Laws slams south west trains car parking changes and price rises

David Laws, MP for Yeovil constituency, has criticised South West Trains for making changes to the pay and display car park at Yeovil Junction Train station and increasing it’s off peak prices.

South West Trains recently announced off peak fare increases of 20% effective from 20th May.

At Yeovil Junction station, passengers can buy tickets for a shorter stays from the ticket machine in the car park if they have the correct change. If customers require a longer stay car parking ticket or have the incorrect change they have to cross the footbridge and buy a ticket at the ticket office.

In the past customers have been allowed to leave their car parking tickets in the ticket office for the employees of the company who run the car park to check with South West Trains staff; this saved customers the inconvenience of having to return to the car park across the footbridge over the tracks and then returning once more to the platforms. This practice is has been arbitrarily scrapped by South West Trains even though staff at the station are happy to operate it. This will cause particular problems for elderly passengers, the disabled and those who have to queue for tickets.

David Laws said, 

“There is no sound reason why South West Trains have recently decided to make customers go back and forth to the car park at Yeovil Junction to display their car parking tickets when the former system worked efficiently.

“Staff at the station do not mind holding car parking tickets in the ticket office to save customers the considerable and inconvenient walk over the footbridge to the car park and back again to the platforms, but they have been told not to do this by South West Trains Management.

“South West Trains should put customers first, not the convenience of their car park operatives.

“With the recent announcement that off peak fares are to rise by 20% next week I would have expected South West Trains to want to look after its customers but it appears that customer satisfaction comes low on the company’s lists of priorities.

“There is no justification for this huge price rise and I will be asking the Government to look at the effect the increase will have on people’s willingness to support more environmentally friendly means of transport such as rail.”

ENDS

Category: Constituency News