Fares Fair! No to South West Trains' unfair fares hike

To: Secretary of State for Transport

We the undersigned believe the dramatic off-peak price increases of up to 20% planned by South West trains for travellers arriving in London between 10 a.m. and 12 noon from May 20 2007 onwards are unfair, unjustified and an abuse of monopoly power.

They also make no sense at a time when we need to be encouraging train use and reducing carbon emissions.

Our fares are already the most expensive in Europe. Further price hikes are the last thing we need.

We therefore call for action to ensure that these increases are reversed.

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Recent comments

Ways you can campaign against the increase:
Write to:
  • Customer Correspondence Team, Office of Rail Regulation, One Kemble Street, London, WC2B 4AN. Fax: 020 7282 2040, Email: contact.cct@orr.gsi.gov.uk
  • Rt. Hon. Douglas Alexander MP, Secretary of State for Transport, Great Minster House, 76 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DR, Fax: 020 7944 4399, Email: douglas.alexander@dft.gsi.gov.uk
  • Tom Harris MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (responsible for railways) Fax: 020 7944 4521, Email: tom.harris@dft.gsi.gov.uk
  • Stewart Palmer, Managing Director, South West Trains, Friars Bridge Court, 41-45 Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NZ, Fax: 020 7620 5177
Key facts to demonstrate South West Trains abuse of monopoly:
  • Winchester off-peak fare increase - no competition - from £23.20 to £27.40 - 18.1%
  • Reading fare increase - competing vs. First Great Western - from £13.00 to £13.00 - no change
  • Basingstoke fare increase - competing vs. First Great Western - from £16.20 to £16.40 - 1.2%
Download and print out a copy of our campaign leaflet and give it to a fellow traveller on South West Trains - FaresFairLeaflet.pdf (79 KB)
Other Information
Petition to regulate off-peak fares on government's petition website
Passenger Focus: How to beat the South West Trains fare hike
Huhne backs campaign against South West Trains fare increase
Sandra Gidley: Super Fleece by South West Trains
Anger at 20% fare rise
Passenger Focus: Have your say about the increase
Early Day Motion on SWT fare hike: has your MP signed it?
Ways to beat the price hike:
More complete information is available from www.passengerfocus.org.uk/swt

If you don’t have one already, buy a railcard - www.railcard.co.uk
  • Network Railcard. For £20 you get a third off the price of your ticket for you and up to three other adults and up to 4 children for a year.  They can be used after 10:00 Mondays to Fridays for journeys in the South East and at anytime on the weekends.
  • Young Person’s Railcard: for 16-25 year olds or students in full-time education.
  • Senior Railcard: for passengers aged 60 or over.
  • Disabled Person’s Railcard: please see www.disabledpersons-railcard.co.uk for eligibility.
  • Family Railcard: for one or two adults travelling with up to four children between the ages of 5 and 15, none of whom need to be related.
Travelling in a group? – use a ‘GroupSave’ ticket
  • If you are travelling with others ask about ‘GroupSave’. This enables 3 or 4 adults to travel for the price of 2. Up to 4 children aged 5-15 can also accompany the GroupSave party for just £1 each
Travel later:
  • You can save a third by using a network card and travelling after 10.00 a.m. (for example, on the 10:18 from Winchester).
  • You can save a further 12% by arriving in London after 12 noon (for example, on the 10.54 from Winchester).
Buy a ticket to Basingstoke and a second ticket from Basingstoke to London...
  • We haven't tried this yet and don't know the full legality of it - but, from Winchester, a day return to Basingstoke costs £6.20 and a day return from Basingstoke to London costs £16.40 - a combined total of £22.60 and a saving of £4.80 vs. the direct fare!
 
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