On Thursday 13^th July, MP for Windsor, Adam Afriyie, asked the Minister of State for Rail and HS2, Huw Merriman, about the Department for Transport’s plans to reform railway ticketing. He welcomed the Minister’s response outlining the recent announcement of the expansion of ‘Pay As You Go’ to fifty-three stations across the South East, including four in the Windsor constituency. He also asked the Minister to confirm the scheme’s expansion further afield, as well as ensure that passengers using these tickets get the best possible fare available.

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Hansard - Transport Questions, 13th July 

Adam Afriyie MP (Conservative, Windsor): What plans he has to reform ticketing for railway services.

Huw Merriman (Minister of State for Rail and HS2): We are delivering on the plan for rail commitments to improve railway ticketing. We recently announced that contactless pay-as-you-go will be extended to another 53 stations in the south-east, and we are working with Greater Manchester and the West Midlands on pay-as-you-go trailblazer devolution deal commitments. Some 99% of all tickets can be purchased online or through ticket machines.

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Adam Afriyie MP (Conservative, Windsor): I thank the Government for expanding the pay-as-you-go scheme to stations in the Windsor constituency, which means that people can quickly tap in and tap out when they commute. It strikes me that people are under increasing financial pressure during these difficult times, so will the Minister confirm that it is the Government’s intention to roll the scheme out further afield, and that people travelling in that way will get the best available fare?

Huw Merriman (Minister of State for Rail and HS2): Yes, and I thank my hon. Friend for the work he put into ensuring that his constituency station at Windsor is part of that. I can give him that assurance. As well as providing seamless tap-in, tap-out payments, fares will be simplified so that most adult passengers can be confident that pay-as-you-go will be the best price for them on the day of travel.

Adam Afriyie, MP for Windsor, said:

“The expansion of Pay-As-You-Go ticketing across the South East, thanks to £20 million of funding from the government, is great news for rail users. This includes my Windsor constituency, where commuters travelling to and from Windsor and Eton Riverside, Datchet, Sunnymeads and Wraysbury stations will benefit from the scheme.

Passengers at these stations will now be able to simply tap-in and tap-out at the start and end of their journeys, using their bank card or compatible mobile device, and be automatically charged the cheapest fare available for their journey. This will greatly increase the ease and flexibility of journeys for commuters, who will no longer have to worry about booking ahead of their journey, or spend time browsing ticket websites and apps to find the best fare. The improvement to the efficiency of our railways will aid the growth of the economy and productivity in the long term.

I was also pleased to hear the Minister’s commitment to the further expansion of Pay-As-You-Go across the country. This is just part of the government’s wider effort to improve and modernise the ticketing system, helping to bring Britain’s railways full-steam into the 21^st century”