News / Transport
New ‘flat fare’ for bus travel across Bristol
Buses are a hot topic of debate in Bristol as operator First Bus reveals details of a new ‘flat fare’ for travel across the city.
Due to be rolled out next month as part of wider changes to the service, the new £2 ticket price for single journeys (£2.50 for those buying on board) means costs will go down for some passengers and up for others.
The idea is to bridge current inequalities, so people travelling into the centre from further afield will no longer have to pay more, and incentivise purchasing tickets beforehand via app, mTicket or smart card, in a bid to minimise delays and speed up the service.
is needed now More than ever
Details of the new fares come soon after First boss James Freeman issued an apology for the state of the city’s bus services amid consistent delays and cancellations – blaming problems with recruitment and the increasing congestion.
But some commuters have had enough of the public transport “chaos” in Bristol and some 280 people have backed a petition calling for the city council and West of England Combined Authority (WECA) to “take back control” of the service.
Max Langer says there must be another way to run the buses
Max Langer, a Lib Dem campaigner and student at UWE Bristol launched the petition due to his frustration at the “terrible” service. His call for action comes after the announcement of a mass rally to protest at the state of the buses.
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Read more: Mass rally over state of Bristol’s bus services
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The new flat fare was first announced by mayor Marvin Rees in his annual State of the City address and – along with other changes – will come into effect from November 11 and applies to all single trips in the greater Bristol area, which covers a radius of approximately six miles from the city centre.
First says it has simplified zones and increased incentives for customers to purchase tickets before they board the bus. As such, most mTicket and smartcard fares remain unchanged, but a Day Rider will increase to £5 (from £4.50) if bought in cash from the driver, and the popular 3-stop-hop ticket will increase to £1.20 (from £1).
James Freeman has recently apologised for delays to the services
Commenting on the changes, First West of England managing director James Freeman said: “We think that the new flat single fare for Bristol will be welcomed. It will give people in all areas of the city access to our range of services at one simple price.
“We continue to see significant growth in the number of people using our buses in Bristol and the surrounding areas, and these fare changes ensure we can continue to invest in our people and fleet which is necessary to meet this rising demand.”
He added: “Speeding up journeys is more critical now than ever, so our new fares provide a further incentive for even more customers to buy before they board, which will help further speed up the boarding process and keep our buses moving.
“We are also delighted that customers currently travelling in our West of England Zone will see significant reductions when buying day and longer duration tickets.”
But some feel they are paying more for an inadequate system and Max hopes to reach 3,500 signatures to trigger a Bristol City Council debate on the subject.
Full details of the changes can be found at www.mynewticket.co.uk.
Read more: Vision for ‘world class transport system’ for Bristol
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