Virgin criticised for 'nonsense' prices (From Warrington Guardian)

Virgin criticised for 'nonsense' prices

A COUNCILLOR has written to Virgin supremo Richard Branson about 'nonsensical' train ticket prices .

Liberal Democrat Gwyn Griffiths is calling for Virgin Trains to sort out rail fares, including a situation where the ticket price can be halved by pretending to make the journey in two legs.

Travelling to Wolverhampton from Crewe, Cllr Griffiths found that no return fare was available and he would have to buy two open singles at a full cost of £24.

Knowing a day return to Stafford is £8, he asked about a Stafford to Wolverhampton day return to be told it would cost just £5.40.

The 46% saving meant he would be on the same trains and never set foot on Stafford station.

Cllr Griffiths, who was a railwayman himself for 20 years, has now called on Virgin to sort out its fare structure.

He said: "This is the sort of nonsense which gives the railway industry a bad name.

"It also discourages casual off-peak travel - just the sort of use that should be encouraged - since the scale of fare is a total lottery, bearing little relation to the distance travelled.

"If people are to be encouraged to use the train they need to have some idea of how much a trip will cost them. But at the moment the cost of an afternoon out shopping or sightseeing can vary widely.

"A day return to Stafford costs about 16p per mile - to Preston it costs 27p per mile - and 30p a mile to Wolverhampton.

"I was able to cut the cost of my journey because I knew about some of the other fares available.

"But how is an ordinary member of the public supposed to guess that booking a journey in two stages could save them nearly half the cost?"

A spokesman for Virgin Trains said: "We are confused really about the prices he has stated. But basically there is no cheap day return from Crewe to Wolverhampton as they are only available on journeys of a certain distance."