Why are train tickets more expensive at rush hour?

Question

I mean, I understand the concept of stiffing your customers because you know they have to get to work, but at peak times in London, trains and tubes are rammed to the limit. It's a bit like charging you more in a restaurant because you are hungry.

Often I have to wait for a couple of trains before I can physically squeeze on- and I am only a little thing!

If mayor Ken wants people out of their cars, where can they go? The trains are full to bursting.

Answer 1

The price goes up due to the demand, and the transport system want you to either walk or travel either earlier than rush hour or later than rush hour!

Answer 2

Would you prefer the Cheap Day rate to be in opporation and have all the old dears, the mothers travelling into London for the sales, the families going into London early for a day out, the tourists getting on?

The whole idea is to ensure that the trains are used for the workers at that time in the morning.

Working with the Train industry for the past 11 years I have seen first hand day in day out the crush into London from the South. I have also seen how many people come into the stations early and try to buy a cheap ticket and get on the peak trains early to go in for a day out or shop, try adding those on board with there bags etc.

Also Mayor Ken has NOTHING to do with the overground system, quite frankly his ideas and those of TFL are useless to a system that brings people in from OUTSIDE London to work, day out and pass through the London area.

Answer 3

It's rush hour that creates capacity problems, and it's rush hour that must generate the revenue to operate the system.

Off peak fares encourage people to travel other times and releive the capacity problems.  They're encouraging you to take descresionary trips later. They're also trying to fill up empty seats that make the trip anyway.

It's just like cell phone plans.  It's the week day daytime hours that the system is at capacity, when most calls are made. Then in the evening and night, the system is underutilized and there is considerable unused capacity.

By letting you make free calls evenings, nights, and weekends, they're getting you to make your descretionary calls when the capacity is available, and your call dosen't cost them a thing to carry.

Answer 4

The rail system in the UK is at breaking point. You may have seen that the Govt. has just announced plans to build a number of coaches to increase volume of passengers able to be carried ny 10%

Fares are higher at rush hour to discourage people using the already overcrowded rail system at that time. That's why you can pick up really good bargains if you travel later.  

Rail travel is just too expensive in the UK anyway. It's cheaper to fly to Manchester than catch a train, a darn sight quicker, and far more comfortable

Answer 5

They have ahold of you where the hairs are short.

When you're the only game in town you can charge whatever you please.

It's the same here in the US.  It's funny, how the government encourages people to avail themselves of what little mass transportation there is, then make it so expensive the "masses" of mass transit cannot afford to ride the things.

Answer 6

Only under New McLabour could this happen.

Make people use Public Transport by charging extortionate prices for Petrol and anything remotely to do with the motorist.

When the increasing numbers using Public Transport leads to overcrowding at busy times, charge the punter a ridiculously high price in order to discourage them.

Then blame the Rail Operators and make up some co.ck and bull story  about buying 'another 1000 carriages'

No wonder the Country is knackered.

Answer 7

I dont know if its that prices are raised at peak times, but they are lowered at 'shoulder' times to get more people on the trains in lower occupency, and so people think they are traveling cheap.

The price at peak is correct, when prices are lowered its to get more people to travel then would normaly.

Where money is lost at slower times, it is made up for in peak times, so it balances out.

Answer 8

It all boils down to the following very complicated equasion.

You need to travel? You pay what we darn well tell you to pay!

-

Actually its all to do with the rail companies trying to encorage people off the trains in the rush hours.

Commuters normally buy a season ticket (a yearly only pays for 9 months travel but gets 3 free!) and yet they still sodding moan, make everyone pay the daily rate I say! Again you have to travel on the trains so lump it, of course you could always get another job or use the coach couldnt you!!

Oh yeah and then theres the people who think flying is better, sure you get a 5min check-in dont you, oh and you never need ID do you either for that. What about those heavy bags youve got there sir.

Answer 9

supply and demand

Answer 10

Supply and demand and fixed costs. They are more expensive in the rush hour for the same reason that holidays are more expensive in August. Its expensive to have trains sitting in sidings for most of the time.

Fares are cheaper off peak to encourage travel at this time, since it makes economic sense to use your fixed assets (track/trains/stations) evenly throughout the day.

Answer 11

Guess they're expensive at rush hours because they are taking advantage of the necessity of the people to ride trains. Hehe