|
25 August 2011 10:03
travel
Brits wary of train travel prices
Tourism in Britain could be at risk from escalating rail fares, as research reveals that 78 per cent of people think that UK rail fares for journeys of over 100 miles are too expensive.
66 per cent said they have put off going on short breaks in the UK because of this high cost.
The research, commissioned by BlablaCar (www.blablacar.com), a site that joins drivers and passengers together to share car journeys, also found that 72 percent would go on more weekend breaks in the UK if the cost of travel was lower.
Nicolas Brusson, co-founder of BlablaCar, said: “The high cost of rail travel means that people are thinking twice before taking short breaks in the UK. With fares set to rise significantly, this is predicted to have an even bigger effect on UK tourism in the next year. “
Brusson continued: “Reliability is another factor affecting people. As two thirds of train operators will be altering services this weekend, those planning to travel who have not yet booked their tickets would be wise to consider other means of transport. Social carpooling sites, where people drive together and share the cost of the trip, are an efficient and cost effective way of travelling”.
To demonstrate the significant discount offered by long distance carpooling over rail travel, particularly when not pre-booked, BlablaCar has compared Friday train prices on popular weekend routes and found that prices offered or recommended on its site work out on average 63 per cent cheaper than those offered by train operators.
BlablaCar reviewed the cheapest train tickets on a number of intercity routes leaving on a Friday between 6pm and 9pm and compared this with the average price on its site. The test was performed on the Tuesday afternoon prior to the Friday of travel to simulate the behaviour of someone looking for a ticket at the last minute.
|
