The great train fares rip-off

RAIL passengers are being denied the cheapest tickets because of bizarre hidden anomalies in the fare structure of some routes, The Scotsman can reveal.

Travellers can save money by buying several separate tickets for the same journey, but train operators say that they are not obliged to reveal the cheaper options.

The cost of some trips in Scotland can be reduced by up to one-third by buying multiple tickets, while in other examples regional travel passes can cut the cost of a journey by almost 70 per cent. Passengers only benefit if they are aware of such tactics. The savings are also not available when buying from ticket machines or online.

An off-peak return between Dundee and Glasgow, for example, bought on the day of travel, costs £30.40, but canny passengers would pay only £19 if they bought separate cheap day returns from Glasgow-Stirling, Stirling-Perth and Perth-Dundee – so long as their train called at those stations. Those travelling between Inverness and Aberdeen for the day could save nearly £3 by booking separate tickets from Inverness-Nairn and Nairn to Aberdeen.

In the west, passengers could be paying up to three times as much as they need for some trips. A return between Ayr and Arrochar, the hillwalking area near Loch Lomond, costs £28.90, but travellers would pay just £9 if they asked for a Daytripper day ticket, which gives unlimited travel across Strathclyde.

Routes between Edinburgh/Glasgow and Perth/Dundee/ Aberdeen are particularly prone to fare anomalies.

Barry Doe, a rail fares expert, said train operators were only required to sell the ticket for which passengers asked.

The Association of Train Operating Companies, which represents firms including First ScotRail, confirmed that ticket sellers were not required to tell passengers the cheapest way of buying tickets for their journey.

A spokesman said staff were obliged only to inform customers of the cheapest ticket for the journey they asked for.

First ScotRail operates a similar policy, despite recent aspirations from Mary Grant, the managing director, that her staff's customer service be as good as the "nothing is too much trouble" attitude at John Lewis.

The fare anomalies derive partly from the nationalised British Rail era more than a decade ago, when fares were jacked up on some routes to reduce overcrowding, to save buying more trains.

These included routes to Aberdeen during the oil boom, resulting in through-tickets costing more than separate tickets for different sections of line.

Mr Doe pointed out that a simplification of the fares system by train companies, which started last month, would not resolve such anomalies. He explained that the move was primarily to give a common name to similar fares offered by different operators under a range of names.

All advanced-purchase tickets were renamed advance in May, while fares bought on the day of travel will be renamed anytime and off-peak in September.

He said: "The simplification is in name only. The same number of fares exist after as before."

Passenger Focus, the official rail watchdog, said changes must be made to maintain passenger confidence.

Robert Samson, its Scotland manager, said: "There are a number of anomalies and inconsistencies in the fares system, not only in Scotland but across Britain, that have been allowed to creep in over the years. Passengers require a simple and easy-to-understand fares system that they can have faith in."

The Scottish Government's Transport Scotland agency, which controls the First Scot-Rail franchise, said it had reviewed its fares policy, which would be published "in due course".

A spokesman said: "The train operators are currently drawing up a price promise which will commit them to sell the best-value ticket to passengers. It will clearly set out what train operators can and can't do to help passengers buy the best ticket for their journey."

First ScotRail, which took over the franchise four years ago, said it was aware of the anomalies and was tackling the issues involved.

A spokesman said: "We have a wide range of value-for-money tickets, and the introduction of a much simpler structure for rail fares is well under way. We also support the imminent 'price promise' on best-value tickets and are keen to address any anomalies that were inherited."

Advance tickets, which must be booked at least the night before travel, are often cheaper than those bought on the day.

However, these are subject to availability, unlike on-the-day fares, and not available on every route.

Tickets are also not transferable for different times. The cheapest such return between Glasgow and Dundee is £12.

GRAPHIC: FARE'S FAIR? How rail firms could be charging you over the odds
(opens as a PDF)

'Amazing, we never thought about that' – said fares office

JUST how misleading is the system? The Scotsman yesterday set out to discover just that. First stop was the ticket office at Waverley. Square brackets show where they got it wrong.

The Scotsman (TS): "How much is a cheap day return from Aberdeen to Inverness?"

First ScotRail (FSR): "£25.90."

TS: "Is it any cheaper if I go from Aberdeen to Nairn, and Nairn to Inverness?"

FSR: "You would be quicker to ask this on the phone. Aberdeen to Nairn is £18.20, and Nairn to Inverness is £4.80."

TS: "Can I ask..."

FSR: "There's a queue. We can only give fares. It's policy."

