Action Plan: Information on Rail Fares & Ticketing Progress report Moving Britain Ahead December 2017 The Department for Transport has actively considered the needs of blind and partially sighted people in accessing this document. The text will be made available in full on the Department’s website. The text may be freely downloaded and translated by individuals or organisations for conversion into other accessible formats. If you have other needs in this regard please contact the Department. Department for Transport Great Minster House 33 Horseferry Road London SW1P 4DR Telephone 0300 330 3000 Website www.gov.uk/dft General enquiries: https://forms.dft.gov.uk © Crown copyright 2017 Copyright in the typographical arrangement rests with the Crown. You may re-use this information (not including logos or third-party material) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/ or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or e-mail: [email protected] Where we have identified any third-party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. Contents Foreword 4 Introduction 5 1. How you choose your ticket 6 Summary table 6 Action 1 – Reducing the use of rail industry jargon 8 Action 2 - Warning when Advance tickets are running low 8 Action 3 - Cheapest fare information 9 2. What you buy 10 Summary table 10 Action 4 – ‘Plain English’ ticket information 11 Action 5 - Advance tickets on the day of travel 11 Action 6 - Fares trials 12 3. Where to buy your ticket 13 Summary table 13 Action 7 - Information for third party developers 14 Action 8 - Opening up the ticket retail market 14 4. How to buy your ticket 16 Summary table 16 Action 9 – Clear and understandable choice of tickets from ticket vending machines 18 Action 10 - ORR Review of train company websites against industry code of practice 19 Action 11 - Ongoing audit of train company websites by RDG 20 Action 12 - Easy access to simple Terms & Conditions 20 Action 13 - Refund for forgotten railcards 21 Action 14 - DfT work with Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee 21 Annex A: Summary of responses received to third party retailer questionnaire 23 3 Foreword The Action Plan was one of my first actions as Rail Minister. I wanted to improve ticketing information for passengers and make it easier for people to choose the best value fare for their journey. This report sets out the progress we have achieved over the last year, and applies my test: whether we are making a day-to-day difference for the travelling public. The Action Plan has achieved a number of valuable outcomes. As a result of work the Rail Delivery Group has done – in collaboration with the Action Plan partners – more Advance Purchase tickets will be available on the day of travel, industry ticketing jargon has been cut back, and the information supplied to passengers is being improved. Indeed over 1 million Advance Purchase tickets have been sold following this change. The way forgotten railcards are handled has been made more passenger-friendly. A substantial amount of value has been generated simply by the act of Government, the Office of Rail and Road, the rail industry and consumer and passenger representatives coming together with a determination to drive change. I would like to thank everybody who has been involved in these successes. There are two key areas which we need to persevere with into a second year. Work to date on the fares trials and ticket vending machine improvements has identified some challenges that need more time to be addressed. These are important actions, and I remain determined to see progress and work with partners as necessary. I also acknowledge that our work is by no means done. For example, the recent issue highlighted by Transport Focus, of the sale of advanced tickets conflicting with engineering works, has increased my resolve to act as a champion for consumers. I am pleased to say the industry is already developing plans that will address this and the broader issues underlying it. I remain committed to improving the passenger experience on the railways, and will continue to work with industry and other stakeholders to do so. The Action Plan also included the first of a programme of engagement and action to realise my ambition to ensure that people with physical and hidden disabilities have the same access to transport and opportunities to travel as everyone else. I will be returning to this theme in the New Year as the Department considers the responses to the consultation on an Accessibility Action Plan. Paul Maynard MP, Rail Minister 4 Introduction 1 In December 2016 a working group comprising the Department for Transport, Which?, the Rail Delivery Group, the Office of Rail and Road (the rail regulator) and Transport Focus launched the ‘Action Plan for Information on Rail Fares and Ticketing’. The aim of the plan was to set out clear steps to improve fares and ticketing for passengers. Representatives of the working group have met monthly to provide oversight and monitor progress on achieving the actions. Transport Focus and Which? have played an important role as observers: ensuring the voice of the passenger – and consumer – is heard. The ORR, also an observer, has provided valuable insight into competition and consumer affairs and accessibility issues, and action it was taking was presented in the Action Plan in context. 2 The Action Plan was structured into four themes to reflect the ticket buying process: • How you chose your ticket • What you buy • Where to buy your ticket, and • How to buy your ticket. 3 This report summarises progress in each of these areas. For each action, the report asks: ‘What difference has this action made for the passenger?' Next steps 4 This Action Plan has delivered tangible progress to improve the passenger experience of fares and ticketing. The procedures for forgotten railcards have been refined and improvements to ticket vending machines and train operator websites now means it is easier for passengers to choose the best value ticket for their journey. 5 However there remains more to be done beyond the timescales of the Action Plan. The DfT continues to work with the industry to implement the RDG’s 10 Point Plan for ticket vending machines and refine plans for trials of fares simplification initiatives. All of the working group members are committed to completing these actions and are giving consideration to continuing joint monitoring arrangements into a second year. 6 We are already considering how we can go further. For instance, the industry will build on the progress to date by working to ensure that customers are kept informed of the upcoming availability of advance tickets when looking to book ahead to save money, and that they are kept informed of planned disruption due to engineering works and provided with the best alternative choices for a comfortable journey. 7 It is also important to take stock. We will review the Action Plan and assess its impact on the issues it was designed to tackle, and we will consider how best to use existing monitoring surveys and metrics in this process. 5 1. How you choose your ticket Summary table Action What will we do for customers? How will it happen? Published Owner Outcome timescales Action 1 - We will provide clear names for tickets and First Reducing the use definitions that passengers understand. changes to of rail industry We will remove terms such as “Any be We will use less jargon on Ticket jargon Permitted” and “London Terminals” except implemented RDG & Vending Machines, websites and where they actively help customers from May train tickets, and include easily available COMPLETION understand a ticket's validity and in such 2017 and all companies information to explain terminology. DUE IN 2018 cases that they are properly explained. actions to be We will develop an online ticket restrictions completed look-up tool for customers. by end-2017 Action 2 - Train operators will make information Warning when available to inform customers when Customers will be informed when there are RDG & Advance tickets Advance tickets for long distance fewer than nine Advance tickets available April 2017 train COMPLETED are running low operators are running low to ensure at a certain price. companies that customers don’t miss out on the best price if there are only a few left. Action 3 - All retailers to include options for finding Online / app Cheapest fare When purchasing a ticket, customers the cheapest fare for online/ app ticket RDG & completed in information will be told if they could get a purchases by May 2017. train May 2017 May 2017 cheaper ticket by changing the time Ticket vending machines will tell customers operating 30% ticket of travel. when they are configured to sell off-peak companies vending tickets so that the customer will know that machines 6 Action What will we do for customers? How will it happen? Published Owner Outcome timescales by waiting (e.g. in 15 minutes) they can completed, purchase a cheaper ticket or by going to remainder due the ticket office. in early 2018 7 Action 1 – Reducing the use of rail industry jargon Background 1.1 The rationale behind this action was to make it easier for passengers to better understand the conditions attached to tickets by removing some of the railway jargon and abbreviations used to describe them. Some of the abbreviations and technical terms that are used within the fares system have been used in the public domain (e.g.