Bus Fares from 3/4/2011

[The Egg Man]

Info from First Bus.

" can inform you that, as a result of a comprehensive review of our fare structure, we are revising our fares with effect from Sunday 3 April 2011. Among the principal changes being made are the simplification of single and return fares and a reduction in the cost of those weekly tickets that can be purchased on-bus.

Following feedback from customers and stakeholders which suggested that our single fare system should be made easier to understand, we are introducing two flat single fares within the Glasgow city area and a further two flat fares for longer trips between suburban areas and the city. Short hops of around 5 stops will cost only 90p while journeys across the Glasgow city area will cost a flat fare of £1.80. Single journeys from further afield into the city centre will cost £3 or £3.90 depending on the distance travelled.

We are also simplifying return fares which, from 3 April, will be valid for peak travel also and which will be reduced to start from only £3. The attached leaflet demonstrates some example journeys for each type of ticket.

Customers who travel with us on a regular basis will also see benefits from the review as our FirstWeek ticket, following the success of the recent Price BUSter promotion, is being held at the lower price of £14 for travel within the Glasgow City area and £16 for travel between outlying areas and the city centre. Despite rising costs we have been able to keep our FirstWeek tickets at a reduced price which, we hope, will encourage people to try the bus in light of the current cost of petrol.

A flat single fare will also be introduced for children with journeys of any distance costing just 75p. Our other child fares are either being reduced in price or kept at current levels with an unaccompanied Child FirstDay ticket reduced in price to £2, a Child FirstWeek reduced by £2 to only £9 and an accompanied Child FirstDay ticket remaining at £1.

While the review will make our fares simpler for customers, some fares will be increased in order to help introduce the new flat fare system and to offset rising industry costs which First has been unable to absorb completely e.g. FirstDay tickets, which can be purchased from drivers on-bus, will rise in price. However, with a city FirstDay being increased by only 25p and offering unlimited travel throughout the day, this ticket continues to offer great value for money.

While we have had to pass on some of our rising costs to our customers by way of some price increases, we hope that by making other changes such as the remodelling of our return ticket arrangements, the vast majority of our customers will be able to take advantage our new fares’ package.

Details of the forthcoming changes – including the leaflet which I have attached to this email – are available for customers online at www.firstgroup.com/glasgow.

I hope you find the above information helpful. If, however, you have any questions about our fares’ changes, please do not hesitate to contact me personally by email at [email protected] or by telephone at 0141 636 3001.

Yours sincerely, Ronnie Park, Managing Director"

[Dexter St. Clair]

BUS passengers in Edinburgh are facing the first fare increase in two years from Lothian Buses after the publicly-owned company said it was forced to pass on the costs of fuel and rising inflation.

Single fares will increase by 10p to £1.30 from April 3 and the cost of a one-week unlimited travel pass will go up by £1 to £16, the company said.

Ian Craig, managing director of Lothian Buses, the biggest bus company operating out of the capital, said the fare rises were needed so the firm could continue to deliver the same level of service.

He said: “It’s now more than two years since we last revised our ticket prices.

“The quality of service which we are committed to providing for our customers comes at a cost and we have now reached the point where we have to increase the prices of some of our tickets to ensure that we can continue to match the high standards which our customers rightly expect.

“Since we set our current fares in January 2009 the Retail Prices Index has risen by more than 9%, and the price of the fuel which is our largest material cost has risen by more than 40%.

“People only have to recall their own personal experience at the supermarket checkout or the petrol station to appreciate how prices have risen.”

The company said even with the increases taken into account, bus fares would remain cheaper than equivalent fares in other major cities, including Glasgow and Aberdeen.