Actually in taxis in London once the fare gets to £16.20 you get less distance/time for each 20p.
Does that mean it's cheaper to "split"? If so, is it valid to get back in the same taxi and do you have to get off & on? Or do you have to take a different taxi? It would also be good if they did Delay Repay instead of Delay PayMore!
(Perhaps taxi drivers should be exempt from claiming under Delay Repay? Sounds fair to me
)
I think
yorkie's only trying to make a point. Let's just make up an arbitrary figure of 20p/mile so he can make his point.
OK we'll go with 20p/mile.
I'll also only compare
return tickets, as most people wish to return.
I'll ignore the following:
- Proposal to charge less for rural lines. Charging less for rural lines is a form of market-based pricing (which I agree with), in reality you
could combine distance-based and market-based pricing, but then it ceases to be as "simple" as the OP wants it to be. And it's also an admission from people who are pro-mileage that their system is flawed, in my view. Plus how do you determine which lines are rural?
- Proposal to charge less for longer distances. Again, this is edging slightly toward market based pricing, and adds further complexity.
- Peterborough to Nottingham; (currently £19.80 CDR, £22.50 SVR, £29 SOR)
This is (just under) 52 miles
A return would therefore be
£20.80
This is a reduction in price for anyone who is travelling at peak times, but a marginal (but quite acceptable - given additional flexibility) increase for someone returning same day off peak.
In this example, I do not see a problem.
But, PBO - NOT is (or was, when I last checked) valid via Leicester, and the pricing above assumes travel via Grantham. So, would people be charged a lot more to go via Leicester? Or, do you say that, as the price is the same, it's valid that way with the additional mileage between Leicester and Nottingham being free?
- Peterborough to Leicester; (currently N/A CDR, £18.40 SVR, £33.00 SOR)
This is (just over) 52 miles
A return would therefore be
£20.80
An acceptable increase for off peak day trippers, given a decrease in flexibility and a reasonable decrease too for peak time travel.
The railway line zig-zags a lot on this route, and customers are penalised for that, but as the fares are so high in the first place it doesn't matter too much.
- Cattal to Dronfield; (currently £17.20 CDR, N/A SVR, £19.90 SOR)
This is approx 63.5 miles
A return would therefore be £25.40, which makes rail unviable. People would simply drive down the A1 instead, which would be a lot cheaper and also quicker.
- Sherburn-in-Elmet to Whitby avoiding Darlington (currently £12.10 CDR, N/A SVR, N/A SOR)
This is (just under) 99 miles
A return would therefore be £
39.60
Rail is now completely priced out of the market. The Whitby line would be set to close. Coastliner would completely dominate the York area to Whitby market. The bus would not only be massively cheaper but also quicker too!
- Tain to Golspie (Currently £17.50)
This is 40 miles.
A return would therefore be £
16.00
Rail has already priced itself out of the market. When we went to Golspie in 2006, we got a taxi from Tain to Golspie. The taxi took about 1/5th of the time of the train, and cost far less too! This system continues to ensure rail is priced out of this market, as the road bridge is far shorter.
York to London (various fares from £88.90 SSR to £239 SOR)
This is 186 miles.
A return would therefore be £
74.40, so you can travel at any time, returning whenever you want, for less than the current price of the SSR. Severe overcrowding will result at off-peak times. The route would generate much less revenue and would require subsidy rather than generating a profit. Many peak additionals would have to operate but the off peak service would have to be cut back. This would actually be good for customers in many ways!
So, York to London would be far too cheap, but York to Whitby is so expensive people would simply drive or take the bus and the line would have to close east of Middlesbrough.