Plaid Cymru Valleys AM Lindsay Whittle has urged Arriva Trains Wales to step up efforts to collect fares after noticing that on some journeys rail staff have not collected them.
The South Wales East Plaid AM wrote to the company’s Commercial Director Mike Bagshaw raising concerns and asking what action was also being taken to catch fare dodgers.
In a letter to the rail company, Lindsay Whittle wrote: “ I’m a fairly frequent traveller on Arriva Trains between my home in Caerphilly and Cardiff. In the recent past after rugby internationals I have noticed little attempt to collect fares on trains. I appreciate that moving fans quickly is key after such large events. However, the non-collection of fares does not appear confined to the days of rugby internationals. Last month, I caught the last train home on Saturday 21st January and there was no attempt by rail staff to collect fares on the train. There will inevitably be some travellers who enjoyed a free journey but that does not sit well with fare-paying passengers.
“Whilst fare dodging is to be condemned, I’m sure you’d agreed that the company needs to ensure that it collects fares from passengers who are happy to pay but find they are not even approached by a member of the rail staff.”
In response, Mike Bagshaw said the company had invested heavily over the years in ticket gates, additional revenue protection staff and installing a large number of ticket machines at stations.
Mike Bagshaw said that it had carried out surveys to gauge the likely level of fare evasion with targeted exercises. “We will be conducting further exercise based on the most recent evidence of ticket-less travel and the data and results will inform our revised company revenue protection strategy.
“For the situation you have highlighted on January 21, we are investigating the special circumstances with the line manager. When special events take place there is always a strong emphasis on the importance of maximising revenue, particularly when there is a need for the company to offset the extremely large additional resourcing costs demanded by these events. However, there are some practical issues associated with collecting revenue and safely managing large crowds.”
