Campaign for Better Transport is calling for the Government to introduce a seasonal rail ticket offer to help more people travel sustainably into our towns and cities during the festive period and help boost high street spending in the run up to Christmas.
Paul Tuohy, Chief Executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: “People are going to be travelling into towns and cities to do their Christmas shopping and celebrating over the coming weeks and we want them to do so in a safe and green way. To spread a bit of festive cheer this year and help ensure trains aren’t overcrowded, the Government should give rail passengers an early Christmas present with a discount ticket offer so that people have more choice about how and when they travel. Not only will this help reduce congestion and air pollution in our towns and cities during the festive period it will also give a much-needed boost to high street shops, hospitality venues and leisure services.”
With road traffic responsible for more than half of carbon emissions from transport, reducing unnecessary car trips is crucial to tackling climate change. But with traffic levels rising and set to increase further, and public transport journeys yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, Campaign for Better Transport is warning that without Government intervention carbon emissions will rise as people drive more. The charity is calling on the Government to do more to promote rail as the greener transport choice to help reduce traffic levels and offer people a viable alternative to their cars. It wants to see financial incentives introduced to make rail travel more affordable with temporary ticket offers – including a festive ticket offer, a third off season tickets for a limited time to encourage more people to commute by rail and a rail fare freeze for 2022 – along with more long-term reform of the fares and ticketing system to ensure that the greenest modes of travel are also the cheapest.
