Most bus passengers to pay less than the government’s £3 fare cap

The majority of bus passengers across the West of England will pay less than the £3 fare cap being introduced by the government in the new year, First Bus has announced today.

The changes to fares, which take effect from January 1, have been made after the government announced it was increasing the cap on single fares from £2 to £3.

Despite having the option of increasing some fares by a larger amount, First Bus has worked with the region’s local transport authorities to keep the majority of journeys 20% lower than the government cap at £2.40. The latest figures show that 65% of passengers will benefit from the lower fare. Anyone travelling over six miles (about 35% of passengers) will pay £3 for a single fare.

Among some of the changes are:

• Adult single fares in the Bristol, Bath and Weston-super-Mare zones will increase from £2 to £2.40.
• Adult single fares in the rest of the West of England (mainly South Gloucestershire, and north and east Somerset) will increase from £2 to £2.40 for journeys up to six miles and to £3 for longer journeys.
• There are also changes to day and season ticket prices, and to student, young person and child fares. See the First Bus website for details.
• As part of the local Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), child single tickets remain at £1 for travel anywhere in the region.
• Single town fares for adults in Clevedon, Nailsea, Portishead, Thornbury, Yate and Frome will remain at £1.80.

The fares have been agreed in collaboration with First Bus’ local transport authority partners at the West of England Combined Authority, North Somerset Council, Somerset Council and Wiltshire Council.

Rob Pymm, Commercial Director for First Bus in the West of England, said: “Some of our fares will be changing from January 1 in response to the UK government’s £3 fare cap. While we had the option of increasing some fares by a larger amount, we’ve worked closely with local transport authorities to keep fares for most passengers 20% lower than the government’s cap.

“Despite growing costs and increasing our network of services, we’ve worked hard to minimise the impact of this fare change, and demonstrate our ongoing commitment to encouraging more people to travel sustainably by bus.

“Bus travel remains a great value option that is good for society and the environment. We’re continuing to invest in bus services, and our Tap On, Tap Off technology remains the easiest and quickest way to pay, ensuring customers get the best value fare for their journey.”

While most passengers will pay £2.40 for their single journeys, even those paying £3 (journeys longer than six miles) will still receive value for money. For example, passengers travelling on the service 374 between Taunton and Bristol (about 49 miles) will pay just 6p per mile - a fraction of the average cost per mile of running a car at 57p (Source: NimbleFins). 

First Bus is also encouraging more customers to make use of its Tap On, Tap Off (TOTO) technology that allows customers to swipe their bank card or device on an on-board payment reader to ensure they get the best value fare every time they travel and have their daily and weekly costs capped – making it the quickest and most cost-effective way to travel.

A list of the new fares can be found on the First Bus website.