London, Jan. 03, (PRINTWORDS NEWS) The new year is almost at the verge of becoming the eww year, with bad news for each and every middle class Londoner right from the first day. Scarcely has the city recovered from the effects of the post celebration financial wooziness, that the government has it reeling under the effects of the new transport fares. The new fares came into effect from 1st of January 2010, translating it into a pretty bad start for many of the Londoners.
Fares have increased in main line trains, tube trains and buses as well. Thankfully, the travelers who hold season tickets in the main line won’t have to pay an increased price, as the prices of these tickets are based on inflation. As a result, in this time of worldwide recession, the rate of the season tickets will either remain the same as last year or else dip a little further. The bad news is, it won’t be the same everywhere. People who avail the Southeastern train company will have to spend 1.6% more this year on their tickets, an increase brought about by some extra investment and the introduction of the new 140mph Javelin trains.
However, in all the other cases, ticket prices have increased. Negligibly in some, significantly in others. Rail tickets have gone up at an average of about 1.1%, according to the reports of the Association Of Train Operating Companies. The Tube tickets have increased by 3.9% in London. The bus fares have experienced a gigantic rise, 12.7%. The highest increase is in some of the off-peak and unregulated fares.
The rise in the fares are rather erratic, with some of the companies going for a heavy increase, while others have chosen to remain frozen in their last year’s price list. Virgin Trains is increasing its fares by a mere 2.8%, while the ScotRail and some Southeastern trains will cost a bit more at 3 and 4% respectively. On the other hand, a number of companies like the First Capital Connect, Express East Anglia, Merseyrail and the Transpennine Express will not be any heavier on the pocket than the last year.
The unprecedented inflation in the fare prices, particularly at a time when the country is operating under the very tight budget of recession, has drawn major criticism from various quarters. More so as it has come after the declaration made by the chief executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies, Michael Roberts. He had assured that in the new year, there would be no chance of any rise in the prices.In fact, he had very confidently stated that Londoners in the new year were likely to enjoy a fall in the regular transport prices. Of course, after being boosted by such emphatic assurances, the increased fares have come in the form of a bitter disappointment, not to mention rather too heavy on the shoestring budget that most people have to run on nowadays.
Needless to say, the latest government policy has faced major criticism. Some campaign groups are protesting vehemently, demanding that the fare be cut down to the normal rates that prevail in most of the other areas in Europe. In fact, ATOC itself is accusing the train companies of being unfair, claiming that they regulate the prices according to their convenience. A member of the association commented that the companies decide upon the prices on the predicted inflation, but if it is a moment of depression, the prices are likely to be according to the previous year’s inflation.
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