hide-cv - Ellie Harrison

Media

Bus Regulation: The Musical comes to the Bluecoat

17 Oct 2022
The Guide Liverpool
Lecture

In conversation with Sophie Hope

7 Oct 2022
Sunlight Doesn't Need a Pipeline, Stanley Picker Gallery (1:11:11-1:48:00)
Lecture

Campaign Launch

3 Oct 2022
Better Buses for Merseyside (0:37:48-0:49:06)
Media

Get Glasgow Moving protest outside SPT offices in Glasgow

1 Oct 2022
The Scotsman
Lecture

Global Challenges, Local Solutions

29 Sep 2022
GCPH Small Grants Programme Showcase Event, University of Glasgow
Lecture

Whose Railway Is It Anyway?

7 Sep 2022
New Internationalist, Mount Florida Books
Media

Railways: Back on track?

1 Sep 2022
New Internationalist (p.21-22)
Lecture

Bus Regulation: The Musical – Screening & Discussion

25 Aug 2022
Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow
Lecture

Studio Social: An Online Talk with artist Ellie Harrison

26 Jul 2022
Pier Projects
Media

Transport for All: Ellie Harrison on bringing back publicly-owned buses

6 Jul 2022
Common Weal Policy Podcast, The Common Weal
Lecture

Alternatives: mobility industry & public ownership

28 Jun 2022
Automotive Industry: Just Transition & the development of alternatives in the international value chains, Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Brussels (Belgium)
Media

Publicly-owned buses discussion

27 Jun 2022
Drivetime, BBC Radio Scotland
Lecture

Transport Workshop

17 Jun 2022
Cost of Living Summit, Scottish Trades Union Congress
Lecture

Bus Regulation: The Musical

17 Jun 2022
Modern Studies, Glasgow Gaelic School
Lecture

Environment, Art & Feminist Futures

14 Jun 2022
Conversations about Art in a time of Environmental Change, Glasgow
Media

The Glasgow Effect – Book Review

17 May 2022
Goodreads
Lecture

Digital Arts & Activism Workshop

13 May 2022
V&A Dundee
Lecture

Local Elections – Voting for the Climate

2 May 2022
Rising Clyde, IndependenceLive
Media

Bus Regulation: The Musical on Your Shout

18 Apr 2022
Gina McKie, GoRadio
Lecture

Artist’s Talk

9 Mar 2022
Interdisciplinary Talks Series, University for the Creative Arts, Farnham
Lecture

Everyone Aboard: Transport, poverty & climate justice

4 Mar 2022
The Poverty Alliance, Scottish Labour Conference Fringe
Media

Take Back Our Buses

19 Feb 2022
GoRadio
Media

Campaigners take to the streets

18 Feb 2022
That's TV Scotland
Lecture

Chair’s Report

16 Feb 2022
Get Glasgow Moving AGM

Ellie Harrison Louise Haigh and Labour say that they will reform the complex fares system to ensure that passengers are confident that they are getting the best fare; confidence that X is the case, and X being the case are not necessarily the same thing. Simplification of fares would have to include the abolition of many fares. The assertion that simplifying the fares structure would reduce travelling costs is based upon a false premise, that being that the complicated-ness of the fares-and-ticketing structure is the reason why fares are expensive, that is not why they are expensive. They are expensive because the base level is too high. If you massively simplify the fares, one might then always be certain of getting the best available fare because there are no obscure cheaper fare hidden away in a Byzantine monolith, but that best fare is likely the best of a bad bunch. Railway fares are complicated, but it is within this myriad complexity that the nuances which facilitate cheaper options lurk; if you take a sledgehammer to the behemoth you bring down the cheaper options which lurk within the behemoth. If there are presently 18 options for doing Thing X, with 15 of those ways being cheap, and 3 of those ways being expensive, if you abolish the 15 cheap options for doing thing X you have massively simplified the paying-to-do-Thing X process because having 3 ways is much simpler than having 18 ways, and you have made it such that one is highly unlikely to not notice the cheapest of the available fares, because one is more likely to notice something when it is one amongst 3 than if it is one amongst 18, but it is nevertheless the case that the person is selecting the cheapest of the 3 most expensive. (i) Being guaranteed to always get the best fare; and (ii). getting cheaper fares are not necessarily the same thing. Be mindful of the actual specific wording of things: both before and after coming into government, Labour has never in actually promised cheaper fares, what Labour has promised is that one will be guaranteed to get the best available fare. The general public, politicians and public-transport campaign organisations alike have been seduced by the word 'simplification'. Simplification is not a virtue in and of itself. Simplification is a neutral concept, neither a good thing nor a bad thing; what is pertinent and important is the nature of the simplification. One can simplify travelling costs upwards. Simplification can simplify out the cheaper options. I deliberately say 'travelling costs', not 'fares', because thinking only terms of fares when it comes to simplification of railway fares and ticketing, and when it comes to Single-Leg Pricing is a proverbial red herring, one should think both in terms of fares AND in terms of travelling costs. Fare decreases do not necessarily mean travelling-cost. LNER is a prime example: with the June of 2023 introduction of Single-Leg Pricing on LNER, and the February of 2024 introduced of the Simpler Fares pilot, travelling costs for using LNER have gone up. Two halved-in-price Singles are more expensive than one Day Return; a fare reduction, but a travelling-cost increase. The changes December of 2023 fares-and-ticketing changes on c2c have many of the same fare-decreases-but-travelling-cost increases as LNER, plus its pay-as-you-go tap-in-tap-out integration with Transport for London (to simplify things) has necessitated the introduction of a weekday early-evening peak period between 4.00 p.m. and 7.00 p.m., which has numerous knock-on effects which can hugely increase one's travelling costs. The answer is not reform of the fares-and-ticketing structure. The answer is not simplification of the fares-and-ticketing structure. The answer is to decrease the price of all existing fares. Do not abolish any existing fares. Do not introduce any new types of fare. Just make all existing fares 45% cheaper, and leave it at that.

