17.09.13
Part-time season ticket trial next year
Transport minister Norman Baker has announced a smart ticketing trial next year that will allow the purchase of part-time season tickets.
The precise details of the plan, announced at the Lib Dem conference in Glasgow, have not yet been revealed, but the trial is likely to be on busy London commuter services such as those operated by Southern or c2c.
Baker told the Telegraph: “Season tickets were set at a time when commuters wore pinstripes worked from 9-5 and always took the same train. The world has moved on and ticketing has to move on with it.”
In its response, ATOC welcomed “further government investment” in smart ticketing, but did not address the issue of part-time season tickets directly. A spokesman said: “Smart cards and other types of electronic ticketing encourage passengers to travel by train by making it easier for them to buy tickets and use the network. Train companies are working hard to deliver this technology and on some routes, smart ticketing is already in use.
“Further government investment is good news for passengers who can benefit from the reduced costs and congestion that flexible ticketing can offer.”
Passenger Focus chief executive Anthony Smith welcomed the plans, which his organisation has long called for.
He said: “This is good news for the 59% of commuters whose working hours don’t fit into the Monday to Friday pattern. We have long said that ticketing options need to reflect changing working patterns – and it is a good opportunity to put smarter ticketing to the test in bringing benefits to passengers.”
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(Library image shows Norman Baker MP at the launch of the key smartcard in 2011)