Figures slipped out by the Department for Transport before Christmas reveal a 9.4% drop in season ticket sales between July and September 2017 compared with the same quarter the previous year. “Rail commuters are fed up with being used as cash cows for government coffers,” said Stephen Joseph, chief executive of the Campaign for Better Transport. “We need simpler, fairer and cheaper rail fares, a freeze on any further rises and flexible season tickets to help the growing army of part-time workers.”Passenger groups are set to protest at stations across the country this Tuesday. “Total commuting and business trips on rail increased by 18.1% between 2010 and 2016 according to National Travel Survey data. The National Rail Passenger Survey also shows that less than half of commuters travel on season tickets which is because of more use of contactless and oyster card payments,” he said.

Source: The Guardian December 30, 2017 20:14 UTC