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ESPECIALLY FOR THURROCK CUSTOMERS?
c2c announced its annual fare increases in the first week of December, effective
from 2 January 2005. Despite claims to news agencies that fares are rising by an
average of 4%, TRUG has discovered what appears to be a severe case of
discrimination against Thurrock’s passengers. The annual increase for passengers
using the main Thurrock stations is 8% for annual season tickets to Fenchurch
Street [only], and a massive 8.8% for Travelcards covering the London Zones. The
stations affected by this rise are Tilbury Town, Grays, Purfleet, Chafford
Hundred and Ockendon (also West Horndon). Passengers using Thurrock’s remaining
stations (Stanford Le Hope and East Tilbury) are looking at increases of 5% for
an all zones Travelcard, being the third-largest such increase on the line
outside London, while the increase for the without-Travelcard annual season is
8.4% for those who have to use Rainham. All fares at stations eastwards from
Pitsea are rising by less than one percent for season tickets (with one
exception at a mere 2%) and generally below 3.5% (though one is 4.5%) for
Travelcards. Only one of the various annual tickets from Thurrock stations,
namely from Stanford / East Tilbury without Travelcard (2.2%), is no greater
than inflation.
These figures appear to illustrate that c2c are discriminating against
Thurrock’s travellers compared with the other users on the line. These increases
come at a time when services for Purfleet and Rainham customers are actually
worsening – there are no Saturday through trains to Fenchurch Street from 12
December for these stations outside Lakeside shopping hours, and the new
timetable still offers no relief to Thurrock passengers using either route in
the ridiculous post 22.00 hours services with gaps in excess of an hour still
the norm, in stark contrast to the three trains per hour enjoyed at the same
time by users of the Laindon route to Southend.
c2c have at recent meetings indicated to TRUG that their main growth area for
business has in fact been through the Thurrock stations, something they have
acknowledged by the addition of two new through peak evening services via
Ockendon/Chafford Hundred. This is at a time when they have been losing
passengers at a steady rate.
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From: |
Without Travelcard |
With All-Zones Travelcard |
|
|
2004 prices (£) |
2005 prices (£) |
Percent-age in-crease |
2004 prices (£) |
2005 prices (£) |
Percent-age in-crease |
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THURROCK STATIONS
(except *): |
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Stanford-le-Hope,
East Tilbury (also Basildon*, Laindon*) |
1,820 |
1,860 |
2.2% |
2,420 |
2,540 |
5.0% |
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Tilbury Town,
Grays, Chafford Hundred, Ockendon, Purfleet (also W. Horndon*) |
1,400 |
1,512 |
8.0% |
2,000 |
2,176 |
8.8% |
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GREATER LONDON: |
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Rainham [Serves
part of Thurrock] |
1,044 |
1,132 |
8.4% |
1,532 |
1,580 |
3.1% |
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Dagenham Dock |
916 |
992 |
8.3% |
1,404 |
1,452 |
3.4% |
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ESSEX AND SOUTHEND
STATIONS: |
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Pitsea |
2,000 |
2,008 |
0.4% |
2,600 |
2,688 |
3.4% |
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Chalkwell,
Leigh-on-Sea, Benfleet |
2,180 |
2,224 |
2.0% |
2,780 |
2,904 |
4.5% |
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Westcliff, Southend
Central / East |
2,280 |
2,300 |
0.9% |
2,880 |
2,980 |
3.5% |
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Thorpe Bay,
Shoeburyness |
2,380 |
2,392 |
0.5% |
2,980 |
3,072 |
3.1% |
c2c's response to these large fare increases can be summarised as follows:
(a) They're not making any money out of this, it's necessary because the
Government subsidy is going down;
(b) It's not all bad, many rises are indeed well below inflation - the reason
for the variation in the season ticket rises is that c2c are "standardising" the
amount of discount gained by obtaining season tickets, as compared to day
tickets, and therefore, 'unfortunately', some stations'rises will thereby be
higher;
(c) It's all alright, because the AVERAGE of these rises is 'only' 4%.Updated
01/01/2005
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