The Age of the Fake Friendship

A new Railcards survey out today sampled 1,000 UK adults to investigate how often people actually bother to travel to visit their friends and how real friendships are faring in the era of texting and social networks.

69% of those questioned are Facebook users, with almost a third (32%) boasting in excess of 170 ‘online friends’. However, 56% of Facebook users admitted to only travelling to see TEN of their online friends regularly. Facebook users aged 51-55 were the worst offenders for not seeing their online friends, on average this age group had 31 Facebook friends but a whopping 78% said they saw five or less online friends face-to-face each month.

And it isn’t just virtual friends that are being overlooked, respondents claimed to have an average of 33 friends in their paper address book – and yet almost half of those people Railcards surveyed (47%) stated they see less than FIVE of them face-to-face on a regular basis. People aged 16-18 saw the most of their friends but even this age group only averaged meeting up with a meagre 12 friends face-to-face each month.

Most people cited time (41%), and the distance they had to travel (27%) as the biggest barriers to meeting up with friends more often. People aged 46-50 were the most time-poor, 50% gave lack of time as their top reason for not meeting up with friends.

TV Relationship expert Anna Richardson comments: “A Facebook friendship is a poor substitute for actually meeting up with a friend as you miss out on the personal engagement and real connection that you need to build a strong friendship. It is difficult to make time for friends when juggling busy lives, but without making the effort, there’s a danger that precious friendships are becoming lost in the digital era. So rather than sending an email or text, next time think about actually travelling to see your friends face to face. Invest in a Railcard, get on a train and give that friendship the time it deserves!”

Oyster Pay as you go

• From 2 January 2010 Oyster pay as you go fares are being introduced on National Rail Services in Greater London - you can use your 16-25 Railcard to get discounts
• Discounts are available on the off-peak pay as you go fares and a disounted daily cap will apply, depending on which zones you travel through
• From 2 January 2010 Oyster pay as you go will be the cheapest way to to pay for your off-peak journeys as it replaces the Off-Peak Day cash fare
• Peak pay as you go fares will apply between 4pm and 7pm Monday to Friday and the Railcard discount will not apply at this time. However the Off -Peak Day Travelcard cap still applies and journeys made during this time will count towards the daily cap, so if you are making multiple journeys throughout the day, you will still benefit
• If you are only making a single journing during the evening peak period it is generally cheaper to buy a discounted cash fare
• On a small number of occasions where you are making more than one journey, one of which is during peak times, it may also be cheaper to buy a discounted cash fare for the peak time journey. This will depend entirely on the journeys you are making and whether or not they fall below the daily cap for the zones you have travelled through
• If you are travelling within Greater London during these peak times, its therefore best to check the fare options for your journey before you travel

Please remember to always carry your Railcard with you alongside your Oyster card on your journey and to touch in and out on the card readers at the beginning and end of your journey.

• If you're travelling into London and dont have an Oyster card, you can still get a discount on the All Zones Off-Peak and Anytime Day Travelcard at National Rail Stations
• The usual morning peak restrictions/minimum fares apply

For more information visit nationalrail.co.uk