Student train discounts needs reviewing - HOWARTH

1.41.43pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 26th Aug 2008

David Howarth MP

David Howarth, the Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge is calling for a review of the new student discount scheme offered by First Capital Connect to school children travelling into Cambridge.

Under the old West Anglian Great Northern and Thameslink franchises some schools received up to a 75 per cent discount but under the new scheme introduced by First Capital Connect student discounts are limited to a third off.

Some students have seen their annual rail ticket prices shoot up by 170 per cent. The scheme was introduced last November but it is only now when the students and their families have come to renew the tickets for the new term that the full extent of the price rise has become apparent. David Howarth MP said:

"This is a staggering increase in the price of student discounted rail fares for those travelling in and out daily to go to a Cambridge school. The result will be to increase traffic into the City at a time when we should be discouraging travel by road and car for the sake of the environment.

"I will be asking First Capital Connect how they can justify these price rises and what can be done to encourage students to use rail travel rather than car travel at peak times when students need to access public transport to get to schools and colleges in the City."