Memorandum from the National Union of
Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) (TPT 37)
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport
Workers (RMT) welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Transport
Committee inquiry: Ticketing on Public Transport. The RMT
organises approximately 75,000 members in all sectors of the transport
industry. With over 44,000 members employed on the railway network
we are the largest of the rail unions. Additionally RMT organises
members on the London Underground, the Tyne & Wear Metro and
in the bus and coach industry who as part of their duties issue
and inspect tickets issued to the travelling public.
INTEGRATED TICKETING
The RMT supports integrated ticketing both within
and across public transport modes. Making through ticketing available
to passengers encourages public transport use and, if reasonably
priced, can play a part in promoting social inclusion and the
integration of isolated communities and geographical regions.
Regrettably, due to the fragmented nature of
the privatised rail network and the de-regulated bus sector outside
of London, cross-modal integrated ticketing arrangements within
and across public transport modes and geographical areas remains,
with some notable exceptions, inadequate.
NATIONAL RAIL
CARD
The 2004 Warwick Agreement included a commitment
to introduce a national rail card. RMT fully supports the introduction
of a national railcard and would want to see the Government move
quickly to deliver on their commitment. We further welcome the
commitment made by Transport Scotland at the conclusion of the
Scottish National Transport Strategy consultation process to conduct
a review of fares policy in order to "seek to develop a new
policy which encourages a modal shift to rail".[45]
RMT will continue to seek a similar commitment
from the Westminster Government. Clearly any such review should
have as a core principle the need to create a fully integrated
and accessible ticketing regime.
Research commissioned in 2003 by Transport 2000
and the Rail Passengers Council found that up to 3million people
would make use of a national rail card, costing £20, if it
offered a reduction of one-third on off-peak fares. The research
concluded that introduction of the card could result in the generation
of an extra £55million in fare box revenue. Indeed, the record
of national discounted rail cards in Europe is on the whole a
positive one. The experience on Deutsche Bahn helps to illustrate
the point.
To support integration and encourage network
use, DB operates three versions of the BahnCard which are valid
for one year and can be used across national DB services (except
for Autozug). Use of the cards is limited on regional services,
where other cross-modal regional discounts can apply and the card
cannot be used in conjunction with other discount offers:
— BahnCard 25—A 2nd class card
costs £39 to purchase and offers 25% off standard fares.
1.55 million were sold in 2004.
— BahnCard 50—A 2nd class card
costs £153 and offers 50% off standard fares. The card is
available at half price for citizens aged over 60, students under
the age of 25, children and people with disabilities. 1.65million
were sold in 2004.
— BahnCard 100—A 2nd class card
costs £2,448 and offers free travel on all national DB routes.
An accompanied child under 15 travels free and the partner of
a BahnCard 100 holder receives a complimentary BahnCard 25. 16,000
were sold in 2004.
PASSENGER TRANSPORT
EXECUTIVES/AUTHORITIES
Since being established by the provisions of
the Transport Act 1968, Passenger Transport Executives and Authorities
have created many examples of good practice with regard to multi-modal,
integrated ticketing on public transport. The experience in the
West of Scotland is indicative of some of the steps that have
been taken to integrate fares and encourage public transport use.
STRATHCLYDE PASSENGER
TRANSPORT
The Zone Card (previously called the Transcard)
has been in available since the 1980s and is valid on First ScotRail,
Glasgow subway and around 80 bus company services. Other multi-modal
travel options are available via the Day Tripper, Roundabout and
Rural Daycard tickets which can be used on bus, rail and ferry
services that are financially supported by SPT. Similarly in London,
Transport for London has implemented a number of public transport
friendly steps leading to a significant increase in bus patronage
since the election of the Mayor of London in 2000.
REVENUE PROTECTION
AND THE
POWERS OF
TICKET INSPECTORS
RMT organises across the grades employed on
the national rail network, the London Underground and the Tyne
& Wear Metro, who have as their core duties the sale, issue
and inspection of tickets. Our bus members also issue and inspect
tickets and Travelcards.
RMT continues to raise concerns with regard
to the safe issuing of penalty fares by railway staff. All too
often staff have to issue penalty fares to passengers who have
started their journey at stations where the ticket office is shut
and the Ticket Vending Machine is out of use due to vandalism.
