Commuters set to be hit with inflation-busting fare rises

Commuters face inflation-busting fare rises of up to 5.6 per cent next year, Labour leader Ed Miliband warned today.

He put the soaring cost of public transport at the heart of the election battle by accusing the Conservatives of treating passengers as cash cows. Mr Miliband launched the fares campaign by taking a train to Hastings to highlight the rises that will hit people who travel to London daily in the New Year.

“Commuters here in Hastings travelling into London could see their fares rise by up to £265 to almost £5,000 next year,” he said. His intervention will pile pressure on Chancellor George Osborne to find money in his Autumn Statement to hold down price rises ahead of May’s General Election.

Mr Miliband went on: “David Cameron has failed hard-pressed commuters — who are already struggling due to the cost-of-living crisis — by allowing fares to rise by 20 per cent since he came to power. A Labour government would cap annual fares on every route and drive through the biggest reforms of the railways since privatisation.”