Peak rail fares are unfair and put people off using public transport. In 2023 the Scottish Greens removed them, only for the SNP to restore them as soon as we were out of the room. Join me in telling the SNP that it's time to scrap peak rail fares for good. 👇 greens.scot/endpeakfares - ThreadSky

lornaslater.bsky.social • 110 days ago

Peak rail fares are unfair and put people off using public transport.

In 2023 the Scottish Greens removed them, only for the SNP to restore them as soon as we were out of the room.

Join me in telling the SNP that it's time to scrap peak rail fares for good. 👇
https://greens.scot/endpeakfares

Comments

martinfarley.bsky.social•110 days ago

Genuine question: how do you manage peaks in demand, if not via the price mechanism?

mxwoermsin.gothgeek.org•110 days ago

Hate to answer a question with a question, but is there any evidence that actually works? When I was commuting to an office I had no real choice what time I arrived, for example.

katrinabryce.bsky.social•107 days ago

If you are not commuting to an office, but instead going on for example a shopping trip, you could wait until the trains were quieter / cheaper.

martinfarley.bsky.social•109 days ago

But the people who do have a choice will choose to wait until peak time is over , because it’s cheaper

That’s how it reduces demand in peak times.

coppergrease.bsky.social•110 days ago

You simply leave it to passengers to choose... however more passengers means you can afford more trains, IF the network has the capacity. The Forth Bridge though has been running at capacity for a decade at least.

martinfarley.bsky.social•109 days ago

But it often doesn’t have that capacity in peak times. That’s the point

If it does, then there’s no need for higher fares

Passengers still get to choose with higher peak fares. That’s also the point of having them (so people make a different choice)

coppergrease.bsky.social•109 days ago

It's not really the point. Customers can choose comfort over time themselves, they don't need a fare change to do that. If the lower fares and greater flexibility increase footfall that's the point! More journeys saved.

However if revenue goes down with the higher footfall, that's not sustainable.

martinfarley.bsky.social•109 days ago

You’re saying that the price mechanism serves no purpose in decision making, but that is simply not true

While its role is often overstated, it still does have an important impact on decision making

martinfarley.bsky.social•109 days ago

But if trains/buses have peak time capacity, there is no need for higher fares

So, it goes back to my original question: if there are peaks and troughs in passenger numbers that need to be managed, how is that achieved without peak fares?

coppergrease.bsky.social•109 days ago

I'm not saying that, elasticity of demand is real. However it doesn't have to be your only means of control. Passenger comfort will serve the same purpose without financial implications on those who must travel at specific times.

richinglasgow.bsky.social•107 days ago

Peak fares are effectively just a commuter tax. Since the SNP reintroduced peak fares, trains are significantly quieter.

The middle ground is smart passes help to ease the peak fare increase. A day return Edinburgh to Glasgow is approx £21 rather than £32 peak. Still, I wish it was only £16.

catrio.bsky.social•107 days ago

👇

catrio.bsky.social•107 days ago

👇

coppergrease.bsky.social•110 days ago

Ok, say i believe a statistic from the Times... why would they cancel it if footfall went up that much? Assuming fares were covering costs, there would be no valid reason except capacity.

So what difference did it make to profitability?

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