COMMUTERS face bigger travel bills again this year as train fares rise by an average of 2.7 per cent today.
The hike will add another £100 to some passengers’ annual fares even though less than two thirds of trains were on time this year.
The rate rise affects regulated fares, such as annual season tickets, some off-peak return tickets on long-distance journeys and flexible anytime tickets around major cities.
Among the big risers is a Reading to London annual ticket which is up £132 to £4,736.
Gloucester to Birmingham passengers must fork out an extra £118 to £4,356 for a yearly pass.
It comes as the latest survey shows most passengers are dissatisfied with the cost.
Bruce Williamson, of pressure group Railfuture, warned fares were “outstripping people’s incomes”.
He added: “Welcome to another decade of misery for rail passengers.”
Transport groups are urging passengers to offset the automatic rises by claiming compensation for all eligible delays.
Meanwhile Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will today unveil a pilot project to enable part-time workers to get cheaper rail tickets.
Until then, there are a few simple tricks that you can do to help cut the cost of commuting. Here’s how:
Regular commuters should look at buying an annual season ticket to save money.
NATIONAL Rail says if you're making the same journey for three or more days a week within a week, then a seven-day season ticket is likely to save you money.
While you’ll have to fork out a large amount upfront, there are several ways you can spread the cost. For example:
If you’re making the same journey for three or more days a week, then a seven-day season ticket is likely to save you money, according to National Rail.
You can use National Rail’s free online calculator to help you work out the cost.
Passengers who buy their annual season ticket in the south of England may also qualify for a gold card.
The gold card offers a range of discounts including a third off off-peak travel.
While you’ll have to spend a large amount upfront, there are ways you can spread the cost.
For example you could join a commuter scheme such as CommuterClub, which pays for the fare upfront, and then you pay them back in instalments over the year.
But keep in mind that these companies will charge you interest – so you’ll end up paying more than if you buy the annual season ticket upfront yourself. CommuterClub, for example, charges 10.6 per cent.
Ticket firms usually start selling fares around 12 weeks in advance. This is when Network Rail releases its timetable.
The earlier you book, the less you’ll pay for your seat so get organised if you know you’re going to be travelling over the next few months.
You can use National Rail’s future travel chart, which shows how far in advance you can buy tickets depending on the journey.
You should also sign up to the Trainline’s ticket alert system, which notifies you when advance tickets go on sale for your specific journey.
National Rail’s website also has a cheapest fare finder that gives you the lowest possible fare across all train operators.
There’s also websites such as RedSpottedHanky, Trainline and Megatrain but these all charge a booking fee.
Regular passengers may be able to cut the cost of standard anytime, off-peak, advance and first class advance tickets by up to a third with a railcard.
You can buy these through National Rail but you’ll need to pay a fee, but if you regularly travel by train, you’ll make up this cost in no time.
Cards for those aged 16-25 costs £30 a year, or £70 for a three-year card.
DELAY Repay is a rail initiative that ensures passengers whose rail trips are severely disrupted can claim money back — but it can differ between operators.
Here’s where you need to go depending on what company you travel with:
If you regularly travel with a child aged five to 15 it could be worth looking into the Family & Friends Railcard, which gives you a third off most adult fares and 60 per cent off kids’ tickets.
It costs the same price as a 16-25 card and can be used by up to four adults and four children.
There’s also the Two Together card, also £30 for the year, and offers a third off any standard and first class anytime, off-peak and advance fares if two named adults are travelling together.
Last year, National Rail launched an annual discount card for those aged 26 to 30.
It also offers a third off most fares in the UK. But there’s no discount on season tickets and a £12 minimum fare applies to all journeys between 4.30am t0 10am, excluding weekends and public holidays.
Instead of buying one ticket for your journey, you can book separate tickets for parts of the same journey to save some money off your fare.
For example, when we checked, a one-way advance ticket from Leeds to Oxford cost £85.20.
But by splitting the journey at Doncaster the total cost comes to £60.90 instead.
You won’t need to actually change trains as National Rail lets you split the ticket as long as the train calls at the stations you buy the tickets for.
There are even online tools which do all the work for you – for example websites such as Trainsplit and Ticketclever.
Don’t pay over the odds for tickets and remember to compare prices before you buy.
First, check the National Rail website, which is a great way to get an overview of routes and travel times.
Then check RedSpottedHanky and Trainline to see if cheap fares are available.
They will usually charge you to make a booking — between 25p and £1.50 — so factor that in to your savings.
