Cheaper By Car - Article
The cheapest price?
According to Jenni Price from the Guardian, May 22, 2006:
“In a scathing report published last Friday, the transport select committee attacked the chaotic, impenetrable and costly system of train fares in Britain. Its call for government action was welcome and overdue. For the uninitiated, buying a rail ticket has become a surreal exercise in confusion and misinformation. It’s more akin to buying a lottery ticket than paying for a service.
In the week before Easter, I tried to book an off-peak day-return ticket for a teenager from Swindon to London. The one message I have understood from the railways is that it’s cheaper to book in advance. So while leaving Paddington on Monday night, I queued to get a ticket for Wednesday. The helpful assistant checked his computer, and said all the cheap tickets had gone. The journey would cost more than £30 in each direction for a trip of little more than an hour each way.”
Finding the cheapest rail fare is an almost impossible task here, recently I bought a train ticket to Edinburgh and was surprised to find prices varying from £12 each way to £86 each way. Sometimes it’s a good deal but only if you really look hard and are prepared to travel at odd times and change trains.
So, you’re thinking, with a little bit of time and effort, trains are actually a good deal - and maybe that’s true. But try travelling less than 50 miles and the picture changes. Why can I go to Edinburgh and back (800 miles) for only £24 when a trip to London and back (80 miles) costs the same in peak times and nearly £20 off-peak?
Technorati Tags: train fares, guardian, edinburgh
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