Joe Anderson has joined a campaign to bring an end to Virgin Trains’ off-peak ticket prices.
The Mayor of Liverpool gave his backing to efforts by Hollyoaks actor Matt Littler as he campaigns to bring the “destructive” ticket pricing policy to an end.
Littler claims that the system of peak and off-peak tickets are restrictive, forcing people in major cities to pay hundreds to travel to and from London to attend meetings and appointments.
An off-peak ticket to London Euston means passengers must leave Lime Street after 9:47am and return by 3pm or after 6:44pm, limiting commuters to when they can travel.
Now working for innovation company Brandwith, Matt recently wrote a letter to Virgin magnate Richard Branson to express his concerns at the current system.
He said: “The peak window is large, and those who like myself are reactive businessmen and women who have to attend meetings with short notice or around others changing schedules struggle to manage the restrictions imposed by these rules.
“Currently, on an off-peak ticket, the earliest I can arrive in London travelling from Liverpool is 12pm-ish and if I then wish to be home before 9pm, I must leave London at 3pm when the peak restrictions begin, they continue until 6.44pm when again the window of off-peak travel opens up.
“This is a large window and honestly to call trains at 3.30 or 4.30 peak is at best inaccurate.”
Mayor Anderson has now become involved, writing a letter to Virgin’s managing director Phil Whittingham and inviting him to Liverpool to discuss the matter.
He said: “As Mayor of Liverpool, I know how important our city’s links are to London for the people of our city, our visitors and our businesses.
“That’s one of the reasons I have always been supportive of HS2.
“But it surely must be time to rethink the overly restrictive policy behind Off Peak fares.
“They serve very little purpose other than to trap businesses and people into buying an expensive Peak fare for any trip that involves travelling back to London on the same day.
“Getting journey times down to around 2 hours was an incredible achievement, but what use is that short journey time if the financial incentives mean it is often cheaper to pay for a hotel and stay overnight?
“For the sake of businesses in Liverpool and the wider city region, I invite you to come and meet me in Liverpool and talk about a fairer way or organising tickets.”
A Virgin Trains spokesperson has since responded to Littler’s campaign, saying: “Like other train operators we have a system of peak and off peak fares to help manage demand and capacity on-board our trains.
“We encourage people to book in advance to get the best possible deals.
“Advance fares between Liverpool and London start at just £17, and we recently doubled the time which customers have to book advance tickets from 12 to 24 weeks before departure.”