Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had recent discussions with rail company operators on the reasons for which there are differences in the cost of (a) online and (b) ticket machine ticket purchases.

Ticket Vending Machines are typically used to purchase low price, short distance fares on the day of travel, rather than advanced fares. We are working closely with industry to improve the rail retailing offer and make it quicker and more convenient for passengers to buy tickets, including by rolling out pilots on simpler fares and pay-as-you-go technology.