Free bacon rolls to entice commuters back to trains

Complimentary breakfast food and hot drinks from Greggs are among the perks in a new rewards scheme for people who travel to work by train, industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) announced.

Other benefits will include free audiobooks, access to a mindfulness app, and coffees from London-based cafe chain Pure.

Passengers are required to sign up to nationalrail.co.uk/commuter and select the rewards they want.

They must enter details of their commute but are not required to provide evidence of their travel history.

RDG chief executive Jacqueline Starr said: “Taking the train is more than just a journey, it benefits the environment, economy and local businesses.

“To encourage and support commuters as they return, the rail industry has launched a new commuter rewards website offering free hot drinks, mindfulness, course upgrades, music streaming, audiobooks and more to help enhance customers’ on-train and at-destination experiences.”

Pure boss Spencer Craig said: “Like most businesses that rely on the commuter market, we saw our customer base drop by over 50% due to the work-from-home restrictions coming in to force, and rail commuters no longer coming into the city.

“We’re delighted to be working with the rail industry on their commuter rewards platform and look forward to welcoming customers back and providing them with delicious, nutritious meals and drinks on the go.”

Only 1,000 free Greggs breakfast rolls will be available through the scheme, but other offers will be introduced in the coming weeks.

Demand for peak time trains has increased by 5% since the guidance for people in England to work from home was lifted last week, the RDG said.

But overall passenger numbers on Monday were still only at 53% of pre-pandemic levels, according to provisional Department for Transport figures.

Other incentives to support commuters returning to the office include the introduction of flexible season tickets, and an easing of the rules for amending tickets.