At almost 50%, do FCC have the highest season ticket price rises?

[PTF62]

I see FCC have decided to withdraw all their Flexitime tickets, so some very big price rises for customers using those tickets -

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn.../8199109/Commuters-hit-by-huge-fare-rise.html

The article picks the highest percentages, but there are some large monetary value rises for those using the flexitime tickets to Peterborough from Huntingdon and St Neots (£224 and £368 price rises on £1056 and £1252 tickets). I expect it will be enough to push what few passengers FCC have travelling north in the morning, to swap to using the car.

 

[Mojo]

So basically, they have shown no understanding of one of the best ways to improve the poor financial situation of the railways, by filling up its all too many quiet trains.

 

[yorkie]

When the fares get too high, remember their aim is to increase revenue, you have to not travel, or find an alternative. If you pay the much higher prices, then the TOC gets the message that it's okay to do that.

"All of our fares are set at levels to encourage growth" is a blatant lie.

Sorry to say it, but these people affected are best off driving, only if FCC realise they are losing revenue will they restore these fares.

Are TPE getting rid of their Earlybird tickets too, or are FCC confirming their position as the worst (or, you could say, Last) First Group operation?

How can one of the absolute worst TOCs in Britain be run by the same parent company as one of the better ones? It doesn't make sense.

 

[Solent&Wessex]

When the fares get too high, remember their aim is to increase revenue, you have to not travel, or find an alternative. If you pay the much higher prices, then the TOC gets the message that it's okay to do that.

"All of our fares are set at levels to encourage growth" is a blatant lie.

Sorry to say it, but these people affected are best off driving, only if FCC realise they are losing revenue will they restore these fares.

Are TPE getting rid of their Earlybird tickets too, or are FCC confirming their position as the worst (or, you could say, Last) First Group operation?

How can one of the absolute worst TOCs in Britain be run by the same parent company as one of the better ones? It doesn't make sense.

TPE are not getting rid of Earlybird, no. In fact they are, at long last, altering the wording on the restriction to officially allow travel out of Manchester. They are also offering Earlybird fares from Manchester, rather than just into it - thus making more
Earlybird fares available, whilst also making th restrictions better thus allowing people to officially do what we have un officially been allowing them to for some time- ie actually travel out of Manchester in the morning, rather than just into it.

That aside there are some fairly steep rises elsewhere, especially on SDS fares.

 

[Greenback]

When the fares get too high, remember their aim is to increase revenue, you have to not travel, or find an alternative. If you pay the much higher prices, then the TOC gets the message that it's okay to do that.

"All of our fares are set at levels to encourage growth" is a blatant lie.

Sorry to say it, but these people affected are best off driving, only if FCC realise they are losing revenue will they restore these fares.

Are TPE getting rid of their Earlybird tickets too, or are FCC confirming their position as the worst (or, you could say, Last) First Group operation?

How can one of the absolute worst TOCs in Britain be run by the same parent company as one of the better ones? It doesn't make sense.

Unless the growth referred to is FCC's revenue!

But seriously, if most people are not priced off the trains by these increases, that is exactly what will happen. It may be a gamble by FCC, but I expect nothing else under this system.

If they are wrong, sales fall and the gamble doesn't pay off they can always reintroduce the tickets with a properly spun story about listening to customer feedback.

 

[penaltyfines]

TOCs must know that fare increases like this are just going to encourage/increase fare evasion?

 

[PTF62]

TOCs must know that fare increases like this are just going to encourage/increase fare evasion?

From the two stations I mentioned, probably not as they are both gated. So just reduced passenger numbers as people swap to cars.

 

[chuckles1066]

Am I missing something?

Hornsey to Stevenage is 30+ miles and an annual ticket currently costs £194?

Bristol to Bath is 18 miles and an annual season ticket costs £1400+.

The former seems to have been remarkably cheap to start off with and is still good value?

 

[Failed Unit]

Am I missing something?

Hornsey to Stevenage is 30+ miles and an annual ticket currently costs £194?

Bristol to Bath is 18 miles and an annual season ticket costs £1400+.

The former seems to have been remarkably cheap to start off with and is still good value?

You must have made a mistake. Maybe missed a 0 off! There is no way that price is correct.

 

[ainsworth74]

As far as I can see a Flexitime Season between Hornsey and Stevenage costs £2024 and a normal standard season costs £2760.

 

[MikeWh]

You must have made a mistake. Maybe missed a 0 off! There is no way that price is correct.

Looks like the monthly flexitime price. Annual Hornsey to Stevenage is £2024 (Flexitime) and £2760 any permitted. Flexitime is not valid for travel towards London in the morning.

 

[chuckles1066]

You must have made a mistake. Maybe missed a 0 off! There is no way that price is correct.

Thought as much, I think that price is quoted in the Telegraph article that's linked to earlier in this thread.

And if it's in the newspaper then it must be true

 

[jon0844]

The papers seem to have been more keen on finding a way to talk of a 50% increase, when it's not an increase as such - more the removal of a certain type of ticket (thus, the ticket you must now get hasn't gone up by as much).

I'm not saying it's right to get rid of the flexible tickets - in fact, it's totally wrong - but the media only wanted to have a nice headline figure and therefore don't give a damn about what's ACTUALLY happened, such that they're not writing about how a TOC can remove a ticket that actually served a purpose by giving discounts for people going against the flow - who either pay a huge increase or just use a car, bus, bike or ANY other mode of transport that isn't a train.