4 March 2011 – This morning Keith Taylor, the Green MEP for Sussex and the South East, will join fed-up commuters and train travellers who are protesting against rail fare increases and calling on the Government to keep their promise to make rail fares fair.
Keith Taylor sits on the transport committee in the European parliament. Keith said: “Train travellers in Sussex are being hit with outrageous fare rises while at the same time little is being done to improve the South East’s trains or rail network. In much of Europe train travel is a far cheaper and more pleasant experience for commuters. Our government should be investing in public transport to ensure that greener alternatives to the car become an affordable option for ordinary people.
Keith continued: ‘It is ironic that we are holding this protest in the constituency of the Transport Minister, Norman Baker MP, who campaigned in the run up to the election on ‘A Fair Deal for Fare Payers’. After his government decided to remove the cap on rail fare increases at the start of this year this now seems to have been a hollow promise.”
The protest which is part of the Fair Fares Now campaign, is the second in only a few weeks. On 4 February, Keith joined campaigners outside Preston Park station in Brighton to highlight their concerns about large fare increases.
Season Ticket Holder, Matt Kent who travels from Lewes to Brighton said: “Along with food and fuel prices and VAT going up, the last thing commuters needed at the start of 2011 was a double digit percentage price increase in rail fares. People are financially squeezed enough and it is scandalous that a government which claims to be ‘the most green government ever’ isn’t encouraging people to use public transport.
“I’d like to see our local MP, Norman Baker, stick to his promises and call for next year’s rises to be reviewed. It’s also pretty outrageous that we’re being faced with such hefty fare hikes with no assurances that we’ll see any investment in more and longer trains or better customer service here in Lewes.”
The ‘Fair Fares Now’ campaign aims to harness the widespread anger felt by passengers to demand more affordable, straightforward train tickets that provide good value for money and encourage people to choose the train. It was launched at the beginning of the year by sustainable transport charity Campaign for Better Transport and is backed by actor and comedian Michael Palin CBE.
Lewes Green Party is also campaigning for a solution to the imminent capacity issues on the existing Brighton to London Line. They are supporting BML2, a plan which could justify the reinstatement of the Lewes to Uckfield Line, with a link at Falmer and a spur to Lewes and beyond.
To join the ‘Fair Fares Now’ campaign visit www.fairfaresnow.org.uk
ENDS
Notes to Editors
Protesters will be at Lewes train station from 7am to 9am on Friday 4 March.
The Fair Fares Now campaign is calling for affordable prices, even for peak times and turn-up-and-go tickets; reliable services that aren’t overcrowded; and straightforward tickets that make train travel simple.
Campaign for Better Transport is the UK’s leading authority on sustainable transport. They champion transport solutions that improve people’s lives and reduce environmental damage. Their campaigns push innovative, practical policies at local and national levels. Campaign for Better Transport Charitable Trust is a registered charity (1101929).
