Will the Brave New Ticketless World be good for commuters?
Credit: Rail Delivery Group
Today’s newspapers (Guardian, Evening Standard) are running stories about replacing rail tickets with fingerprint or iris scans. But there’s a little-noticed part of the statement that suggests that “super peak pricing” might be back on the agenda. That would be very bad news for commuters.
The stories seem to be based on publicity associated with today’s annual conference of the “Rail Delivery Group” – the association of Train Operating Companies and, to some extent, Network Rail. There’s also a new “Capability Delivery Plan“. It says:
Advances in wireless technologies, image processing and biometrics provide the opportunity to rethink the ticket barrier. Changing physical barriers for electronic gates that can determine a passenger’s permission to travel without the need for any interaction on their part, has the potential to create a truly walk up and walk on service. The Future Ticket Detection programme is exploring these technologies and is taking three alternative approaches to revenue protection through to demonstration.
There may be something in this – although it raises further questions about whether £5.5m of taxpayers’ money should have been spent last year implementing a limited smartcard season ticket system for Southeastern.
However worryingly this development is linked to a statement by Paul Plummer, Chief Executive of the Rail Delivery Group, that “the network is “increasingly full” and steps must be taken to consider “the solutions of tomorrow””. Why would advanced ticketing technology be relevant to a network that’s “increasingly full”?
The answer lies in the possibility of using advanced ticketing technology to charge different prices for different trains on commuter lines – with lower fares in the “shoulders” of the peak financed by “super peak fares” at the highest points of the peak. This was floated some years ago, but the idea didn’t fly because the evidence was that most people travel in the high peak because they have to, not because they want to. In 2013 the Government put a stop to this idea, saying:
Additional fare rises for some passengers in the current climate with other pressures on household budgets is not something we can accept. We have decided against super peak pricing as we believe it simply would not be right to impose a further burden on hard-pressed commuters at this time. We have listened to passengers, we have looked at the evidence, and we believe this is the right course to take.
That conclusion was when Patrick McLoughlin was Secretary of State for Transport. Perhaps Paul Plummer’s statement today might hint that Chris Grayling has quietly put it back on the agenda? That would be very bad news for those who have to commute in the high peaks.
Personally anything that eased the pain of congested ticket barriers at peak hours would make life easier, but of course if it comes at a premium that will be another matter, equivalent to a fast track service.
On a related note. There is often a phalanx of ticket inspectors huddled around the barriers at Cannon Street, and in my view it is overmanned. Sometimes they just get in the way of passengers. But most are usually helpful. Reminds me of the old joke about how many electricians dies it take to charge a light bulb. Perhaps if there are too many they could be redeployed.
@alan As we recall the evidence suggested that those with the least means were those with the least scope to retime their journey to work, so super-peak fares would be highly regressive.
I would entirely agree. They are already high enough already. And if the government wants cleaners and other core workers to move to the suburbs higher fares would simply be even more prohibitive.
Great news !
Can’t have too much of this wonderful hi-tech. Why, the last time I landed at Gatwick I was in the arrivals hall ten minutes after my Learjet touched down, without even realising I’d been through Passport Control. All this retina thingy had done its stuff in mere microseconds, not a queue in sight and the butler didn’t even have to stop walking or put my luggage down. Far quicker than touching the Oyster/Contactless reader and always waiting half an hour for the gate to open !
Best of all will the unpublicised features, just like the Smart Meters that can quietly arrange your very own power cut whenever the juice gets low because the industry saved a few bob by failing to build sufficient generating capacity. That’s great, the poor people can jolly well stay dark and cold so that my Super Premium tariff can always keep the lights blazing away in Toad Hall. In the same way, Fingerprint First tickets will stop the great unwashed even entering the station when it’s busy, so I’ll always get a seat. Maybe that nice Mr Trump will even help us compile a ‘No Train’ list to deny access to the wrong sort of people living near the wrong sort of stations?
Toot, toot ! Outta my way !
The Capability Development Plan foretells a thoroughly depressing Orwellian future once you unravel the spin and realise what the euphemisms really mean.
Biometric permission to travel: AKA the ‘Internal e-Passport’. Every day is a Bad Hair Day when the computer says ‘Your Face Doesn’t Fit’ and makes you an Unperson. Too bad when you keep getting billed for the Doppelganger and Evil Twin you never knew you had. Invest in burkas and balaclavas now !
But at least you won’t need to show your photocard any more (or wear your ankle tag), just cross your fingers that your Biometric Travel Permission and Contactless Card Permission are both valid outside your Approved Dwelling Zone now that cash has been abolished.
Dynamic Timetables: AKA ‘Alternative Facts’. Southeastern has already quietly implemented this, reality often bears little resemblance to the published timetable. And what better way to get rid of Delay Repay, just say that your cancelled train doesn’t form part of the instant new timetable.
Nudging to influence behaviour: They’ll make it ever so cheap and easy for you to travel anywhere† at any time‡.
†Excludes the place you want to go.
‡Excludes right now and the specific time that suits you.
Personalised Customer Experience, Exploitation of new data driven revenue streams: Fare Surcharges and Spam, Spam, Spam.
More space on trains, Simplified lightweight low cost rolling stock: Fewer seats, AKA ‘Cattle Trucks’.