Unjust system

YOUR correspondents have valid and compelling factual economic arguments in their criticisms of Scottish rail fares (Letters, 
16 August). However, your headline “Fares unfair” encapsulates one of the most persuasive cases against free market capitalism. Namely, it is an unjust system enabling suppliers to maximise their profits at the customer’s 
expense.

How could a fairer system be achieved without “collective intervention”, the state or another consumers’ agency? Moreover, a second argument for a uniform fares structure is that of the waste of resources. Time and effort are wasted on booking, while off-peak trains run uneconomically with far fewer passengers. Arguably, for both these reasons, there is a case for “collective intervention” in privatised public transport.

Ellis Thorpe

Old Chapel Walk

Inverurie, Abereenshire