risen to 35 million between October 2023 and July 2024, compared to 25 million over the same period of the year. previous.

However, Transport Scotland said analysis showing a 40 per cent increase was “misleading”.

The agency said passenger numbers had increased in recent years and its own analysis attributed only 6.8 percent of that increase to the pilot ticketing system.

Rail unions RMT and Aslef supported the project in Scotland and criticized the SNP for failing to extend it. Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT, said it was a “terrible” decision and “should be reversed”.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said the UK government was committed to “the biggest overhaul of our railways in a generation”.

“We are committed to simplifying ticketing and pricing, and are actively evaluating options to offer more pay-as-you-go and innovations such as digital subscriptions.”