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Train and Buses Fares increase
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orange


Posts: 97
Joined: Jul 2011
Post: #1
03-01-2012 11:14 AM

As you know there has been a substantial increase to trains and buses fares. The Chancellor has asked us to twit him messages about fares. What are we going to say: It is marvellous! Well Done! carry on like this, we are all happy!
Transport fares are in UK the most expensive in Europe. There is no justification for the prices we pay. If transport is no longer a national thing, why does the chancellor increase fares? I do not understand this point.

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squashst


Posts: 129
Joined: Mar 2009
Post: #2
03-01-2012 03:47 PM

In the City AM paper today one of the train companies said that the long standing policy of the govt is to shift increasing amounts of the funding from the tax payer to the person using the transport. (to be fair the last Labour govt was not a lot different). Plus there is a lot of investment partly cos gots of both hues spentr ****all on transport in the 70s and 80s.

Its a miserable policy - for Z1 to Z3 you will end up with annual season tickets approaching £1.5k in a couple of years and for longer commutes £4k to £5k a year. All of which makes London increasingly more expensive to live in.

Sadly, I don't see this policy changing for the forseeabe future.

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Londondrz


Posts: 1,538
Joined: Apr 2006
Post: #3
04-01-2012 12:22 PM

The 08:57 to LB had the announcements in English and French. Could be they are paying the drivers more so need to increase fares??

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orange


Posts: 97
Joined: Jul 2011
Post: #4
04-01-2012 01:03 PM

Announcements in foreigner languages are very common throughout Europe in all major capital cities.
The reason why they get away with fares increase in UK is because we have not got the same attitude as other european people, who would protest against it. The system knows that after a while, people cannot be bothered and accept facts and things as given.

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nottinghillbilly


Posts: 653
Joined: Dec 2010
Post: #5
04-01-2012 07:55 PM

Yes, I was on that london bridge train and I wondered if the driver was touting for a job on Eurostar-his accent was a bit rubbish but it brightened my commute!Laugh

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roz


Posts: 1,796
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #6
04-01-2012 09:08 PM

Perhaps people should adopt a 'French' attitude to all of this and go and protest as the French would be rioting in the streets at all of this!

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brian


Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
Post: #7
05-01-2012 10:15 AM

Be careful Roz encouraging a riot could get you in trouble. Remember August.

People are forgetting one thing. After decades of neglect there is now major investment in the railways. Crossrail is the largest project of its type in Europe.
How does on pay for investment. The user or the taxes of all , many of whom do not live near a railway line.

It is true most other Euro nations more heavily subsidise the fares but in the new economic situation I think many will have to reconsider this.

There is one think rotten on the railways and that is the militant unions who hold the management and us to blackmail. Should be illegal to strike in such jobs.

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Joffe


Posts: 72
Joined: Oct 2011
Post: #8
05-01-2012 10:21 AM

Yes, riots. That's the answer. Thanks Roz.

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brian


Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
Post: #9
05-01-2012 10:48 AM

Be wary Joffe, as I said you Roz we discovered in August that mere inciting a riot could land you in prison.

Also as I said to young Roz who else should pay for the vast improvements in the system.

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orange


Posts: 97
Joined: Jul 2011
Post: #10
05-01-2012 11:25 AM

Brian,
I think Roz was joking, not inciting to riots! The French do tend to protest. Protests can be also peaceful and do not mean to go in the street. May be doing a petition to the government against the increases is a form of protest, especially if you go to work every day and it costs you a fortune in fares. Writing to the Chancellor is another form of protest.
It costs me over 8-9 pounds every time I go to Central London to have medical treatment! Forest Hill is not that far to pay that sort of money, which in another city in Europe would cost only a couple of euros!
The French know how to get their government to do a Uturn about things they do not like. We don't and this is the problem.
Anyway a government should subside its transports infrastructure and be proud of it. There is money in this country, the only problem is that goes elsewhere or in the pockets of others.
Very few large countries in Europe would sell their railways to private organisations. There are strong unions over there as well. There are strikes too, but nothing gets to the stage that an ordinary person can no longer afford to travel because of the fares cost!
Anyway the economical crisis in Europe has been caused by other factors such as the wars since year 2002. All the rest came as a consequence.

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brian


Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
Post: #11
05-01-2012 11:55 AM

Orange
The Euro Crisis caused by wars since 2002. Interesting theory.
How much money had Greece , Portugal and Ireland spent on such matters.