TS: "OK, can you tell me how much an off-peak, walk-on day return saver ticket is from Glasgow to Dundee?"

FSR: "£30.40."

TS: "Is it cheaper to go from Glasgow to Stirling, Stirling to Perth and Perth to Dundee?"

FSR: "No, it's not cheaper."

(Not the case – see example 2, above].

TS: "And what about an off-peak, walk-on single from Edinburgh to Dundee?"

FSR: "£19.10."

TS: "Is that cheaper via Kirkcaldy?"

FSR: "No."

(Not the case – see example 3].

First ScotRail's phone line and National Rail Enquiries gave even more varied answers.

TS: "How much is a cheap day return from Aberdeen to Inverness?"

FSR: "A Saver return is £34.40."

(More than fare should be – see example 1, above].

TS: "Would it be cheaper from Aberdeen to Nairn and Nairn to Inverness?"

FSR: "I don't think so but I'll check. Aberdeen to Nairn is £32.80, Nairn-Inverness £4.50."

(More than it should be – see example 1, above].

TS: "Can I ask about a couple of other fares?"

FSR: "We are a booking office so I will give you the number for National Rail Enquiries."

So we rang NRE.

TS: "How much is a cheap day return from Aberdeen to Inverness?"

NRE: "£25.90."

TS: "Is it any cheaper to go from Aberdeen to Nairn and Nairn to Inverness?"

NRE: "Aberdeen-Nairn is £18.20 and Nairn-Inverness is £4.80."

TS: "Glasgow to Dundee?"

NRE: "A Saver return is £30.40."

TS: "Any cheaper if I go Glasgow to Stirling, Stirling to Perth, Perth to Dundee?"

NRE: "Glasgow-Stirling is £6.30. To Perth is £6.30 and Perth to Dundee is £6.40. You save £12. That's really amazing. We never even thought about this."

TS: "What about an off-peak single from Edinburgh to Dundee?"

NRE: "£19.10. But if you travel with National Express East Coast only, it's £18."

TS: "And if I go Edinburgh to Kirkcaldy and Kirkcaldy to Dundee?"

NRE: "To Kirkcaldy is £5.90 and Dundee is £10. Cheaper again. How do you know about this?"

TS: "Someone told me it was cheaper to break it up."

Commentary: Time to simplify these baffling options

ROBERT RITCHIE

EVERY day, rail travellers across Scotland pay more than they need. Call centres, websites, ticket machines and booking offices often do not suggest the cheapest option.

ScotRail will tell you the lowest fare for a journey using a single or return ScotRail ticket between two points, but isn't obliged to say if it is cheaper, as it often is, to split the journey or use a non-ScotRail ticket, like the Strathclyde Daytripper.

I've witnessed passengers being charged more than they need at ticket offices and on trains. It's not just a few isolated examples. The system is riddled with anomalies – hundreds of them. And there is nowhere passengers can go and be confident they are getting the correct information on the best fares.

That is astonishing. I don't get ripped off, but I shouldn't need to do the necessary research to ensure that.

As a regular passenger, I find the fare structure confusing. We were promised fares would be simplified from 18 May. In fact, for ScotRail passengers, the opposite is true. Some names have changed, but there are the same types of ticket and same conditions.

Adding a new layer of confusion and complexity to ticket purchase, there are no advance returns anymore: you have to combine single tickets (three operators mean 37 possible standard class Edinburgh-Aberdeen return fares depending on time of booking and travel – lowest £13, highest £62.90).

First ScotRail, as a commercial operator, may have a vested interest in the status quo. But it is not like a bus company or airline. It is, in effect, a public service operated by a private company. About two-thirds of its annual income (£282 million in 2006-7) is from the Scottish Government – ie, taxpayers.

I'd expect the government, as the major stakeholder in Scotland's railways, to accept responsibility to ensure all passengers are being treated fairly and do not face fare discrimination because of where they live and the particular journeys they wish to make.

It's time for an overhaul of the fare structure.

• Robert Ritchie is a rail traveller and Scotsman reader.

Top tips to beat system

• Splitting a journey may be best. Using multiple tickets applies to all operators, as long as the train calls at the stations between which you have bought tickets.

• You will most often be charged higher prices on long-distance day-returns.

• Don't buy through-tickets involving a change in Edinburgh or Glasgow without checking if separate tickets are cheaper.

• In Strathclyde, you can use SPT Daytripper tickets off-peak. You can't buy them on trains, just ticket offices and SPT Travel Centres.

• Use the ScotRail website and the Journey Planner for prices between stations.