Campaigners are advocating for the introduction of an unlimited 'climate card' rail pass in the UK, inspired by similar initiatives in Europe. The proposed pass aims to make rail travel more affordable and accessible while encouraging a shift from car to public transport, thus reducing carbon emissions. The Campaign for Better Transport's report highlights the need for a simplified and more equitable fare system, recommending measures such as a Best Price Guarantee, low-cost monthly public transport tickets, and a Rail Miles reward scheme for frequent travelers.
The campaign underscores the benefits of such a pass, which include decreased car usage, reduced traffic congestion, and significant cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. This push comes amid increasing awareness and efforts to address climate change by promoting sustainable transportation options.
Renationalising the railways does not go far enough – Labour should spur a rail renaissance by allowing people around the UK unlimited train travel for a flat fee, campaigners have said.
Under a “climate card” system, passengers could pay a simple subscription to gain access to train travel across all services. This could be effective if set at £49 a month, according to research published on Thursday, though travellers on fast long-distance trains and those on routes in and through London would need to pay a top-up to reflect the greater demand on those services.
If such a system were implemented across the UK, it would be likely to result in a loss of revenues to the railways of between £45m and £637m, depending on the uptake, the report found. This would have to be subsidised by the government, but transport is already subsidised in various less effective forms, and the report found the climate card would generate economic growth and improvements to health from lower air pollution.
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