Transport for Wales confirms Tap and Go machines do not offer child or railcard fares
Transport for Wales has confirmed its Tap and Go ticket machines on the Wrexham to Liverpool line charge full adult fares only, with no discount for children or railcard holders.
Flintshire County Council unanimously passed a motion calling on the operator to change its signage at a meeting on Wednesday 1 July, after the issue was raised by Councillor Alasdair Ibbotson, who represents Penyffordd for Flintshire People’s Voice.
Cllr Ibbotson told the meeting that passengers eligible for cheaper fares would be charged the full adult rate without realising it.
He said, “You can’t travel from Penyffordd, from Hawarden, from Buckley, from Hope, from Caergwrle, from Cefn-y-Bedd, unless you have an app or a contactless bank card, which TfW are putting out here.”
Cllr Ibbotson also raised the National Rail Conditions of Carriage, telling the meeting that passengers without a contactless bank card or the means to buy a ticket in advance should not be excluded from travel as a result.
He said passengers who are digitally or financially excluded were most at risk of being caught out by the rules as written.
Several councillors spoke in support of the motion during the debate.
Councillor Sean Bibby, who represents Shotton West for Labour, told the meeting he had personally been charged £10 for a journey using a Tap and Go terminal, and said it would have been cheaper to get a taxi.
Councillor Fran Lister, who represents Brynford and Halkyn for Labour, told the meeting that young people at a Young Flint meeting had raised transport as a barrier to socialising, and said she would be supporting the motion as a result.
Councillor Glyn Banks, who represents Llanasa and Trelawnyd for Labour, told the meeting he had phoned Transport for Wales before the debate and that the operator had acknowledged the ticketing issue described in the motion.
Councillor Alan Marshall, who represents Treuddyn for Independent, told the meeting that a Transport for Wales app already allows passengers to register railcards and buy discounted tickets on their phone.
An amendment was added to the motion during the meeting, proposed by Councillor Sean Bibby and the Chair, and seconded by Councillor Ryan McKeown.
The amendment noted the risk that automated ticketing could in future be used to justify reduced staffing or ticket office hours at stations, including Flint and Shotton, where Tap and Go is not yet in operation, and resolves that the council opposes any reduction in staffing or ticket office hours linked to automation.
Councillor Ian Roberts, who represents Flint Castle for Labour, told the meeting that Flint Town Council had separately received a response from Transport for Wales that day confirming there would be no current reductions in staff at the town’s station.
The amended motion also resolves to write to Transport for Wales, publish its reply, and put out a press release warning the public of the risk of being overcharged by the machines.
Councillor Ian Hodge, who represents Holywell East for Independent, told the meeting he was due to meet Transport for Wales executives on Friday to discuss the issues raised.
He said he would pass any resolution reached to the council’s Chief Officer.
The motion was carried unanimously.
Responding to the concerns raised in the motion, a Transport for Wales spokesperson said, “Pay as you go operates with a standalone fares structure, offering adult prices only.”
“Child fares and Railcard discounts are excluded from pay as you go currently.”
On the claim that passengers without a contactless card might not know they can still buy a ticket from a guard on board, the spokesperson said, “To our knowledge there is no signage at stations along the Borderlands line that advises passengers that they can purchase a ticket through an on-board Train Manager, nor would doing so result in a lower fare.”
The spokesperson said Transport for Wales advises customers to use its website, app or pay zone, or as a last resort to buy a ticket from a Train Manager on board.
Asked whether there were plans to update signage to make clear which fare types are and are not available through the terminals, the spokesperson said existing signage was “part of our Marketing and Customer Information campaigns to drive awareness of the benefits of pay as you go.”
The spokesperson said the pay as you go scheme uses price matching “to ensure the best value equivalent ‘anytime’ fare is offered in all cases for undiscounted adult journeys only,” with railcard discounts and child fares “currently out of scope.”
Transport for Wales said customers should check the price of their journey in advance using the fare calculator on its website, or by contacting its customer support team.
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