The railway ticketing and fares consultation is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change fares for customers. The Government must act on its recommendations.

Jenny Randerson

The rail industry has launched a consultation it claims will deliver 'root and branch' reform of fare regulations that date back to the mid-1990s. For customers, this represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to change ticketing and fares that we must seize.

A say for passengers in the tickets they buy to get them to school, to work, to an apprenticeship, to university, or to see family and friends, is long overdue. The fares system we endure today was established by John Major's Government in 1995, and years of franchising agreements have added layers of complexity to the system. The result: passengers today are faced with an overly complicated fares and ticketing system. The fact that passengers, in grappling with the aging system, have learned the art of split ticketing to save themselves money, just demonstrates the scale of the task at hand.

Complexity in the current system has made an overhaul of fares all the more difficult - but an overhaul is what is needed. That is why I welcome efforts by the rail industry, alongside independent watchdog Transport Focus, to grasp the nettle and tackle this issue head on.

Since becoming Transport Spokesperson, one issue has become clear - the customer must be at the centre of our plans for the railway, now and in the future. As Liberal Democrats, we understand that individuals need to be empowered to make the best choices for themselves. Customers are at the heart of our strategy on rail, as set out in our manifesto.

Worryingly, the latest figures from an independent KPMG report reveal that we couldn't be further from this objective. They show that only one in three rail customers was very confident that they had bought the best value ticket for their last journey. Fewer than one in three customers is very satisfied with their experience of buying a ticket.

Passengers must have an easier ticketing system that they can have confidence in.

Fares have failed to keep pace with how people work and travel today. There are now more people taking up apprenticeships, with 2.5 million placements created under the previous Coalition between 2010-2015, more students going to university (2.32 million), more people in part-time employment (8.6 million), and more people who are self-employed (4.8 million), than there were 23 years ago when our current fares system was put in place.

The way we live our lives has changed fundamentally since the mid-1990s, but the tickets people buy everyday have not. Far fewer people now need a season ticket, whether weekly, monthly or annually that covers the full seven days of the week. Last year in fact, the number of journeys taken using a season ticket fell to 691 million, while the number of total journeys has continued to grow. Customers are turning away from traditional ticket types but are not being given adequate alternatives that suit them.

Digital ticketing and smartphones present real potential for a better customer experience - enabling customers to buy tickets where and when it suits them. Integrated and smart ticketing could significantly simplify journeys and make ticket choices easier. We need to harness these capabilities and move on from the inflexible fares structure and regulation that currently stand in the way.

A modern economy, with modern working patterns and lifestyles needs to be supported by a modern fares and ticketing system, and a 21st Century railway.

But let's not forget one critical fact.

This consultation asks for our say on what the fares system should look like, but the industry proposals that emerge from this process will only help fix one half of this overly complex system.

The Government is responsible for regulated fares and it must stand ready to act on the recommendations of this consultation. To deliver change that puts the customer first and ensures the whole system is fit for the future.

I will be holding the Government and industry to account - to ensure they see through the change that is necessary. Because passengers deserve a ticketing and fares system built for this century, not the last.

* Jenny Randerson is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords, and is the party's front bench spokesperson on transport.