Southeastern's massive ticket and parking price hike slammed

Off-peak fares on Southeastern services from Kent will soar by 7.3% in 2010. The massive hike in unregulated fares is almost 9% above the inflation rate, and almost 5 times the increase to be applied to regulated fares such as Season tickets and anytime single and return fares.

In Southeastern's November newsletter, Southeastern Public Affairs Manager Mike Gibson set out the price rises from 2 January. He said:

"For out boundary regulated fares (season tickets and anytime day returns and singles to and from Kent and East Sussex to London) the price will increase by 1.6%. As you will know, the increase on regulated fares is set in our franchise agreement at the Retail Price Index (RPI) + 3%. When the fares were set in July, the RPI stood at (minus) - 1.4%, resulting the 1.6% increase to be levied from 2 January.

"For unregulated fares (off-peak returns and single tickets), we are permitted to set our own fare increase and this will be 7.3%. By way of explanation, over recent years employment patterns have changed as a result of the spread of flexible working hours and changes in the London economy. This has resulted in commuters migrating to shoulder peak services to take advantage of lower fares and as a result we wish to set our prices to reflect the market.

"We want to encourage the leisure and traditional off-peak market and for this reason the super off peak day return tickets (formerly known as "pricebusters") allowing travel after 1100 will be increased by just 0.5%."

Train station parking prices are also being increased, with users at Folkestone West being hardest hit with a daily parking ticket increasing 50% from £2 to £3 a day, off-peak parking rising to £2.50 a day and charges being introduced for the first time at weekends and public holidays. Parking charges at other stations are increasing by around 20p per day (Folkestone Central and Sandling stations increase from £2.80 to £3 per day).

Folkestone West County Councillor Tim Prater is massively disappointed at the increases. He said:

"Southeastern should be trying to promote Folkestone West as a park and ride station, and develop and fill extra parking capacity there as well as encouraging cycle and bus links. And how do they choose to do that? By massive hikes in the cost of parking and off-peak fares - it's one of those 'you couldn't make it up' stories.

"With the premium pricing on the new fast service to St Pancras, Southeastern already had the chance to increase numbers and income from local users by persuading them of the benefits of the high-speed service. Instead they have additional cost services to St Pancras, a massive and unjustifiable increase in off-peak fares on all service and a 50% increase in parking charges at Folkestone West. It's a short-sighted and counter-productive triple whammy on local train users."