Over the last year, and alongside my Kent MP colleagues, I have been running a campaign to change the way rail season tickets are designed.
Following many conversations with constituents, the ask has been clear – Covid has changed the way we work. Businesses have had to adapt in order to ensure staff can both work and travel safety, and so it is only right that rail operators also begin to show the same flexibility to their customers.
I am delighted that from this week it is now possible to buy a flexible season ticket from Sevenoaks to London. This means that if you commute two days every week, or go into London often but irregularly, you can buy a discounted ticket that can be used flexibly. The move will help to ensure rail travel remains an affordable and realistic option for Sevenoaks commuters, while future-proofing a network which has a key role to play in the UK’s decarbonisation ambitions.
Return tickets from Sevenoaks to London, which can be used up to 8 days a month will now be available for £176.80, a saving of £24.80 per month, which when added up across the year will save £297.60.
If you are a commuter, I encourage you to visit the news season ticket calculator which is available at https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/Season-Calculator, to see if you will be able to benefit from the new scheme.
This change not only represents the first change to the fares system in 70 years, but it also offers suitable options for part time commuters through genuine flexibility. You don’t have to nominate a regular day to travel, and they can vary week to week – welcome recognition of the variability of people’s lives. Two fantastic developments.
This ticket isn’t the best option for everyone. Currently if you travel the majority of days in a week but not every day, it does remain cheaper to purchase a seven-day week season ticket.
While this ticket is good progress, there is more to do. I am continuing to press hard for extension of the zonal fares system to Sevenoaks, which will enable the use of Oyster cards and contactless payment. If you’re rushing for a train, your heart sinks when you turn the corner and see a long queue at the ticket machine or counter. It should be possible to use contactless at the gates without needing paper tickets or a Southeastern Key card. I will keep pressing for action.
I am delighted our campaign for change has led to such significant progress and I know many Sevenoaks commuters will be able to benefit with immediate effect.
