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From 13 August, changes to Virgin Trains’ CharityLine system will mean charities have to pay full fares for peak time trains, which can cost hundreds of pounds.
The existing system, which has been running for over 10 years, allows charities to travel on peak trains with tickets that were effectively at off-peak prices. For example, a fare on the 07:00 from Liverpool Lime Street to London with the current CharityLine costs £66. Following the changes it will be closer to £250.
The impact of the change on charities is exacerbated by the expansion in the number of peak time trains. Afternoon weekday services from London to Liverpool now considered ‘peak’ include all trains after 14:07 and before 19:07.
Despite Virgin's stated commitment to supporting charities with Virgin Money Giving, charity of the year and a corporate social responsibility policy, this change to CharityLIne will actually negatively impact hundreds of charities.
Jay Kennedy, Head of Policy at the Directory of Social Change, said ‘the changes to CharityLine have been made with zero consultation and little notice for Virgin’s charity customers. Many charities have planned their travel budgets for this year based on the previous system and will now have to either curtail their travel, use other transportation, or find the extra money for fares.’
‘The company has presented the changes as advantageous by offering a 20% discount on advance tickets, but these are severely restricted. The benefit of the discount for some journeys will be eclipsed by the huge increase in fares for any charity needing to travel at peak times.’
‘We are calling on Virgin to reverse its decision. They should at least consider offering a far greater level of discount under the new system (at least 50%) for all valid charity customers, which should apply to all tickets including peak time trains.’
For more information please contact Richard Lee, Directory of Social Change or phone (020 7391 4881, 0797 008 7207).
Notes to editors:
Founded in 1974, the Directory of Social Change (DSC) is a national charity which supports an independent voluntary sector through campaigning, training and publications. DSC is the largest supplier of information and training to the voluntary sector, and its work helps tens of thousands of organisations every year achieve their aims. Learn more at www.dsc.org.uk