First Bus: Fares To Change

3 October 2013, 01:00

Following three months of public consultation, which saw more than 7,500 questionnaires returned to the company, First West of England have revealed the outcome of the ‘Fare Hearing for Bristol’ and confirm that bus fares in the city are set to change from 3 November.

The changes are radical with most adults, children and young people set to pay less for single fares compared to what they pay now.  

The ‘Three Stop Hop’ is being retained on a permanent basis, while shorter distance fares – which will apply from wherever you board within a newly created inner zone – will allow people to travel up to three miles for £1.50 (adults).

The cost of travel for children (up to the age of 16) and young people (up to the age of 21) will also be reduced. Children aged between five and 15 years will benefit from 50% discounts on all single tickets within the inner zone, and 50% discounts on all period products in the inner and outer zones. This makes the cheapest fare for them – the ‘Three Stop Hop’ at just 50p.  

Young people (those between 16 and 21 years old) in possession of a valid ID card will get a 30% discount on all singles within the inner zone and a 30% discount on all period products in the inner and outer zone. This marks a significant improvement as there is no discount at present)1

Up to two children under the age of five will still be able to travel for free with a fare paying young person or adult.

Talking about the changes, Paul Matthews, Managing Director of First West of England, says:

“During the summer our transport consultants MVA have been analysing all the data that was collected as part of the fare consultation and they have been modelling a number of different outcomes for us. I am delighted with the final solution and am personally thrilled to know that 90% of our customers will pay an average 27% less for single fares than they currently do.

Our new fare structure offers greater transparency for our customers. The cost of the journey is based solely on the distance covered. Children and young people benefit from significantly reduced travel costs, and the anomalies with some parts of outer Bristol being, perhaps unfairly categorised as Zone 3 to date, will be removed. This makes the structure fairer.

The fares will change from 3 November. Between now and then we’ll be running a series of customer and staff facing engagement sessions to walk people through the changes we’re making. We want everyone to know what is happening and what the new fares for individual journeys will be.  Improving the communication around the different fares available is a key task for us and it is something we are embracing – where possible we’ll place information in bus stops, on the buses, in a booklet for customers and on our website.”

Underpinning the changes is a structural change to the way that the zones in and around Bristol are organised, and the way that fares are calculated. The current zone 1, 2, 3 zone arrangement is being abolished in favour of a bigger ‘inner’ zone and a new ‘outer’ zone. The inner zone will extend six miles from the city centre in all directions: this change will help resolve many of the issues that have arisen previously with people living in areas seemingly close to the city centre – for instance Pill – having to pay more than others. The outer zone will apply to the areas between six and 12 miles from the city centre in all directions.

From 3 November all fares within the inner zone will be charged based solely on the distance travelled from the boarding point.  There will be four different single fares within the inner zone:

·        The three stop hop – which was reintroduced in May 2013 when initial feedback from the fare consultation events was considered – allowing people to travel up to three stops for just £1 (50p children, 70p young people).  
·        A single ticket covering travel up to three miles from the boarding point for £1.50 (75p children, £1.05 young people),
·        A single ticket covering travel up to six miles from the boarding point for £2.50 (£1.25 children, £1.75 young people),
·        A single ticket covering travel beyond six miles from the boarding point, where the route remains within the inner zone boundary, at £3.50 (£1.75 children, £2.45 young people) 2.  

Customers will no longer be able to buy return tickets if they are only travelling in the inner zone. Instead those people who previously bought returns will be able to buy lower priced single tickets, or a day ticket if they wish to make more than one journey3.  

A number of different period products,including day, week, month and annual tickets will continue to be available (see the notes to editor for details).  

Single and return fares for journeys that cross between the inner and outer zones will not be affected by the changes (so the cost of single and return fares on, for example, the X39, X42, 319, 342 will remain as they are4). Period tickets covering both the inner and outer zone will be available though and they will offer bus users travelling to and from Bristol (from outlying towns and villages and from parts of Bath) significant savings. This means that some commuters, including those travelling from Bath city centre to Bristol, will be able to buy cheaper weekly and monthly tickets than they do at present

George Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol said:

"This is the welcome result of a long and hard negotiations reinforced by a relentless campaign by citizen Daniel Farr. I particularly welcome the young people's concessions. Most Bristol people will win and a simpler fare structure, with savings for weekly tickets, will help commuters, visitors and those making trips for leisure get the best out of Bristol by bus.   I'm pleased to see many reductions in costs which will hopefully encourage more people to use buses for day to day journeys, and I continue to press home the need for good value, high quality and affordable bus services with all providers."

Cllr Mark Bradshaw, Assistant Mayor for Transport said:

“Thousands of young people, especially those travelling for training, will benefit from the age limit being raised to 21 years old for fare reductions, so this in particular is a welcome move.  So too is the overall simplification of the fare structure. I’m also pleased to see a significant reduction in travel costs for children and young people aged under 16.
 
I welcome the new structure and will continue to work with the Mayor and First Group to help deliver the public transport system the city deserves. I am encouraging moves towards the introduction of smart ticketing in Bristol and await with eager interest a detailed timetable for its phased introduction.”

Councillor Brian Allinson, Chair of the West of England Joint Transport Executive Committee said:

“The West of England are grateful to First for listening to passengers, and for the changes they are making.  Across the West of England we are working with all bus operators to get the best deal possible for passengers – and the more people who use the buses the less cars there are on the roads – but we all have to be mindful of the need for bus companies to make money be able invest in better buses for the future.  

I look forward to the outcomes of the similar reviews in the reminder of the West of England.  Once the changes bed in they should be easier for people to understand and I hope this simplification brings the introduction of a West of England smartcard closer.”

For more information about First in the West of England, log onto www.firstgroup.com/bristol.