Where buses go, trains must follow if Burnham is levelling up

If you are coming into town from Tonbridge, Ware, Hertford, Harlow, or any other commuter town (including those I have not lived in), it’s probably a more appealing prospect to cycle or even run to work in the capital than get the bus.

I am writing this as, while this week’s news that single bus fares will be capped at £2 across England is going to be celebrated by some, it will receive a shrug from others. A £4 bus return to Hatfield on the daily might be appealing if only it didn’t require four changes, a long walk, and six hours of your day.

Of course, I am being facetious, and I know that cheaper bus journeys are going to prove a lifeline for the millions who use them.

But it might leave commuters (or would-be commuters) wondering if national rail fares are going to be considered as part of Burnham’s goodwill.

Let’s start with the prices. A peak-time return from Braintree to London Liverpool Street (one hour) is £32.80 for a return with Greater Anglia. Tonbridge to London Bridge (35 minutes) is £37.20 with South Eastern, while Dorking to Victoria (one hour ) is £29.20 with Southern.

Fewer people work in their London offices every day now, and there are season tickets (or even partial season tickets) which will bring down the prices.

But it doesn’t feel like Britain is in the 21st century when it is far cheaper to drive into the city, something the government should be taking steps to discourage.

And then there is the confusion around how much tickets actually cost. I took the above prices for the franchise holders themselves, but there is no telling if they could be found at a lower price if I spent a while scanning X number of apps and price comparison sites - which is something I do not fancy doing when running for a train, using station WiFi.

A Reading commuter wrote online that a trip to Sheffield could cost anywhere between £49 and £170 depending which app was offering tickets. The fact the government froze rail fares last year did little to raise the spirits of those needing to navigate the minefield of online options for getting a train into work.

I’m lucky enough to live in London these days, where Burnham has said that cross-city fares will hopefully come down. But the greater issue, if he is serious about levelling up, is to even the playing field for trains with lower and fair fares around the country - and not least ensure the best price is easy to find. Trains (and not planes or automobiles) must be a close second to buses on his priority list.

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William Mata is a writer and SEO Editor for LBC

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