Rail companies want to scrap peak and off-peak rail fares in favour of a new price policy already adopted by the airline industry. The train operators, currently hit by a series of strikes, are pushing for 'demand-led' pricing for longer journeys, reports The Telegraph.
Ticket pricing would then be set 'dynamically', with prices increasing temporarily in face of demand and supply. Similar tactics are used by airlines and Uber.
Andy Bagnall, the chief executive of the new train operator body Rail Partners, told The Telegraph train operators were lobbying the government for “a more demand-led pricing approach that actually allows you to give better value tickets, but give a better customer experience."
“We would like to see dynamic pricing,” he said “You don't have that awful first train after the peak ends (experience), which has three times as many passengers (because) everyone's been waiting for the first train because of that cliff edge.”
Train passengers in England and Wales were hit with the largest fare rises in nearly a decade earlier this year. The increase of 3.8 per cent is the steepest increase since January 2013.
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “We have protected passengers by delaying these fare rises by two months and, even then, opting for a figure well below current inflation rates. However, we must now look to recoup some of the £14 billion which was spent to keep vital services running throughout the pandemic in a way that is fair for all taxpayers.
“By striking this balance, we will be able to encourage people back on to trains whilst funding the necessary improvements and unprecedented investment that will benefit all those who use our railways.”
