To wonder why train companies can't offer part-time season tickets?

[Jims]

Just today returned to work after DS2 and was looking up the cost of my train ticket for tge tear - nearly £4k!

I can't live closer as my husband works in the opposite direction and we both do fairly specialised jobs.

I know the train companies have no incentive to make it cheaper for part-timers but working 3 days in london it is only just cheaper to get an annual pass than paying daily.

Am i being unreasonable to think that train companies should be required to offer part-time tickets and/or carnets?

Surely in this world of part-timers and working at home, it would be good to have extra cash floating about in the economy too.

First great western when i asked on twitter said there wasn't a demand for these. Is that really right?!

I meant three set week days and the weekend, clearly. I don't post much and should learn to preview!

Hairy, I think you can only get those for travel between Glasgow and Edinburgh. I asked when I went back to work part time where I could buy something similar from my local train station into Central (as I had used what you describe before with work) and was told they don't exist from local stations just Glasgow to Edinburgh. If you know different I'd be overjoyed!!

I would need to travel in 4 days a week to make a season ticket worthwhile - which, let's face it, is full-time. Very few part-timers doing 4 days I would think.

After mat leave with DD I worked compressed hours, going in 3 days a week. Fortunately, the train company (FCC) had just started Carnets into London from my station. And now I only go in 2 days a week it's the best I can do ticket wise...

If your train is First Group can you check they don't do Carnets on your route?

It is a rip off.

It also impacts disproportionately on women, who are more likely to work part time.

I wonder if a case could be brought under the Equalities Act 2010. A MN Campaign perhaps?

The easiest way would be to have a Carnet system like they do in Europe, so you get a discount for buying say 100 day tickets at once.

But it's an oligopoly with a guaranteed trough for snouts, there's no incentive.

I think all the UK rail companies are operating at a loss without taxpayer subsidies. Whereas on the continent there's an expectation that the state should ensure cheap public transport for all, Uk has more of a tradition of end-user must take the main burden of the price.

They have cheap travel, we have cheap medical care.

I used to be able to buy carnets with First Capital Connect when I commuted two days per week into London, so it is possible.

I've always thought this too.

My boss commutes from the midlands to London. He has a train ticket and a travel are to get around London. He only used the ticket mon-fri, but has to pay for 7 days, even though he never comes to London during the weekends.

The travel k

.....

The travel companies say you save money buying annual tickets, in that you pay for 11 instead of 12 months, but most people have at least 28 days annual leave so the reality is that you aren't saving any money.

Really annoys me.

trixy I definitely used to get the 10 pack of tickets on the Fife circle - Edinburgh route, and they were great as I worked 3 days a week. But this was a few years ago, they've maybe scaled it back to just the Glasgow/Ed route now.

Please let's have a campaign on this. I am seriously considering not taking a part time job because of the train fares even though its a very good job for me in my specialised and not v well paid field. (and by taking it I will be contributing to the general tax pot obv so surely this is not just a pity personally for me if I don't take it).
I will be required to travel on train to another town, three-four days a week before 9.30am when cheaper fares start. The cost of a full time season ticket from my part time hours plus childcare costs means I won't actually make any money through working. Please can we have a Mumsnet campaign on this to make the train companies offer genuine choice (which the privatised market is supposed to give us, right?) there would be huge demand for something to make travel more fairly priced for part time workers. It is a disproportionate on women who work part time more than men so also an equalities issue.

I agree, I would love the carnet system. Cheaper then a day ticket, but more expensive than a season ticket. Just to avoid the hassle of buying two tickets every week.

Lots of full time people not actually save money with a season ticket anyway. As it is pay for 10m get 12 roughly. By the time you take off bank holidays, 4 weeks holiday and 2 weeks sick or other emergency leave (on average) its actually just a convenience factor.

I would absolutely support a campaign for this. I worked 3 days a week up until about 18 months ago when I moved further out of london. I've now had to up my hours to full time just to make it worth my while to come to work.

FGW have no interest in doing anything that helps its customers. Most people I know travel first class just to get a seat as their standard services are so ridiculously overcrowded that you struggle even to get on the train let alone find a seat. Even then there are services I get where it is standing room only even in first class.

I can get a carnet to go to London from my station. . .

But I don't need to go as far as London

So why can't I get it to go to my station???

As it happens my OH has started working near by; so now we drive. . .