A FED-UP commuter is hoping people power will make train bosses rethink and drop their prices.

Greg Chambers, 26, believes he could cost c2c as much as £200,000 in lost revenue in one month, by getting at least 300 people to sign up to an alternative car share scheme.

Mr Chambers said the final straw was the latest above-inflation price rise, 6 per cent, on the Shoebury to Fenchurch Street line, which saw season ticket fares jump from £2,844 to £3,012.

He has launched a Facebook group in protest, open to all commuters, urging them to get involved in a month-long car share this May.

Mr Chambers of The Ridgeway, Chalkwell, said: “I’m fed up with repeated price rises. They have also shortened the length of trains since I started commuting, which means you’re less likely to get a seat.

“I don’t think they take any notice of people who write to them and complain. The only way to get anywhere is hitting them in the pocket.”

Mr Chambers has commuted with c2c for four years to London, where he works for Multiply marketing agency.

The price hikes were linked to July’s inflation rate, as measured by the Retail Prices Index, 5 per cent. However, the most recently published inflation figure fell to 4.2 per cent for December.

Passengers using the National Express East Anglia line between Southend Victoria and Liverpool Street have also seen season ticket prices increase from £3,140 to £3,316.

Mr Chambers believed car sharing could force home the point. He said: “If people commute together in cars in groups of three it could work.”

A spokesman for c2c said the “framework” for fare price rises was set by the Government. He added: “We’re sorry this customer is unhappy with the current rates. However, c2c has the best punctuality in the country and we have introduced extra trains during peak times to reduce overcrowding.”

To sign up to Mr Chambers’s group log on to www.facebook.com and search for “Commuter action against train monopolies”.