What Firstbus don't want you to know.

[Dexter St. Clair]

Was I out the country when Firstbus put these on all of their vehicles?

A spokeswoman for First said: “The price increase was influenced by the industry cost index, which indicates that costs across the bus industry have risen by 5.79%.

“Several tickets remain unchanged or have actually been reduced in price.”

The Evening Times

Can anyone spot the reduced fare?

[BrigitDoon]

Yup. It now costs bugall to walk to Motherwell College.

[Doorstop]

They used to charge to walk to Motherwell College?

Oh, the exclusivity.

[Josef]

Was I out the country when Firstbus put these on all of their vehicles?

They were up for a week or so beforehand. Although admittedly the notices were hard to make out through the haze of volcanic ash.

[busdriver]

Yup. It now costs bugall to walk to Motherwell College.

The Motherwell College Ticket, was a reduced fare student concession (day ticket) student day ticket concessions were altogether withdrawn and replaced with the 4 versions of the "day tickets" eg: (Adult Fares)
Adult City £3.75
Adult Local £3.75
Adult Network £4.50
Network Plus £5.00

Students can still get reduced rate First Card and First Week tickets on production of a valid photo ID. Not sure that these represent a significant saving though.

[Caltonboy]

public transport is not something i would risk anymore, far too many neds and such on buses in particular.

[munroman]

The increases look more like 10% rather than the mysterious 5.79% figure.

Rip Off!

[The Egg Man]

I wonder how much extra they make from people who don't have the 2p for the £1.02 fare and hand over £1.05 or £1.10 and so on up the fares.

[BrigitDoon]

We had this spot of bother >> a few weeks ago.

[nuttytigger]

my bus fare for the 228 in Hamilton from High Earnock to the town and back again has went from £1.35 to £1.50, the price of the all day ticket is shocking, especially if you are on a tight budget for job hunting

[BrigitDoon]

It's £3.75. When I first moved here three years ago, it was about £2.50

[floweredpig]

This is starting to make the train fares look like value.

[yoker brian]

First are abusing the virtual monopoly they have in the city by setting the fares / reducing services.

In Edinburgh there are two main operators First Bus & Lothian Buses (Ex Corporation)

Lothian Buses operate a flat fare/any distance system of £1.20 for an adult single and a day ticket is £3.00
First are forced to compete with this system (albeit on a much smaller network / range of services).

So guess who get to subsidise the low fares of our First Bus east coast cousins - yup you guessed it - the First bus using public of the west of scotland.

[BrigitDoon]

This is starting to make the train fares look like value.

Indeed. I've though about using the train more often because there's little difference in price now. It's only that there's a bus stop on my doorstop and EK station is a half-hour walk that I don't. If the line still ran to Wilson Place by the Whirlies then I would.

[Dexter St. Clair]

This is starting to make the train fares look like value.

£2.60 Cheap day return on the First Scotrail train and £3.20 two journey ticket on Firstbus for me.