This places the RPI in the invidious position of penalising a
passenger who has been unable to lawfully purchase a ticket. The
result can be a verbal or even physical assault on the member
of staff by the disgruntled traveller. To avoid these wholly unnecessary
confrontations RMT is firmly of the view that stations should
be staffed throughout the time of traffic thereby enabling passengers
to buy the necessary ticket.
Recent steps by the Southeastern Railways franchise
to reduce ticket office opening times has raised fears amongst
RMT members about precisely this issue and brings into question
the commitment of the ToC towards revenue collection and protection.
The Committee will no doubt remember that in
2005, the then operator South Eastern Trains, brought forward
a package of measures that would have led to dozens of posts being
displaced from ticket offices in South London, Kent and East Sussex.
This led to a huge public outcry and a determined campaign by
passenger groups, trades unions, local and county councillors
and MPs which led to the company withdrawing their plans.
In late 2006, the new operator, Southeastern,
has again brought forward a package which will, under Schedule
17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, see "major"
changes to ticket office opening hours at 29 stations and "minor"
changes at around a further 70 locations. We are of the view that
these changes will lead to a depreciation of service provided
to the travelling public by making it more difficult to purchase
a ticket, worsen the already inadequate staffing levels at many
stations and in specific regard to the Committee's current inquiry
threaten revenue collection and protection.
SMARTCARDS
RMT supports the introduction of smartcard technology
and supports attempts by Transport for London and the DFT to make
all national rail stations in the London area Oystercard compatible.
However, we are firmly of the view that the introduction of new
ticketing technology should not be used by train operators as
an excuse to reduce ticket office opening times and/or to cut
booking office and station staff numbers. The Committee will be
aware that in 2006 the proposed introduction of smart ticketing
on GNER services saw the company seeking to reduce booking office
staff numbers by up to 50%; a move resisted by the rail trade
unions.
CONCESSIONARY FARES
RMT representatives employed in bus companies
in the South West of England have reported significant increases
in bus use amongst pensioners and other passengers who qualify
for concessionary fares. The Concessionary Bus Travel Bill, which
will from April 2008 extend the bus concessionary fare scheme
from purely local use across the whole of England, is expected
to result in a welcome and significant increase in bus use. RMT
supports the extension and believes that Government should be
seeking to extend the scheme to students, young people and the
unemployed.
RMT is aware of operational and policy problems
relating to the existing concessionary scheme. In February 2007
your Committee pointed out that "Disputes have ensued between
local authorities and bus operators over the costs of reimbursing
the bus operators for the concessionary fares".[46]
Indeed in the North East of England problems associated with implementation
of the scheme has resulted in reduced fares for students being
cut, some services being phased out and fares for children being
raised. We are somewhat concerned that Government has yet to take
adequate measures to resolve these problems and fear that that
the £250 million set aside to pay for the nationwide extension
of the scheme will prove to be insufficient. RMT believes that
the TfL Scheme for under 16's, recently extended to 16 and 17
years olds in full time education, is an example which could be
followed to encourage use of public transport.
CONCLUSION
RMT welcomes the opportunity to contribute to
the current inquiry into Ticketing on Public Transport. We have
for many years supported integration both within and across transport
modes and believe that Government should move rapidly to fulfil
their commitment to introduce a National Rail Card.
Regrettably privatisation and deregulation of
both rail and bus services have created huge obstacles to providing
the travelling public with the level of integration that is required
to promote public transport use and encourage people out of the
private car. It is only where a measure of public sector regulation
exists, in the form of the PTEs/PTAs and Transport for London,
that good practice has been brought forward; often against the
stiff opposition of the private sector transport providers.
Finally, recent moves to reduce ticket office
opening hours at the Southeastern franchise hinder attempts to
integrate ticketing structures. Ticket Vending Machines are inadequate
replacements for trained staff who are best placed to offer a
full range of advice on ticketing and travel options within and
across modes. There is also a wealth of evidence indicating that
the absence of staff acts as a disincentive to travel; a view
held particularly strongly by women passengers. This has obvious
negative knock on effects in relation to revenue generation.
March 2007
45 Scotland's Railways-Transport Scotland 5 December
2006. Back
46
Transport Select Committee 7 February 2007-Department for Transport
Annual Report 2006. Back
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