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Commuters hope for cheaper tickets from fare zone review
Joe Murphy and Peter Dominiczak06.01.09
THOUSANDS of commuters may get cheaper tickets from a new review of the capital's fare zones.
Mayor Boris Johnson has agreed to study some rail, bus and Tube zone boundaries after complaints that passengers are being charged unfairly.
Complaints soared after the Government decided last year to introduce zonal pricing for rail journeys, increasing the price of some tickets by 35 per cent.
From next year, season tickets will be priced according to zones instead of the distance of a station from central London. Campaigners fear this will spark similar price jumps - equivalent to a £630 rise for a £1,800 annual pass.
HOW PRICES WOULD FALL BY MOVING ZONES Click image for bigger picture and details
News of the review came after a meeting between the Mayor and Kingston and Surbiton MP Ed Davey, who has campaigned for his local stations to be moved from Zone 6 to 5.
Surbiton, used by five million passengers a year, is in Zone 6 despite being only 12 miles from Waterloo. At least 28 stations in the cheaper Zone 5 are further from the centre.
A breakthrough for Surbiton and Kingston could open the door for a wider review affecting millions.
Mr Davey said: "There's a real chance we could get these two stations re-zoned and save some commuters hundreds of pounds a year."
Mr Davey warned change would need the agreement of South West Trains and is unlikely to come in before 2010.
Passenger group London Travelwatch says Epsom, Hinchley Wood, Claygate, Esher, Ashford, Potters Bar, Cuffley, Theobalds Grove, Cheshunt and Waltham Cross stations, all outside Zone 6 , should be moved inwards. There are also concerns about Edgware, Redbridge, Maze Hill and several south London stations.
Pricing by zone rather than distance would leave about 50,000 people worse off. But a similar number could end up better off. A spokesman for Mr Johnson said: "The Mayor does not have direct control over Kingston and Surbiton but he has promised to do his utmost to persuade the train operating company to make this change."
Valerie Shawcross, chairwoman of the London Assembly transport committee, said: "It may be time for a strategic revision of all London zoning." The current zones were drawn up in 1983.
Reader views (14)
Why can't Zone 6 cover within the M25 ring ?
- Joe, Swanley Kent
And WHY is Bermondsey in zone 2?
Can you see that huge big switchback the boundary line does just to keep the Berms out of zone 1 and make them pay extra?
- Thalia, london UK
Wherever possible-Commuters should get their own back by trying to manage by only having a season ticket to their London terminus and then walk it for the remaining part of their journey.
The tube/rail infrastructure is expensive because it requires high staffing levels for a 24 hr operation.Costs wil always be re-couped by increasing the fares.
- William Grierson, kIMPTON-uk
if anything i think train services have got worse and my council are, so i have been told, going to send round a petition. The situation has got so bad commuting to work costs double.
- Isar, Richmond UK
They should just split it into 2 zones,Inner and Outer London.
- Triffidqueen, Desk in London
Bromley South commuters get a raw deal. Just look at the map - it should clearly be in zone 4 but the map seems to be "adjusted" to capture it in zone 5 and therefore of couse make us pay more. I noticed this years ago and it has bugged me for ages!
- Shirley, Bromley
Its all a joke, my local station is in zone 5 my pal lives ten minutes up the road from me and his local station is in zone 6 so he pays nearly double what I pay for a rail card, how does that work? No wonder people drive and park their cars everywhere to save on rail fares. It doesn't matter if they reduce the fares, it won't stop overcrowding etc.....I can't remember the last time I got a seat.
- John, Croydon, UK
1. I always use my Oyster card on Buses even in the outer reaches of Bromley!
2. Under Fares Fair I was living in Lambeth. Our bus fare into London went up as did our rates. What Ken did was shift resources to North London at the expense of South London.
- Dave, London England
Since when did Kingston leave the GLA and the Mayor's sphere of influence?
- Philip, London, UK
It always strikes as odd as to how stations in metroland in Buckinghamshire have a seperate zonal system while stations like waltham cross are treated as in London for buses but out of London for trains.
With the need to spread Oyster type ticketing a system covering the who south east is needed. Perhaps its time to bring back "Network Southeast" when Chris Green made journeys anywhare for £1 available at weekends.
Anyway Boris should concentrate on removing cash from buses as this element presents the greatest danger to bus staff be they drivers or even more so conductors.
Someone needs to explain to Boris is the original reason Ken was able to introduce zonal fares is that it was accompanied with a reduction in fares so NOBODY lost out.
A way of getting bus companies around London onto Oyster is also needed so Oyster will work Home to Office/Shop etc.
As for rail fares TFL and the Mayor need control of all rail fares within Greater London and that way it will be the Mayor to blaim/praise at Mayoral elections. Looks like Boris has already built up more blaim in 8 months than his predecessor did in 8 years!!
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex
How about first getting SWT to start accepting Oyster PAYG (something they were supposed to do by January 2009)? At the moment they are the only London rail operator not undertaking a programme to install Oyster equipment at all of their London stations.
Once that's sorted out, then feel free to start tinkering with the zones. But don't expect to see it happen in the lifetime of the current franchise.
- Mark Lee, Vauxhall
Ha! Ha! Ha! Oh, how can anyone be so naive! Cheaper tickets indeed! Was that a pig I saw flying past my window?
- Sarah Bradshaw, Enfield, Middx
Your map (& comments on it) is wrong as you show Surbiton and Kingston in zone 6, and the comments also reflect this. Surely your map should show both stations in zone 5 and the comments corrected to re-zoning from 6 to 5?
- John, Surbiton, UK
Here we go again .... hope taking on reality. You'll find that the cheaper ones will be adjusted higher!
- Paul, London