As the idiom goes: 'Be careful what you wish for, because it might come true'. Reform will only be good if it is good reform. We don't need reform, we need good reform. Some might fear that prices would inevitably be rationalised upwards. Inevitably, the rationalisation would rationalise out the cheaper options. Some might fear that reform of the fares-and-ticketing structure would, inevitably, reform travelling costs upwards, and reform out the cheaper options. Some might fear that simplification of the fares-and-ticketing structure would, inevitably, simplify travelling costs upwards, and simplify out the cheaper options. Just take a look at LNER. Be careful what you wish for, because it might come true.

Bus Regulation: The Musical comes to the Bluecoat

17 Oct 2022 The Guide Liverpool

In conversation with Sophie Hope

7 Oct 2022 Sunlight Doesn't Need a Pipeline, Stanley Picker Gallery (1:11:11-1:48:00)

Campaign Launch

3 Oct 2022 Better Buses for Merseyside (0:37:48-0:49:06)

Get Glasgow Moving protest outside SPT offices in Glasgow

1 Oct 2022 The Scotsman

Global Challenges, Local Solutions

29 Sep 2022 GCPH Small Grants Programme Showcase Event, University of Glasgow

Whose Railway Is It Anyway?

7 Sep 2022 New Internationalist, Mount Florida Books

Railways: Back on track?

1 Sep 2022 New Internationalist (p.21-22)

Bus Regulation: The Musical – Screening & Discussion

25 Aug 2022 Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow

Studio Social: An Online Talk with artist Ellie Harrison

26 Jul 2022 Pier Projects

Transport for All: Ellie Harrison on bringing back publicly-owned buses

6 Jul 2022 Common Weal Policy Podcast, The Common Weal

Alternatives: mobility industry & public ownership

28 Jun 2022 Automotive Industry: Just Transition & the development of alternatives in the international value chains, Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Brussels (Belgium)

Publicly-owned buses discussion

27 Jun 2022 Drivetime, BBC Radio Scotland

Transport Workshop

17 Jun 2022 Cost of Living Summit, Scottish Trades Union Congress

Bus Regulation: The Musical

17 Jun 2022 Modern Studies, Glasgow Gaelic School

Environment, Art & Feminist Futures

14 Jun 2022 Conversations about Art in a time of Environmental Change, Glasgow

The Glasgow Effect – Book Review

17 May 2022 Goodreads

Digital Arts & Activism Workshop

13 May 2022 V&A Dundee

Local Elections – Voting for the Climate

2 May 2022 Rising Clyde, IndependenceLive

Bus Regulation: The Musical on Your Shout

18 Apr 2022 Gina McKie, GoRadio

Artist’s Talk

9 Mar 2022 Interdisciplinary Talks Series, University for the Creative Arts, Farnham

Everyone Aboard: Transport, poverty & climate justice

4 Mar 2022 The Poverty Alliance, Scottish Labour Conference Fringe

Take Back Our Buses

19 Feb 2022 GoRadio

Campaigners take to the streets

18 Feb 2022 That's TV Scotland

Chair’s Report

16 Feb 2022 Get Glasgow Moving AGM

17 Oct 2022
The Guide Liverpool

7 Oct 2022
Sunlight Doesn't Need a Pipeline, Stanley Picker Gallery (1:11:11-1:48:00)

3 Oct 2022
Better Buses for Merseyside (0:37:48-0:49:06)

1 Oct 2022
The Scotsman

29 Sep 2022
GCPH Small Grants Programme Showcase Event, University of Glasgow

7 Sep 2022
New Internationalist, Mount Florida Books

1 Sep 2022
New Internationalist (p.21-22)

25 Aug 2022
Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow

26 Jul 2022
Pier Projects

6 Jul 2022
Common Weal Policy Podcast, The Common Weal

28 Jun 2022
Automotive Industry: Just Transition & the development of alternatives in the international value chains, Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Brussels (Belgium)

27 Jun 2022
Drivetime, BBC Radio Scotland

17 Jun 2022
Cost of Living Summit, Scottish Trades Union Congress

17 Jun 2022
Modern Studies, Glasgow Gaelic School

14 Jun 2022
Conversations about Art in a time of Environmental Change, Glasgow

17 May 2022
Goodreads

13 May 2022
V&A Dundee

2 May 2022
Rising Clyde, IndependenceLive

18 Apr 2022
Gina McKie, GoRadio

9 Mar 2022
Interdisciplinary Talks Series, University for the Creative Arts, Farnham

4 Mar 2022
The Poverty Alliance, Scottish Labour Conference Fringe

19 Feb 2022
GoRadio

18 Feb 2022
That's TV Scotland

16 Feb 2022
Get Glasgow Moving AGM