New flexible train tickets catering to passengers travelling to work two or three days a week are available to book from today.
The paperless tickets offer travel on any 8 days in a 28-day period – with no need to select the dates in advance.
The government says the new passes will save commuters hundreds of pounds, providing greater choice and flexibility.
Commuters can now visit an updated online ‘season ticket calculator’ online – which highlights the best value tickets based on their journey, working pattern and individual needs.
New flexible tickets could save some commuters hundreds / Image: El Pollock via Geograph
The flexi-tickets have been introduced as part of a planned shake-up of rail transport in Britain – with a new body Great British Railways (GBR) integrating the railways and setting most fares and timetables.
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GBR is expected to take over the rail system from 2023 – but the new flexi-tickets have been introduced earlier to accommodate current work habits of visiting the workplace two or three times per week.
Government analysis said that 2 day-a-week commuters from Liverpool to Manchester, for instance, could save over £230.
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To encourage more passengers to travel by rail, train companies will also offer a “book with confidence guarantee” until December 31 – allowing people to rebook journeys or receive rail vouchers without an admin fee if their plans change.
Flexible train season tickets in England will go on sale today, to be used from June 28, as part of an overhaul of rail travel.
The new scheme offers discounts on certain routes for those who travel two or three days a week.https://t.co/PpQufvCF2a
However, Tony Miles, rail expert and contributor to Modern Railways magazine, told the BBC that people needed to understand the new system offered a limited number of journeys.
“These really aren’t season tickets – this is a bulk purchase of tickets,” he explained.
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“A season ticket effectively gives you unlimited travel. The big difference with this is you’re buying a fixed number of journeys at a discount price but if you decide at a weekend to do some extra journeys that will start ticking off your credit.”
How will the Government’s new digital ID alternative for alcohol sales work?
Emily Sergeant
All licensed venues across England and Wales now have the choice to introduce digital proof of age for alcohol sales alongside physical.
Instead of having to hand over physical ID that contains personal information, such as names and home addresses, customers now have the choice to simply provide confirmation that they are 18 or over on their phone – helping to better protect privacy and personal safety in the process.
This means that, no matter whether you’re buying a drink at your favourite pub, heading to a festival, or enjoying a night out at a concert, you won’t need to worry if you’ve left your ID at home.
According to the Government, this new change will benefit businesses greatly too, as certified digital services are able to check that an ID is genuine and belongs to the person presenting it much easier than the alternative can, which therefore helps to reduce the risk of any fake or borrowed IDs going undetected.
Well, according to the Government, it could be as simple as a customer showing a QR code for staff to scan, or tapping their phone against a compatible reader, where staff will then receive a clear confirmation on their device that the customer has passed the age check.
This change follows a 2024 Government consultation where it was reported that 72% of respondents supported the use of digital identities for age verification when buying alcohol.
Digital Government Minister Stephanie Peacock reiterated that ‘it will remain an individual or business’ choice whether to use or adopt [digital ID]’ and that physical ID will ‘still remain a valid way’ for customers to prove their age.
“This groundbreaking change in the law will mean you do not need to carry a physical ID, nor hand over sensitive personal information such as your name or address just to prove your age, allowing everyone to feel safer on a night out,” she concluded.
Featured Image – Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)
News
Manchester to host G20 Summit in 2027 with more than a dozen world leaders descending on the city
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed as the host city for the G20 Summit next year.
It was already announced back in November last year that the G20 Summit would be coming to the UK in 2027, and plans were apparently already being discussed to host it in Manchester even before Andy Burnham became Prime Minister and Number 10 North was set up.
But now, ahead of this year’s leaders’ summit being held in Miami in December, it has been confirmed that the G20 Summit will arrive in Manchester in November 2027.
Manchester is said to have been picked to host the leaders’ summit because of its ‘cultural heritage’.
Bringing together 19 of the world’s largest economies and two major multilateral bodies – the European Union and the African union – G20 members who will be invited to attend the summit next year make up 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population as a whole.
Manchester has been confirmed to host the G20 Summit in 2027 / Credit: 10 Downing Street | Paul Kagame (Flickr)
G20 members are also some of the UK’s closest economic partners, the Government insists.
17 of the UK’s top 20 global export markets attend the summit, as do 18 of the UK’s top 20 sources of foreign direct investment.
The presidency of the G20 is currently held by the US but will pass to the UK after the leaders’ summit hosted by the president at his Trump National Doral Miami golf resort in December.
The 2027 summit will be held at Manchester Central, it has been confirmed, and other locations across the UK will also host other G20 events as part of the year-long presidency, but these are yet to be announced.
The Manc -
21st June 2021 
