The
chancellor


should
freeze
rail
fares
next
year,
and
make
the
announcement
in
the
Autumn
Budget
at
the
end
of
this
month,
according
to
the
Campaign
for
Better
Transport.

The
charity
also
wants
the
£2
single
bus
fare
cap
to
continue,
instead
of
ending
next
month.

The
CBT
pointed
out
that
between
1997
and
2022,
using
RPI
as
a
measure,
the
cost
of
using
and
owning
a
motor
vehicle
increased
by
94
per
cent,
while
rail
fares
have
increased
by
151
per
cent
and
bus
and
coach
fares
by
227
per
cent.

If
next
year’s
increase
in
regulated
rail
fares
is
based
on
the
RPI
in
July,
they
would
go
up
by
3.6
per
cent.
They
were
increased
by
4.9
per
cent
in
March
this
year,
although
this
was
only
just
over
half
the
measure
of
RPI
in
July
2023,
which
was
9
per
cent.

Silviya
Barrett
from
the
CBT
said:
‘Millions
of
people
who
rely
on
buses
and
trains
are
likely
to
see
their
fares
go
up
next
year,
yet
keeping
public
transport
affordable
helps
boost
the
economy
and
reduces
carbon
emissions.
Drivers
have
enjoyed
a
14-year
fuel
duty
freeze,
so
it’s
about
time
public
transport
passengers
were
given
the
same
treatment.
At
the
moment,
it
can
be
cheaper
to
drive
or
fly
than
take
public
transport
and
that
shouldn’t
be
the
case.’

The
Autumn
Budget
speech
is
due
on
30
October.