Rail users hit by 170% fares rise

[bicycle]

A MASSIVE hike in fares has left young rail travellers shocked after a train company changed its policy.

Some passengers have seen their annual rail ticket shoot up by 170 per cent.

The news comes after rail firm First Capital Connect (FCC) scrapped a discount it had given to pupils at Cambridge schools.

One student who travels daily from Ely to Cambridge with the rail giant discovered her fare had jumped from £212 last year to £573 this year.

Due to a change in policy by FCC, tickets previously offered, with a 75 per cent discount to pupils at some colleges in the area, are now no longer available.

The new student discount scheme offered by the company reduces a standard season ticket price by just a third. The company claims this scheme is fairer.

The parent of one of the Hills Road Sixth Form pupils affected by the change contacted the News and said: "We've come to renew our daughter's rail ticket today (Tuesday, 26 August) and ended up on the phone for about five hours after discovering the huge increase in price between this year and last year.

"Last year we paid £212 and she could use any service she liked, but this year we have come to renew it and without any warning found the price is now £573.

"She has seven or eight friends who also use the train everyday and they are all finding the same thing - it's very frustrating and is making me furious.

"We already have the various bills in the household going up, and now the cost of this has added even more to that which will worry people. I haven't been made aware of the change and then I suddenly have to find a huge amount of money."

A First Capital Connect Spokesman said: "We launched our new scheme in November.

"Before that we had inherited the old scheme from the West Anglian Great Northern and Thameslink franchises.

"They had ad hoc arrangements with schools in the area, some of which received a 75 per cent discount, which was clearly unprecedented.

"Now we have a fairer student connect card which offers a third across all lines.

"We directly communicated with the local schools, colleges and customers and letters have been continually sent out regarding the changes."

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/cn_news_home/DisplayArticle.asp?ID=342964

[homebrew1973]

And I thought I had it bad with the 33% hike on train and bus dayrovers...

I blame those moaning ungrateful pensioners that get free travel :rolleyes:

[redtree999]

And I thought I had it bad with the 33% hike on train and bus dayrovers...

:I blame those moaning ungrateful pensioners that get free travel :rolleyes


My parents have just been issued with bus passes. They lived through rationing as children as a result of a war that was nothing to do with them. They've worked every day of their adult lives, paying taxes and abiding by the laws of the land, being generous and friendly people.
They might be what you would call sheeple, but they are good, honest, caring, compassionate and friendly people.
Even though they now have bus passes, they are still not in a position to retire yet, as they simply can't afford to.

I am really trying hard not to slate you personally, but maybe you should roll your eyes at those of the younger generation (perhaps like yourself?), who chose to live an idle life, avoiding hardship by relying on a welfare system that always blames someone else.

Don't tar my parents with your fucking brush.

Peace.

[phaid]

And those people who cycled 50 miles from London to Brighton for charity a few weeks ago were barred from putting their bikes on the train to get back to London by Network South East and had to arrange alternative transport.

So helpful, these train companies...

[homebrew1973]

My parents have just been issued with bus passes. They lived through rationing as children as a result of a war that was nothing to do with them. They've worked every day of their adult lives, paying taxes and abiding by the laws of the land, being generous and friendly people.
They might be what you would call sheeple, but they are good, honest, caring, compassionate and friendly people.
Even though they now have bus passes, they are still not in a position to retire yet, as they simply can't afford to.

I am really trying hard not to slate you personally, but maybe you should roll your eyes at those of the younger generation (perhaps like yourself?), who chose to live an idle life, avoiding hardship by relying on a welfare system that always blames someone else.

Don't tar my parents with your fucking brush.

Peace.
If you read it again you`ll see I wasn`t tarring them ALL with the same brush, just the ungrateful ones. And if you were in the UK you`d realise just how many of them not only complain if a bus or train`s just a handful of minutes late but don`t have the decency to wait till everyone`s got off before getting on pushing and shoving. And the rest of us that have to pay ever-higher fares for the most part don`t do that. End of "rant" :cool:

Metro up in Geordieland have banned scooters: http://www.nexus.org.uk/wps/wcm/connect/Nexus/Nexus/News/News+archive/2008/Nexus+news+-+All+mobility+scooters+banned+from+Metro. why can`t TOCs clamp down on those prats that skateboard on platforms? :mad:

[redtree999]

Please accept an apology - I admit I did go off on a great big one.
Nothing personal, I just got the wrong end of the stick.

However, in a way I do believe that the older generations have many different reasons to be pissed off (although this certainly doesn't give them the right to be rude), because if you just think of all the dots that we have been collectively connecting recently, changing our outlook on "the system", and compare that to the social changes in the last 5, 10, 20 or 40-60 years, their lives have been turned upside down, yet they have never really had the benefit of fully understanding what is going on - Just the end product of fear and isolation.

I think it's just as (or even more) important to wake the oldies up properly than the young spunkers, not least because the oldies are outnumbering the young ones, but also you can guarantee that they'll know at least 10 times as many people to pass on the info to.

Regards:)