WFHers who only come into the office for the pub offered cheaper rail tickets
Workers who only go into the office a few days a week to socialise after hours are being offered cheaper train tickets by one of the UK’s major rail operators.
On Friday Northern Rail launched Barcode Season Tickets for so-called recremuters.
The rail company said that these people are only travelling into the office on average three days a week for “recreational add-ons”, such as going to the pub or cinema with their friends after work.
The new tickets offer any eight days travel in a 28-day window and up to 33pc off the regular cost of commuting between two stations. They are available to adult customers as weekly or monthly options.
“Whether it’s to nip into the pub after work, meet mates at the cinema, meet a friend for lunch or to indulge in some retail therapy, the office itself isn’t reason enough [to travel] anymore,” the rail operator said.
Mark Powles, customer and commercial director at Northern Rail, said: “We’ve seen the profile of our customers change post-pandemic.
“The traditional ‘Monday to Friday, nine to five’ still exists, but there are far fewer of them. More people are now commuting when they want and for reasons personal to them.”
The tickets are similar to National Rail’s Flexi Season tickets. However, they offer a minimum of 20pc discount on an equivalent monthly season ticket, whereas Northern Rail promises a maximum savings of 33pc.
It comes as businesses and governmental departments have been trying to draw more workers back into the office as many are still choosing to work from home after it became normalised during the pandemic.
In November, Rishi Sunak ordered civil servants back to the office for at least three days a week due to concerns over productivity.
This newspaper also revealed at the end of last year that some council employees were being investigated by a government fraud squad after staff were caught “moonlighting” while working from home.
The National Fraud Initiative, which is overseen by the Cabinet Office, is assessing the scale of the problem after several local authorities warned the practice has been exacerbated by hybrid working, where staff only come into the office on some days.
After a year of delays and cancellations from Britain’s rail operators, millions of passengers face fresh misery in 2024 after train companies were told to find savings that could lead to reduced services and more overcrowding.
According to industry sources, the scale of the savings being sought by the Government is as much as £2bn to £3bn per year, with companies being asked to put forward initial suggestions within weeks.
On Tuesday, people trying to go south of London were issued with a “do not travel” notice by operators Southern, South Western Railway, Gatwick Express and Thameslink shortly before the Tuesday evening rush hour as Storm Henk struck and caused chaos on rail networks.
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