Which? responds to ORR train ticket drip pricing report

Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said:

"Drip pricing is an underhanded pricing tactic that Which? has exposed across a range of industries. The UK's railways provide an essential service every day to hundreds of thousands of commuters, students and families, so the Office of Rail and Road's (ORR) findings are particularly worrying.

"It is essential that the third-party ticket providers identified by the ORR take swift action to improve their practices, and make purchasing more transparent so that passengers can easily compare the total cost of buying a ticket. The ORR should also continue to monitor the situation and take further action as necessary.

"We're calling on the government through the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill currently going through Parliament, to ban unacceptable drip pricing practices, including in relation to train tickets. This should ensure that any charges travellers must pay, which includes those that are not genuinely optional, must be displayed clearly in the up front price of a ticket, as well as improve the transparency of all customer charges throughout the purchasing process".