Liverpool City Region Mayor has responded to ongoing criticism of public transport systems in the region.
There has been growing frustration with aspects of the region's public transport network, particularly concerning what many see as an outdated and impractical ticketing system. This issue was highlighted again recently as former Labour MP David Hanson revealed how his youngest child had been fined by Merseyrail staff despite paying for their fare using the Trainline app.
Others have expressed frustration with the fact that the train operator is yet to fully introduce tap and go payment services, with large queues still seen regularly at ticket offices at peak times. Merseyrail has acknowledged it does not currently have the technology to validate electronic tickets and is working on 'smarter ticketing options.'
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These options were something Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram pledged to work towards when he was first elected in 2017. The city region leader has made a London-style integrated public transport system a central theme of his time in office. But public transport users are now keen to see some progress on this important aim.
Responding to the latest concerns raised, Mayor Rotheram said he understands people's frustrations and is working with operators on improvements. He said: “As someone who travels on the Merseyrail network every day, I share the public’s frustrations about its limitations - including the antiquated ticketing system.
“Through devolution I’m working to build the transport network that our region’s 1.6m people deserve. Getting about by public transport should be cheap, green, quick and reliable. A modern, integrated ticketing system is a core part of that. While ticketing on Merseyrail services is currently the responsibility of the operator, I have instructed Combined Authority officers to work with them to see how ticketing can be brought into the 21st century.
He added: “Passengers in our region shouldn’t have to put up with this analogue system in a digital age and I’m doing everything I can to put it right.”
In her own response, Merseyrail's commercial director Suzanne Grant said: "Currently, we do not have the technology needed to validate electronic tickets, and unfortunately this opens the risk of a customer simply refunding their ticket once they have completed their journey. For this reason we cannot accept them.
She added: "We understand that the pandemic has accelerated demand for smarter ticketing options, and in January we introduced new systems to allow tickets purchased via third parties to be printed and collected at our stations. This is already proving popular and is the first stage in what we hope will be significant future improvements to our ticketing offer."
