The Sevenoaks Rail Travellers Association has responded to the Consultation Paper on the 2018 Franchise.

Our recommendations for the next Franchise include:

• the extension of the Oyster-Contactless system to Dunton Green and Sevenoaks.
• a “carnet” ticket system for part-time and flexible workers.
• an obligation that ticket machines should sell the cheapest ticket for the journey.
• staffing at all stations and station toilets to be open throughout train service hours.
• a “turn up and go” service for assisted travel.
• all-night services from London via Sevenoaks to Tunbridge Wells.
• an additional refund for season ticket holders in case of chronic under-performance.
• measuring performance by whether customers are on time, not whether trains are on time
• recycling into a performance improvement fund excess compensation paid by Network Rail to Southeastern.
• representatives of customers and of local authorities on the board of the operating company.