WMT significantly increasing some WCML prices at May fares round

[ForTheLoveOf]

I commented on this to an extent in the other 'TPE raises some prices' thread, but I think this ought to have its own thread.

WMT have increased the price of most of their fares for along the WCML in the May fare setting round. Local fares (just within the West Midlands) seem unaffected - it's mainly those flows where there are LF/LG/SK-restricted WMT-only fares.

Very few of the Off-Peak tickets (SVS/SVR) seem affected - it's only the Super Off-Peak and Anytimes, as well as the outboundary Travelcards, that have risen. The highest rise I've seen yet has been Crewe/Stoke-on-Trent (same price) to London Euston, where the WMT-only Anytime Day Travelcard has risen from £105.00 to £114.50, a rise of 9.3%! Most of the other rises are in the region of 3-5%.

It is true that many of the services and lines in question are busy even at 'Super Off-Peak' times, however raising the price of these fares seems more like a revenue-generation operation than an attempt at easing overcrowding, given the fact that the price of each Advance tier has not changed.

Of particular note is the fact that these rises further decrease the gap between the Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets for a lot of journeys - meaning that I could foreseeably imagine this as being an attempt at 'upselling', by encouraging people to buy the more expensive Off-Peak tickets even if they only intend to travel at 'Super Off-Peak' times, due to the now even smaller difference.

I am not happy at these rises, given that they follow similar rises instituted at the last fares round by London Midland. These flows are the only affordable way for a lot of people to go to or from London with a non-Advance ticket and do I feel they should be regulated - the actually regulated ones are inevitably the medium-priced but heavily-restricted VTWC 'any permitted' Off-Peak Returns.

 

[gray1404]

It appears the the new franchise holder just want to come in and spoil the WMT only fares, whereas under LM (for the most part) they did try to compete against VT.

 

[amateur]

What date in May do the new fares take effect

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

What date in May do the new fares take effect

20th of May I believe, the same date as the new timetable.

 

[Ianno87]

It appears the the new franchise holder just want to come in and spoil the WMT only fares, whereas under LM (for the most part) they did try to compete against VT.

Seeing people physically unable to board a northbound departure from Northampton last week, suggests that the WMT-only fares undercut Any Permitted fares way too much.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Seeing people physically unable to board a northbound departure from Northampton last week, suggests that the WMT-only fares undercut Any Permitted fares way too much.

In which case 'piecemeal' increases such as this are not the solution. One partial solution is for the spare capacity that Virgin has to be better utilised. That would require their Anytime fares to be drastically cut (as in, to 50% of their current levels or even less), and for the current Off-Peaks to be renamed Super Off-Peaks and a new, more expensive but less restrictive Off-Peak to be introduced. The problem is that on a lot of West Coast flows, the Any Permitted choice is solely between the heavily restricted Off-Peak and the Anytime at an extortionate 3-4× the price. A three-step fare graduation is present on most other 'intercity' operators' flows, so from a passenger's perspective I see no reason why it should not be introduced on VTWC - of course they and the DfT will not be happy at the decrease in revenues and resulting effective increase in subsidy.

 

[Hadders]

Seeing people physically unable to board a northbound departure from Northampton last week, suggests that the WMT-only fares undercut Any Permitted fares way too much.

Or increase the length of the train. I’ll bet it was 4 cars when it left Northampton.

 

[amateur]

Seeing people physically unable to board a northbound departure from Northampton last week, suggests that the WMT-only fares undercut Any Permitted fares way too much.

Was there a specific reason? Eg previous train cancelled. Was it going to Crewe or Birmingham?

 

[Starmill]

Seeing people physically unable to board a northbound departure from Northampton last week, suggests that the WMT-only fares undercut Any Permitted fares way too much.

This is hardly authoritative on the matter. People travelling to or from Northampton are not affected by WMT only prices. They have no choice but to use WMT.

 

[OwlMan]

I am not happy at these rises, given that they follow similar rises instituted at the last fares round by London Midland. These flows are the only affordable way for a lot of people to go to or from London with a non-Advance ticket and do I feel they should be regulated - the actually regulated ones are inevitably the medium-priced but heavily-restricted VTWC 'any permitted' Off-Peak Returns.

This is incorrect , the LM/WMT only fares were not increased at the last fare round; they were last increased in September.

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

This is incorrect , the LM/WMT only fares were not increased at the last fare round; they were last increased in September.

Ah, I thought this because I bought a WMT-only ticket back last year for October and when I next went to buy the same ticket again in January it was dearer. However, I think I must have bought it in advance of when the fare rises were announced/implemented, so that explains the difference.

Nonetheless, there can be no justification for an increase of 9.3%, or even of the more typical 3-5% rises seen across the board. Inflation is nowhere near that over an 8-month period and no significant additional investment has yet been made into the service.