Train Fair?

All

choochoo

Guest blogger, James Blythman, wants to know why he’s subsidising the salubrious suburban transport system while he gets all squashed and sweaty on the way home from work in Bradford …

I know the car users of Ilkley have been wanting to thank me. They are just shy. Well now is your time to come out and rejoice my name. For it has been nearly 8 months that I have helped pay for your roads to be clear of the ‘others’. Those ‘others’ (in theory) have long since deserted your crowded roads for the extra 6 trains a day that were put on this year to your hallowed town. And who paid for that? Well … me. I don’t even live in Ilkley, let alone Bradford (Metropolitan Council), but I paid that extra 10% a month for my West Yorkshire Metrocard to clean your air and clear your roads.

I am so altruistic that I did not get anything in return for helping the car drivers of Ilkley. No extra trains for me, no longer carriages. All I got was increased congestion into Leeds meaning that I have greater chance of missing my connecting train that alas is not Ilkley bound. Actually that is a slight fib. While I don’t get any extra carriages on the cramped, sweaty 17:19 from Bradford to Leeds I do mostly get an extra couple of carriages on my connecting train on the Harrogate line. But that is only when they turn up … and when they do they are often late. Or the dreaded turn of events of when the extra carriages turn up on time but they cannae couple the trains.

For one so altruistic I’ve talked a bit about myself. Altruism knows no bounds because I know you want to hear my story.

So where am I going with this? Well it’s recently been announced that public transport users will face inflation busting price hikes again in the New Year. Damn ConDems. Well actually that’s unfair. This is part of a policy introduced by Labour. It is that public transport users should bear more of the cost of using the network.

I’m in a jam (two drums and a cymbal fall off a cliff) here as I’ve actually made my argument before I raised the issue.

I know that it’s just not my extra train tax that has subsidised these additional trains. As an aside I’m still gobsmacked that one of my most politically attuned friends thoughts that National Insurance contributions (NICS in government speak, innit) were siloed off to pay for his pension, the NHS and the like. Anyway back to the point. It is general taxation (including NICS) that pays most for things like extra trains for rich people in Bradford (Metropolitan Council). However, how have we got to this juncture?

Why are governments in the UK raising the debate on who should contribute what for public transport? Why have they missed the point completely?

Isn’t the point that public transport ought to be made economically available to everyone? It’s been documented that public transport, namely trains, are the preserve of the middle classes. But is this right? For instance, my ticket would account for nearly 15% of the lowest income deciles annual disposable income. For someone in the 6th decile bracket it would be less than 5%. For the wealthiest it’s just above 1.6%. So here we have a situation where the lowest paid are effectively paying nearly 13.5%pts more in transport tax than the rich. If the top income bracket were paying what the lowest were paying proportionality it would equate to £15,000 a year for a £1,140 ticket.

We will never get to a situation where everyone pays an equitable share for any public service but shouldn’t we be concentrating on a system that’s affordable for all?

10 comments

  1. You’ve obviously not enjoyed the pleasure of west Yorkshire bus services.

    Moreover, transport is not a public good, it will be provided by the market.
    Most people travel at peak times for work and they generally travel into cities for white collar jobs. That takes them out of the lowest pay scales.

    Generally the price of transport in Leeds is fairly even for car, train and bus; about £6 per day.
    Your time to walk multiplied by you hourly wage is a lot more than that.

    1. Thanks for taking the time to read and respond to the article.

      It could be argued that all transport modes are a public good as they all subsidised, to some extent, by the tax payer. This could be from physical infrastructure (roads and tracks) to subsidised fares.

      Therefore, is it fair that the lowest paid contribute into a system through taxes that they are then priced out of?

  2. Hi James. You’re right that car drivers should thank you. The cost of supporting roads and reducing congestion is massive. But on the other hand, rail travel is much more highly subsidised than bus. If we want to make public transport affordable for all, we should be arguing for higher subsidies for bus travel particularly for low income groups and young people. And cyclists and walkers should get a government bonus!
    Ali

    1. Hi Ali thanks for the reply. Interesting point about buses. I’ve never understood why intra-city buses don’t have a flat fare? Why should someone in Seacroft who earns the same as someone in Harehills have to pay more to get into town?

      Government bonuses for walking? Isn’t that life expectancy(!) My Nan used to volunteer for a benevolent fund. They offered wear and tear allowance for her shoes as she walked everywhere. It was never taken up ‘as they’d wear out anyway.’ Suppose thats ‘Old Society’ (born pre WW2) for you.

  3. Hi James Blyhtman here. I’ve previously used the alias of ‘Peace’ to make comments on CV. Although a bit confusing, I thought it may be a bit disingenuous not to continue with it.

    Great title Phil 🙂

  4. There needs to be more clarity with how funding for trains (and public transport as a whole) works. I’m a regular train user as I have friends and family across Yorkshire but its getting harder to squeeze in just two trips a month. Even worse has been how hard it is to get to exhibitions or events that are outside Yorkshire.

    Theres always talk about profits for train operators, so I never quite understand how much of a typical train fare goes in to vital things, like extra trains, better trains, etc, and how much goes in to someone’s pockets instead.

    And how much help do train operators get from the government?

    1. Thats’ a class point Amy. There are so many services now provided by a mix of public and private financing. There really needs to be greater transparency on who is paying for what in the supply chain.

      Although I still believe the bigger question should be about what we want to pay for.

  5. I don’t agree with any direct government subsidies. If people need a bus / train pass fair enough. Else people should pay. Road tax should be sufficient to cover the cost of the road infrastructure.

    1. That’s an interesting point. I wonder how much road tax/petrol duty would be if there was no other Govt subsidy from general taxation?

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