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THURROCK RAIL USERS’ GROUP (‘TRUG’)
******** PRESS RELEASE 19/12/2005********
2006 FARES INCREASES (2 JAN 2006) – FLEXITIME DISCOUNTS ABOLISHED, TfL SCAPEGOAT
FOR BIGGER RISES, THURROCK COMMUTERS SQUEEZED AGAIN!!
While introducing some real bargain fares at weekends, c2c have announced a
bewildering variety of percentage fares changes, targeting the Thurrock commuter
for the second consecutive year – though the differentials are a little less
blatant this time round they are still there to be seen.
• “Flexitime” discounted seasons abolished – for those arriving in London
outside the 0715-0915 timeband, annual costs (to Fenchurch St.) go up 13%, from
£1676 to £1888 for Stanford and East Tilbury, and from £1360 to £1540 for the
rest of Thurrock. But the old prices are available until end of 2005, and those
with “Flexitime” seasons expiring up to the beginning of February will get
better value by renewing early, at the end of December, instead. (*1)
• Given that the whole point of the “Flexitime” discounts was to attract those
who could travel outside the busiest part of the peak to do so, it follows that
the reverse effect is now inevitable, whereby the busiest trains will again
become busier due to the influx of those passengers who only avoided those
trains in order to save money.
• c2c claim that “Season tickets with no Travelcard element will rise by an
average of only 1.5%”, yet for the 5 central and west Thurrock stations to
London it is 1.9% - though even this is just below inflation.
• c2c also imply that the high increases in the “With Travelcard” prices –
typically an extra £120 on top of the “c2c-only” London fare increases (but £136
in the case of the usual Thurrock targets) - are down to TfL (Transport for
London). Yet the TfL all-zones price is only going up by £60, so what’s the
justification for the extra £60 or £76 (or up to £100 in the case of
‘non-Zone-1’ e.g. for Docklands) “commission” (profit?) per annual ticket?
• It now becomes cheaper for some (possibly all) daily commuters to Zone 1, or
who have to pass through Zone 1 to reach Zone 2 (e.g. to Hammersmith), to get a
c2c-only season to Limehouse plus a Zones 1-2 Only Travelcard (which will be an
Oystercard) – e.g. from Grays, £1400 plus £888 total £2288, versus the
c2c-plus-Zones-1-to-6 offering at £2340 (for annuals). (Other c2c stations may
have different solutions)
• While purchasers of weekend leisure fares will enjoy substantial savings from
the reductions, which TRUG warmly welcomes, in these prices (e.g. day returns to
London down typically 17%, day travelcards down 19% - 30%), we are perplexed by
the 7% - 10% rises in the prices in weekday off-peak fares, given that c2c’s
passenger demand is hugely peak dominated, with large amounts of spare capacity
in the offpeak. TRUG is yet to understand the relationship between these
reductions and increases (do they both relate to the same market?) and how this
might help to fill unused weekday off-peak capacity.
In view of the increasing dominance, convenience, and user benefits (e.g.
cheaper fares PLUS fare-capping, for journeys outside the season ticket’s
validity, on pre-pay) of TfL’s “Oystercard” system, TRUG strongly urges c2c to
take the lead amongst London operators in this realm, by embracing and adopting
Oyster technology and pricing structures, from as early a date as possible
during 2006.
The overall picture is very complex, given the mix between times of day (peak /
offpeak), days of week, London versus non-London, with Travelcard versus
without, across the various origin / destination pairs across the c2c network.
Amongst the issues concerning TRUG are those relating to social inclusion, such
as low-waged part-time workers (e.g. unskilled single parents) who need to use
offpeak returns to get to work who will now have to find perhaps another 10% or
more for their fares, while wages are unlikely to follow suit, in some cases
rendering employment costs ultimately unaffordable.
For commuters working within walking distance of Fenchurch Street who currently
travel in the main peak, and for those whose main use of c2c is at weekends the
news is better than might be expected, with just-below-inflation increases and
attractive reductions respectively – but for virtually all the rest of c2c’s
customers, i.e. the vast majority, the picture is one of increases much higher
than inflation.
************ END ************
Notes to Editor:
*1 – Example: If an existing flexitime ticket expiring 4 weeks into 2006 is
renewed on 31/12/05, this will purchase 48 extra weeks’ travel (after the date
when the existing ticket would have expired) for £1360 for central / west
Thurrock to Fenchurch St., working out at £28.33 per week, before having to pay
2006-enhanced prices, without discount, of £1540 per year which works out at
£29.60 per week. “Breakeven” overlap works out at approx. 6 weeks, i.e. about
10th February, so the earlier the expiry date before that point, the better the
value of this tactic.
*2 – The increases in the annual tickets with c2c-only validity, to Fenchurch
St., go up by £28 (Purfleet etc.) to £44 (Shoeburyness) per annum. The price
increases for the corresponding annual season tickets which add Zones 1-6
Travelcard validity are a FURTHER £120 on top of this (£136 for most of
Thurrock). However, the TfL element on its own, i.e. a Zone 1-6 Travelcard, goes
up by only £60. So if the true c2c-only increase is (typically) £32, and the TfL-only
element is at most £60, yet the increase you pay is £152, where does the extra
£60 go if not c2c’s extra profits?
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