Not quite because the charge for driving a vehicle on the road is based on the vehicle's potential for pollution. The road itself is funded from general taxation, i.e. the same public purse that pays for education, hospitals, the armed forces etc., not, as many misinformed motorists proclaim, 'Road Tax', (there's been no such thing as 'road tax' since ISTR 1937 anyway). So if you wished, you could drive a large vehicle on the road for zero VED provided it created zero CO2 emissions at the point of use.We already have a system whereby people who have spacious cars get more space than those of us who don't (e.g. I cycle or walk or get a bus; I occasionally get a lift but I will never be occupying the entire footprint of a car by myself), and that is the true comparison between 1st and Standard class.
Today I will cycle to the station rather than take the car; I have chosen to pay less but in turn I will occupy vastly less road space.
But that only gives you extra space (if available), it shouldn't give you that if it prevents others from travelling at all.When I get to the station, I will board a train in 1st class because I have paid extra to occupy a slightly larger amount of space than if I had paid a bit less to go in Standard
Yes I agree but if you accept that much rail travel is there because it is a public transport mode part funded by public money, (specifically the infrastructure), do you think that a commercial operator should (as sefton says above) "... deliberately delay your (their) customers because you have made the decision to carry empty space around, rather than declassify that empty space ..." .In both cases I have a choice, based on my budget and my requirements and what I want to do. The difference between 1st and Standard is far smaller than the difference between certain road users and certain other road users.
Yes I (or somebody else) may.I think any further comparisons would belong in a new thread in General Discussion, feel free to create one if you'd like to explore this comparison further.
Yes that's fair, but not much help to those in standard class who won't necessarily get anything back if they can't even board the train. In certain situations, they may even have difficulty persuading a TOC that they have been delayed long enough by not boarding to qualify for Delay Repay.If 1st class gets declassified, I will be able to claim back the difference, so I won't have lost out. If I am unable to sit down at all then I would get the full amount back, but still be conveyed to my destination. I think that the system is fair and reasonable.