We need a fare freeze next year

Hello

As the cost-of-living crisis shows no signs of abating, attention has turned to next year’s rail fare rise as we learnt today that July’s RPI figure, which is usually used to set the following year’s annual rise, is an eye watering 12.3 per cent. The Government did this week pledge to spare passengers from a double-digit rise, BUT a large rise is still on the cards with the Government looking likely to use a minus RPI formula to take affect from March 2023.
 
Even a minus RPI rail fare rise next year will hit passengers hard and could mean people stay away from the trains altogether. The Government must go further and commit to a fare freeze for 2023 now so that commuters are not left with the uncertainly of whether they’ll be able to afford to get to work next year. Without affordable rail fares we could see an increase in road congestion and carbon emissions, both bad news for people and the planet.
 
With a final decision on the fare rise yet to be made, we’ll be keeping up the pressure for a fare freeze.

If you're on twitter, make sure to follow the conversation using the hashtag #FaresFreeze.

Tax kerosene to fund fare freeze

Did you know that the aviation industry pays no fuel tax? Yes, that’s right. The aviation industry pays zero tax on kerosene. We think this is absurd and makes a mockery of ‘the polluter pays’ principle.

Aviation is a climate problem that can only currently be solved one way. Fewer flights = lower emissions. Despite the UK only being 600 miles from end to end, 13 per cent of UK flights start and end here, many of these have an equivalent rail journey which could be completed in a similar time. Taxing kerosene on domestic routes would raise enough to fund a rail fare freeze next year to help encourage more people to take the train and reduce the number of unnecessary flights.

£2 bus fare cap

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has indicated that a £2 national bus fare cap could be introduced in the Autumn to help bus passengers with the cost-of-living crisis. We would fully support this initiative as something we called for as part of our The Way Forward campaign. But with buses still facing a shortfall in passengers and revenue, large scale cuts to services are looking increasingly likely from October which could mean communities find they have no buses to use their £2 bus fare on. As well as capping fares, the Government must also ensure services are protected and preserved.

Guest blogs

We’ve been lucky enough to have a number of guest blogs written for us this month. Denise Auclair from Transport & Environment, Europe's leading NGO campaigning for cleaner transport, has written a blog on why seasoned jetsetters should think twice before boarding a plane, and Christian Irwin from Network Rail has written a blog on how the rail industry is trying to become more efficient. Make sure you check them out.

As you can see, we're working hard and we couldn't do what we do without you, our supporters. We'll be writing to you next week with information on how you can help in the ongoing fight for better bus services. 

Until then, happy travels,
Paul