19 January 2024 , 18:06
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Ticket office staff claim they are actively discouraged from offering passengers the cheapest rail fares.
Whistleblowers say they have been told by train companies not to advise travellers to go for better-value split tickets unless they ask for them. The money saving option was one reason why consumer group Which? this week revealed a big difference in price at station ticket machines and online.
Websites such as Trainline promote split fares, which cut travel costs by using more than one ticket for a journey, while most machines do not.
But it has emerged ticket office staff are also urged not to promote split ticketing either. A staff document from one operator seen by the Mirror says: “As per our obligations as a National Rail impartial retailer, it’s important that tickets are always sold for the throughout journey to the destination specified”. Only if passengers “specifically requests more than one ticket for their journey” can they do otherwise, it adds.
Some staff say that they ignore the guidance. One told the Mirror: “If I know of a split, then I advise passengers.” Another said: “Officially, we have to be asked but if we know of savings we will prompt customers to ask to split tickets.”
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Great Western Railways said that “current regulations do not allow train operators to recommend split tickets from ticket machines or ticket offices”.
Train companies and the Government wanted to close almost all ticket offices until forced into a U-turn by the Daily Mirror and others. But by not being allowed to offer the cheapest fares, it undermines their long-term survival. The Which? research compared ticket machine prices with those offered by travel firm Trainline. It found passengers were being charged up to 154% more at the station than they would be online.
But watchdogs are concerned that some online ticket firms are using “drip pricing” – only revealing additional fees nearer checkout. Train companies are not allowed to charge ticket booking fees. But third-party retailers were found to be slapping fees of up to £6.45 on top. Others charge for using split-ticketing.