A fare deal?

Working as a press officer for a large motoring organisation as I do, I observe with interest the ongoing developments in the government’s policy on transport. At the present time, I am drawn to the proposed ramping-up of road charging (more toll roads, pay-per-mile driving etc) in the UK, of particular interest as it is one of the hottest motoring topics of the moment.

The strategy behind introducing such measures, of course, is to try to solve the problem of chronic overcrowding on this small island nation’s roads (there are 39 million vehicles in the UK at the last count, and rising). The theory is that, by hitting motorists in the pocket each time they drive, it will force people into contemplating whether their journey is absolutely essential, or perhaps whether public transport could be used as an alternative.

In the case of the latter, this would directly address the overcrowding issue (just look at how many cars are occupied by just one person next time you’re out in rush hour), not to mention make valuable inroads into the threat to the environment caused by vehicle emissions.

However, as we all know, public transport as it stands in the UK is, for many people’s needs, a totally unviable option. Poor coverage (you should try getting a bus to see my grandma in her village a mere 13 miles from Norwich) and ludicrously high fares are real barriers to the average citizen leaving their vehicle at home in favour of the bus or the train. Travel to most any country outside of Great Britain, and one is often stunned by how much cheaper a far better service is than back at home. The transport system in New Delhi certainly wins hands down when compared with the my local rail operator, One Railway, who provide a disgraceful service.

Looking at rail fares in particular, what steps can be taken to reduce them? Well, one important measure is to make sure that everybody who travels on a train actually buys a ticket, meaning that train operating companies ensure they have the best chance of covering their operating costs, and are at least in a position whether to consider to give some of their money back, effectively. Whether they do or not is, of course, an entirely different matter. (The fact that train fares are, arguably, so high in the first place due to a combination of a post-British Rail cartel of money-grabbing private operators and a fundamentally weak, roll-over-and-tickle-my-belly approach from the government to awarding franchises is a discussion for another day).

It’s called “revenue protection” in the trade, and it is the job of the on-train conductor to ensure that each and every person has paid for the right to be sat on the train.

It came as rather a surprise to me today, therefore, that on my journey to Blackpool to watch Norwich play in the FA Cup, I was able to travel from Norwich to London, and then from the capital to Rugby (Warwickshire) before I first saw a conductor, let alone was asked to show my ticket. Were I unscrupulous enough to consider fare-dodging, on the journey described I would have saved myself the not-inconsiderable sum of £151.00 (based on a open first class single fare), incidentally.

Hmmmm.

On a different note, by the time most people read this Norwich City fans will either be celebrating the prospect a rare appearance in the 5th round of the FA Cup, or nursing their wounded pride after being unceremoniously dumped out by a team from a lower division. I haven’t been travelling in high hopes, I’ll be honest.

To distract myself from my feelings of impending doom, along with reading the Independent and listening east London rapper Plan B’s excellent debut album “Who Needs Actions When You’ve Got Words”, I have been counting how many major football grounds I can see from the window of my Virgin train on the journey between London Euston and Preston, where I change trains.

So far, I’ve clocked up Wembley, Northampton Town’s Sixfields ground, and Birmingham City’s St. Andrews. There’s Crewe Alexandra’s Gresty Road to come and I think that I’ll be able to spy Wigan’s JJB Stadium too, if my memory of this route serves me correctly. Ooh, and as we speak, looking to my left as we crawl through the eyesore that is Wolverhampton, I’ve just spied Molineux. However, I’ve a suspicion that I might have been too busy typing to give myself a chance of catching a glimpse of West Brom’s Hawthorns a few minutes ago…

Er, I’ll get my coat… :-)

Postscript: I’m posting this Sunday after all, as I didn’t find an internet connection in Blackpool. City escaped with a draw - phew. Hopefully the quality will tell at home in the replay, and we’ll reach the last 16 of the cup - we‘re in the hat for tomorrow‘s draw, at least. Today, my train ticket was first inspected just after leaving Crewe, so I wouldn’t have been quite so well off if I’d fare-dodged in this instance - a first class single costing for this journey costing only a £37.00. Peanuts, clearly (I wish)…..

PPS: It's Monday, and the draw has just been made live on the BBC. If we can beat Blackpool, we get to play....(drum roll).....Chelsea away!

I knew it all along - Norwich's name is on the cup! :-)