Press releases
Peak rail charging would not deter commuters
Rail travel and passenger numbers are unlikely to be affected by the introduction of peak pricing, according to new research out today from Barclaycard Business. The majority of rail commuters (67%) would continue to use trains even if rail peak pricing was introduced.
According to the Barclaycard Business Travel Survey, just one in seven (15%) of rail commuters would choose not to travel by rail turning instead to another form of public transport, and only 4% would drive.
The survey suggests that companies could end up bearing the brunt, with 23% of respondents expecting their employers to foot the bill. Those holding this opinion includes those who hold more senior positions and are in charge of the budgets:
- 39% of financial directors
- 25% of managers
- 17% of board directors
- 16% of CEOs
As a consequence, businesses in the future may need to budget for employee commuting costs or alternatively negotiate flexible working hours to allow non peak time travel or home working.
The research also shows that 24% of commuters would pay the charge themselves whilst 20% would negotiate hours that allow non-peak time travel.
Tim Carlier of Barclaycard Business says: "There is no guarantee that peak time congestion charging on the railways will come to fruition. As only one in four commuters would be prepared to pay the charge out of their own pocket, the impact will more than likely be felt by businesses both financially and through staffing challenges."
The results indicate that rail usage levels are unlikely to be affected even if this measure comes into force. When questioned business travellers said their use of public transport had:
- Remained the same - 65%
- Increased - 17%
- Decreased - 15%
