News / Transport
Cheaper bus fares coming soon
All single adult bus tickets in Bristol will soon be reduced while children will pay a flat £1 fare.
The new prices will start from September 25 on the vast majority of buses before being introduced across all routes across all operators by the end of October.
The scheme is a joint initiative from the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), North Somerset Council and various bus operators.
is needed now More than ever
All single adult tickets in Bristol will be reduced to £2 for adults while returns will cost £3.50, with metro mayor Dan Norris saying that “it’s time to get on board for new fares”.
Passenger numbers on buses across Bristol are 25 per cent down on pre-pandemic levels, with Norris hoping that the fare reductions will help address the major issues with buses at the moment.
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Norris said: “I’m delighted to be able to introduce this package to immediately to offer a small helping hand to people facing a crippling cost-of-living crisis.
“At a time where the challenges on the buses are so huge, this is a real opportunity to create that virtuous cycle of more fare income to reinvest in our bus network which in turn will mean better buses for everyone.”
First West of England managing director, Doug Clarinbold, added: “With rising living costs, we are delighted that the West of England Authority and North Somerset Council have been able to provide operators in the region with financial support that enables significant reductions to these key West of England fares.
“Passenger numbers on our services are still significantly down on pre-pandemic levels and we are seeing some of our longer distance services that connect our towns and cities or serve more rural areas facing a particularly difficult time.
“Lower single, return and day ticket fares will help these services at a time when most things are going up in price.
“We hope this will encourage more people to use our services so that as we take action to increase driver numbers and improve the reliability of our services, we can accelerate the recovery in bus use across the region.”
Main photo: Martin Booth
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