Asked by: Cat Eccles (Labour - Stourbridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of which rail fares offered by DfT managed train operating companies are not available to purchase from ticket offices.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The move to Great British Railways will enable passengers to receive a more consistent offer across the network, and we are already taking steps to overhaul the complex fares and ticketing system and make it easier and simpler for passengers to trust they are buying the right ticket and getting the best fare for their journey.
As modern ticketing and payment methods roll out more widely on the railways, we will ensure that all passengers, including those who need to use cash or do not have access to smartphones or the internet, are able to buy a ticket across the different retail options.
Asked by: Cat Eccles (Labour - Stourbridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if it is her policy that under GBR all rail fares including discounted fares will be available to purchase from ticket offices.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has set out that Great British Railways will have a broad retail function, using all available channels to serve passengers. The Railways Bill will deliver the statutory basis for this function.
Asked by: Cat Eccles (Labour - Stourbridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if it is her policy that under GBR all railcards will be available to purchase and renew at ticket offices.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has set out that Great British Railways will have a broad retail function, using all available channels to serve passengers. The Railways Bill will deliver the statutory basis for this function.
For various operational and technical reasons, it is not possible to sell certain railcards at station ticket offices.
Asked by: Cat Eccles (Labour - Stourbridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the West Midlands Railway student season ticket is not available to purchase from ticket offices.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Due to the complexities of the discount, the three different sales cycles throughout the year, the customer service involved, student verification and the level of product knowledge needed, this has to be managed by a specialist team at West Midlands Trains’ (WMT) Head Office.
The tickets are sold via a separate E-commerce platform. All orders are then checked, processed, and fulfilled by this team. All customer service tasks, including those around refunds, are also managed in house at WMT Head Office.
Asked by: Cat Eccles (Labour - Stourbridge)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which types of railcard are currently unavailable to purchase or renew at ticket offices.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Railcards currently unavailable to purchase at stations are 16-17 Saver, 26-30 Railcard, Disabled Persons' Railcard, Veterans Railcard and the HM Forces Railcard.
In the case of the Disabled Persons' Railcard, Veterans Railcard and HM Forces Railcard station staff are not able to verify the eligibility of passengers.
The 26-30 Railcard is only available in digital format.