24/04/2008 06:24:00
Train companies are expected to announce the biggest overhaul of rail ticketing since privatisation today.
Passengers will no longer be able to ask for Cheap Day Returns, SuperSaver and Apex tickets under the new simplified system. Instead various discounted advance purchase fares will be reclassified as Advance fares from the 18th of May and from the 7th of September all tickets bought on the day of travel will fall into Anytime, Off-Peak or Super Off-Peak categories, the Guardian reported.
The Government released a white paper proposing a simplification of UK ticketing systems last year. According to the BBC, the Association of Train Operating Companies says that the bulk of passenger complaints were in regard to the complicated range of tickets currently available.
They added that the new structure will not result in price increases. The news was welcomed by consumer groups, despite complaints that the fares were still too high.
While the advent of Railcard discounts on all Advance tickets will benefit some passengers, concerns have been raised that a number of travellers will end up out of pocket.
The fee for changing journey times is set to double from £10 to £20 on many routes and rail companies such as First Great Western, Virgin, East Midlands Train and TransPennie Express previously offered refunds on some advance tickets but will no longer do so. The no-refund policy is coming into play from today on tickets purchased for travel from the 18th of May onwards.
Speaking to the BBC, the commercial director of ATOC, David Mapp, said:
"This is the biggest shake-up in the fares and ticketing system for many years and we want passengers to take advantage of it and also encourage more people to take the train."