The Know Daily - Monday 4 March 2024

_{Read in 5m 14s ∙ Listening to Raye ∙}

A social worker turned interior designer is revamping the homes of social housing tenants to support women and children’s wellbeing and boost their self-esteem. Emily Wheeler founded Furnishing Futures after seeing how families escaping domestic violence are often rehoused in empty properties, and the charity uses donated furniture to create beautiful interiors 👇 and support their recovery. 

With thanks to Wild Nutrition - the brand pioneering naturally-sourced, scientifically studied Food-Grown supplements - for bringing you stories celebrating women all week.

🚂 Rail fares rise

Train fares increased by 4.9% in England and Wales on Sunday. 

Can you put this into perspective?
Sure. Yesterday’s hike is expected to add “hundreds of pounds” to yearly travel costs for many commuters, said The Guardian, with analysis showing the rise would add almost £150 to an annual season ticket from York to Leeds.

In Scotland, rail fares will go up by 8.7% from April.

How’s it gone down? 
A spokesperson for the Campaign for Better Transport said that passengers would be “rightly angry” at the latest increase in fares, also saying that rises were pushing people to switch “from the railway to the roads”. And as The Independent noted, the 4.9% hike comes as rail cancellations are currently among the highest levels for a decade.

But the government defended the increase, saying that rail revenues were still about 20% below pre-pandemic levels - and that they had made a significant intervention to keep fares down.

Is the situation the same across the country?
Not quite. As The Guardian pointed out, the rise “comes in contrast” to policy in London, where Tube, Overground and bus fares are frozen for another year (although daily fare caps on multiple journeys will rise). 

And from this week, Transport for London will begin a three-month trial of no peak fares on Fridays, in a post-pandemic initiative aimed at encouraging more people back into the office to give a “much-needed boost” to the hospitality, business and leisure sectors.

Finally - is there any way to save on rail tickets?!
Thankfully, yes. Money Saving Expert has this guide on 18 (!) different ways to save, along with plenty of practical information.