Price rises of any sort are generally accepted as a fact of life.

Anecdotes along the lines of ‘I remember when a pint of milk cost tuppence’ are ten a penny, and surely few people these days ever really expect the price of anything, from utilities bills to the weekly food shop, to go down.

Of course, the rising cost of public transport is something that is generally expected from time to time, although greeted with dismay by those who will inevitably end up having to fork out.

The anticipated rises in fares on Wharfedale’s rail services are not huge in actual monetary terms. In fact, public transport users from other parts of the country are often surprised by the relatively good value of Wharfedale’s rail system. The scale of the rises themselves – especially on the off-peak fares – do seem a bit of a leap. As Wharfedale Rail Users’ Group has pointed out, the burden falls most heavily on off-peak travellers.

Traditionally seen as those catching trains for leisure, many of these journeys will nevertheless be considered essential by many passengers, be it for shopping, work, or a pleasant day out. Train companies are not necessarily singling out off-peak travellers, though. The reason the cost of peak-time travel does not usually go up by much probably has a lot to do with the system of regulating rail fares. Peak time fares are regulated nationally, and any rises in these fares are carefully restricted. If off-peak fares continue to pick up big rises each year – maybe even one day starting to catch up with peak fares – more rail passengers are going to start asking why daytime fares are not subject to similar restrictions on price increases.

While many local passengers are generally happy with their train services, increased prices are going to lead to them asking if they are getting increased value for money.

This is when the ongoing debates about crowding, additional rolling stock and broken information screens are really going to have to be put right.