Government's change in fares a positive move for passengers - ATOC

Responding to the announcement of a change to regulated fare rises in January 2013, a spokesman for the Association of Train Operating Companies said: “The government's change in policy is a positive move for passengers because it will mean lower than expected fare rises. All the extra money that ministers had instructed train companies to raise through the planned, higher increases in regulated fares would have gone to the government.

“It is the government, not train companies, that decides how much season tickets should rise on average each year. For almost a decade, successive governments have instructed train companies every year to increase these regulated fares on average by more than inflation. In doing so, ministers have been seeking to cut the contribution from taxpayers towards the running costs of the railway and increase the share paid by passengers.”

ENDS