Trains are too expensive. But transport’s real problem is subsidies for London | Wanda Wyporska
Larger rail and bus subsidies for the capital and south-east mean many on low incomes lose out. The government needs to prioritise transport in poorer areas
If there is one piece of news guaranteed to draw ire from embattled commuters, it is the annual hiking of season rail ticket fares. As anyone forced to endure the nightmarish vagaries of public transport can attest, whatever the cost of a seat (if you’re lucky enough to get a seat), commuting on trains that are often overcrowded and late rarely feels like value for money. With price hikes of 3.6% now expected for many – the biggest annual increase in five years, at a time when average wages aren’t going up – there are fresh calls for a freezing of rail fares and nationalisation.
Related: Rail users face steepest fare rise in five years as inflation hits 3.6%
An estimated £1,943 is being spent per person in London, compared with just £427 in the north
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Source: Guardian Transport
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