Majority of commuters baffled by time restrictions made on their train travelReported by Metro.co.uk on Thursday, 7 June 2012 (on June 7, 2012)
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*Three quarters of rail passengers don’t know what ‘off peak’ times are, a study says.*
Confused: London commuters (Picture: TFL)
More than half of those surveyed said finding the best price for a train journey is ‘a bit of a lottery’, while 45 per cent said the fare system is too complicated for them to understand.
The Office of Rail Regulation, which canvassed more than 1,600 travellers, yesterday called on train operators to improve ticket information to win the trust of ‘frustrated’ passengers, confused by the types of restrictions placed on travel.
Anna Walker, chairman of the rail regulator, said: ‘Our revealing research shows that passengers are often confused and frustrated by the lack of information about rail tickets – particularly where and when to get the best value fares and what the best ticket options are.
‘If passengers do not have the information they need, they can end up paying more than is necessary or find themselves being penalised for having the wrong ticket.’
Mrs Walker added that there is much more work to be done, including making sure passengers are able to print off their tickets at home or use their mobile phones, in the same way you can when travelling by air.
The regulatory expert said: ‘If other travel industries can do it and make it work, so should the rail industry.’ The findings come a fortnight after consumer group Passenger Focus reported that travellers are being threatened with huge fines for making inadvertent mistakes with their tickets.
Train passengers have been penalised even when they showed proof of payment and had been told they could travel by rail staff.
However, Michael Roberts, chief executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies, said: ‘A lot has been done to make things as straightforward as possible for passengers and we are committed to doing better.’
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