We are basically looking at whether the user should pay the majority of the cost of everyone including Shetlanders etc who are no where near a railway line.

Of course great to get to London for couple of euros but you would pay more tax.

I am not saying we have got in exactly right but not I think have the other Europeans who more heavily subsidise the railways.

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michael


Posts: 3,255
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #12
05-01-2012 12:16 PM

I think it was on Sydenham Forum that I found a useful piece of advice:

If you have a gold card (annual season ticket) you are entitled to a discount on PAYG Oyster (and other rail fares). You need to take your gold card and Oyster PAYG to an underground station (not Overground) and they can make the Oyster change in a couple of minutes.

This gives you a 35% discount on Oyster PAYG outside of peak times.

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Joffe


Posts: 72
Joined: Oct 2011
Post: #13
05-01-2012 01:33 PM

Brian - I was being sarcastic.

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orange


Posts: 97
Joined: Jul 2011
Post: #14
05-01-2012 02:15 PM

Brian
they had to spent quite a lot of money! and they also had their corpses coming over in black bags! Also Greece had to spend a lot of money for the Olympic Games, money which she could not afford Everybody was heavily taxed because of it, even people living on the islands, far from the centre of action. Portugal and Spain were thriving economies, Italy had good manufacturing industries, design and very high standard of living.
The use of credit was not so extended in Europe as it is in England and USA. You either saved for what you wanted or you gave up. Being in debt was a stigma. Then the wars, the globalisation of the economy changed the local systems. In Europe we all pay more or less the same in taxes, the difference is that here the economical system studies every possible way for your money to go back into it again. You are bombarded continuously with demands of money, you have no space. Anyway, public transports are not a luxury, but necessity, especially if you want people to go to work and keep working until they drop! You have to keep the basic necessities in order and affordable.

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mrcee


Posts: 128
Joined: May 2010
Post: #15
05-01-2012 05:42 PM

given that its the year of the olympics and that we will have so many people tourists commuting on public transport, this is a great way to implement tourist tax for the good of the country. Unsure

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brian


Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
Post: #16
05-01-2012 10:10 PM

Orange
You have now changed your time schedule.
You said wars since 2002 , you now say globalisation from the same date although that happened in thw 70's.

Not sure what it has to do with train fares but do actually agree too much credit has brought Europe to its knees.
I believe you should have the money before spending it. If we had stuck to that maxim then the economies would be in a far better state than they are now.
Credit cards ought to be banned now.

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Sherwood


Posts: 1,412
Joined: Mar 2005
Post: #17
06-01-2012 12:44 PM

I think it was borrowing that caused our financial crisis. The previous govrnment was borrowing an additional £1 for every £3 it raised through taxation.

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brian


Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
Post: #18
06-01-2012 01:40 PM

I agree Sherwood but Orange thinks otherwise.

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Applespider


Posts: 285
Joined: Feb 2006
Post: #19
06-01-2012 08:34 PM

Michael, is that quite new? Last time I had a Gold Card (2010) I went to an Underground station to get Mum's Senior Railcard put on her Oyster and asked if there was an equivalent for my Gold Card and was told no. It's good to hear that they've managed to get it fixed although if your Gold Card is on your Oyster, you'd think they could set it to automatically do the discount rather than you having to request it.

I've started cycling to/from work and only take public transport if I know I'm going out after work or if it's truly atrocious weather. I reckon I saved myself £800 last year - more than the bike and appropriate cold weather gear cost me.

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Cellar Door


Posts: 356
Joined: Oct 2007
Post: #20
07-01-2012 11:57 AM

Applespider wrote:
I've started cycling to/from work…I reckon I saved myself £800…

You save £s…and lose lbs!
I’m doing exactly what you are doing Applespider.
What a sweet deal. And now we are seriously beating back inflation.

I’ve noticed at work, since this latest increase, that some of my more discerning colleagues are now considering, with serious intent, of joining in the cycling critical mass.

If anyone is able bodied and has the right mindset and can do it, then it just makes so much financial and health sense. And many more benefits. In my top 10 of benefits is that I love that I’m no longer paying for the “pleasure” of being squished in trains/tubes. Happy days!

Gosh, I just read what I've written and my smugness is quite nauseating. What the heck, as I 'm too busy counting all the money that I've saved in public transport.
Ka-ching!

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