A new way for fares regulation in a nationalised railway?

[Trainbike46]

Are you proposing a national cap or a cap by route?

Take London to Manchester where the Anytime Single is £193, I really don't see how that is going to be an effective cap to 'off-peak' fares.

I am proposing two national caps; one for anytime fares, and one for off-peak fares, on a price per distance basis. The off-peak fare cap would (obviously) be lower than the anytime cap.

While I'm not proposing a wholesale reduction of fares, under such a system the highest priced fares, such as the London-Manchester anytime single should get reduced.

What it does do is allow a more direct comparison with air fares because it is a more air travel like fare structure.

I would suspect any "newspaper" will still compare the cheapest advance airline fare they can find with the LNER anytime fare.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Indeed so. Although only really Edinburgh - London, as very few people fly Newcastle to London unless they are changing planes at Heathrow. And at peak times Easyjet will charge you £200+ one way even booking ahead for a non-flexible fare.

I do wonder if LNER will propose removing the Anytime as well at some point, given that for that distance £200 isn't actually that outrageous. It's almost the same for London-Manchester which is half the distance (and is outrageous!)

Classically Sleasy and Eireflop wouldn't go above £299 so there sort of was an Anytime fare (that was what you were charged if you walked up at an airport for a Ryanair flight), but I think those days have long gone and they can go very high indeed at times like half term and Christmas.

 

[Hadders]

I am proposing two national caps; one for anytime fares, and one for off-peak fares, on a price per distance basis. The off-peak fare cap would (obviously) be lower than the anytime cap.

While I'm not proposing a wholesale reduction of fares, under such a system the highest priced fares, such as the London-Manchester anytime single should get reduced.

I would suspect any "newspaper" will still compare the cheapest advance airline fare they can find with the LNER anytime fare.

I think national mileage based caps would be a problem. You’d have to set them at the rate of the highest fare which would allow massive increases on cheaper routes.

 

[miklcct]

I think national mileage based caps would be a problem. You’d have to set them at the rate of the highest fare which would allow massive increases on cheaper routes.

Why not undoing the damage of privatisation by setting the cap at the 1996 level plus inflation?

 

[Hadders]

Why not undoing the damage of privatisation by setting the cap at the 1996 level plus inflation?

Broadly speaking that's what's happened. Increases in regulated fares have been linked to RPI, sometimes RPI+1%, sometimes RPI-1% etc.

While it's not perfect, I dread to think how much fares would have increased had regulationnot have been in place.

 

[miklcct]

While it's not perfect, I dread to think how much fares would have increased had regulationnot have been in place.

It has appeared in the case of Anytime Single for long distance intercity journeys. They were not regulated and we have all seen the damage.

 

[Joeyjoefro]

I would love a price per km. I find it perplexing that the cost to get to Edale is almost the same as Windermere, when the latter is about 60% further for me.

 

[AlterEgo]

I would love a price per km. I find it perplexing that the cost to get to Edale is almost the same as Windermere, when the latter is about 60% further for me.

Completely meaningless way of pricing travel. That makes Manchester to London about the same as Manchester to Chathill.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

Completely meaningless way of pricing travel. That makes Manchester to London about the same as Manchester to Chathill.

It would also make long rural routes even more dependent on external subsidies as the resultant fare increases would drive away a lot of existing users.