The Great Rail Fares Robbery

Splendid poster featuring Prime Minister David Cameron, deputy Nick Clegg and Chancellor George Osborne, “Wanted” for the Great Rail Fares Robbery. It’s part of a protest against big increases in train fares being run by rail union the Transport Salaried Staffs Association, backed by the Campaign for Better Transport and Climate Rush which warns that fares will jump by 25% over the next four years unless the current formula for above-inflation increases is changed. The increases begin in January 2012, with rises expected to average 8%. The TSSA has given examples of how annual season tickets will increase by 2015 under the current formula, including Swindon to London, from £7,024 now to £9,009 (a rise of almost £2,000; Norwich to London, £6,540 to £8,388 (£1,848); Canterbury to London, £4,328 to £5,551 (£1,223); Guildford to London, £2,916 to £3,740 (£824) and Manchester to Liverpool, £2,536 to £3,253 (£717). None of which is an argument for owning a car, which still works out more expensive if you do the maths properly. But it definitely adds to the general view that “owning and running a car is cheaper than public transport,” when, often, it isn’t.