Traversing the world of train tickets can be a minefield for some Brits.
Now, it’s been revealed unsuspecting travellers could be paying up to 154% more on their tickets if they’re not akin to where the best value fares can be found.
Commuters relying on ticket offices are 75% more likely to be charged a higher price than if they had booked online, according to a new report.
Researchers at Which? compared train tickets on the Trainline PLC (LSE:TRN) app with those purchased from ticketing offices and found that on average same-day journeys cost 52% more if bought in person.
In one case, a journey from Cheshire to London was 154% more expensive at the station, with the ticket office charging £66 compared to the Trainline’s £26 split ticket option.
Ticket machines often offer a restricted range of fares, the consumer pressure group added, as most don’t offer advanced fares.
Advanced fares are typically cheaper because they are bought ahead of the journey, but they can still be available for purchase up to ten minutes before a train’s departure.
Only fifteen of the machines tested by Which? offered advanced fares.
Additionally, machines don’t offer split ticketing, which breaks up the journey into multiple tickets to reduce the price.
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: “The price differences we found between booking online and using station ticket machines were simply astounding.
“Wherever possible we’d recommend booking train tickets online for the cheapest options, but that won’t be possible for everyone.
“Significant numbers of elderly people don’t have internet access at all - leaving them with little choice but to run the gauntlet of ticket machines.”
Shares in Trainline jumped 4% on the back of Which?’s findings, with the stock trading at around 320p.