Should peak fares in England be abolished?

[JamesT]

I would have thought that would be obvious.

A small pothole on a main road is annoying. If it is a really bad pothole and you are unlucky in how you hit it, you might get a puncture or you might, worst case scenario, damage your suspension or your steering arm.

The equivalent of a small pothole on a railway line would see an express train flying off into the scenery at a very high speed.

That’s the consequences of not maintaining it, rather than why it costs.

But back to the point of the thread. Unless costs are reduced or government decides to increase net subsidy then revenue has to be maximised. The peak/off-peak split appears to do this. Scotrail’s trial was revenue negative as passenger numbers didn’t increase enough to cover the lower fares.

 

[AHBD]

Road vehicles are able to safely negotiate roads maintained to a far lower standard than trains on railways. The proliferation of SUVs makes that all the more so!

Err, cars driven to a not high enough standard* pose a risk to persons outside the car. That is both a cost (treating injured / death) and unjust. Suvs make that worse surely. And busy fast roads are ugly and unpleasant, another cost.

*I dont think humans can drive well enough at the speeds that make cars convenient, for cars to ever have an acceptable safety record to other rightful users of all purpose roads.

 

[yorksrob]

The peak/off-peak split appears to do this. Scotrail’s trial was revenue negative as passenger numbers didn’t increase enough to cover the lower fares.

This was coming off the back of a slump in usage where passenger travel was still growing and the gap in revenue was only something like 10% at the time it was paused.

I'd be interested to see whether it is still revenue negative a year or two later.

 

[RT4038]

Err, cars driven to a not high enough standard* pose a risk to persons outside the car. That is both a cost (treating injured / death) and unjust. Suvs make that worse surely. And busy fast roads are ugly and unpleasant, another cost.

*I dont think humans can drive well enough at the speeds that make cars convenient, for cars to ever have an acceptable safety record to other rightful users of all purpose roads.

As is the cost of the inconvenience and misery of relying on and using railways and public transport in general.

Good luck with convincing a majority of your fellow citizens that this cost is less important than those you mention,

 

[yorksrob]

As is the cost of the inconvenience and misery of relying on and using railways and public transport in general.

Good luck with convincing a majority of your fellow citizens that this cost is less important than those you mention,

I wouldn't say the "cost of inconvenience and misery" as being as big an issue with Railway travel as the cost, full stop.