The Labour Group and Co-operative group on Brighton and Hove City Council are calling on Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin to honour his promise and make train companies introduce ‘flexible’ rail season tickets.
At present, season tickets are only available on a weekly basis, leaving those who either work part time or from home on certain days of the week hit with the significant cost of paying for a full week’s season ticket.
The Campaign for Better Transport has estimated that someone commuting part time from Brighton and Hove into London could save £1,722 a year if flexible season tickets were introduced.
Their motion to full council, reads: “This council acknowledges the growing number of Brighton and Hove residents who now commute to London or other destinations outside of the City on a part time basis due the growth in working from home and who find themselves financially disadvantaged by the current structure of rail season tickets.
This Council requests the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Transport, Rt. Hon Patrick McLoughlin, urging him to ensure train operating companies such as Southern introduce rail season tickets that reflect flexible working patterns.”
Councillor Alan Robins, Labour’s Transport Spokesperson, said: ‘The modern world of work is very different from the 9-5 culture of the past, with the growth in part-time working and technology allowing more and more people to split their time between home and the office.
“The current system of rail fares means these groups are currently shelling out huge sums for tickets they don’t use. Labour locally are urging the government to make good on their promises and ensure train companies work towards the introduction of flexible season tickets and help those part-time workers who are losing out financially from the current system.”
Statistics show 44,169 part time workers living in Brighton and Hove, which makes up over 30% of the total employment rate in the City.
Nationally, the figure is at over 8million workers, of which nearly 75% are women.
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