Bus fares to be capped at £2 per journey

[Chippy_Tea]

Bus fares to be capped at £2 per journey in Greater Manchester to ease cost of living burden

Bus fares in Greater Manchester will be capped at £2 per journey to 'help ease the cost of living crisis', it has been confirmed.

Mayor Andy Burnham said the move will also see a daily cap on the region's public transport system of £5 and will save passengers "around 50% on some journeys".

The plans will see Greater Manchester become the first area outside London to have a regulated bus system since the 1980s, with the cap coming into force from 4 September.

But, residents are being warned if they do not use the system, the cap could become unsustainable, and potentially disappear.

What changes will we see to bus fares in Greater Manchester?

• £2 max single fare for adults.
• £1 max for under-16s.
• £5/£2.50 unlimited travel in any day.
• Free travel for passengers aged between 16-18

Mayor Burnham says the announcement comes at a "critical time" for many across the North West who are struggling with the rising cost of living.

He said: “As the most used form of public transport, with around 2.5 million trips every week across the city-region, introducing lower fares for bus passengers is the best way we can help the most people with the cost of travel right now."

Mayor Burnham continued to say: “While this is the right thing to do, we cannot at this point guarantee that this new fare structure will be permanent.

"It will be reviewed annually. But the more that people use the buses, the more likely it is that we will be able to sustain it.”

The move come as part of the mayor's Bee Network vision, which will see the region's public transport system combine trains, trams and buses in an in-sync timetable

A campaign has been launched on Wednesday, 17 August, calling on people to switch to public transport and help make the new fare cap financially sustainable in the long term.

Mayor Burnham added: “Bringing our buses back under public control is an essential step towards creating the Bee Network - our vision for a London-style integrated transport system."

https://www.itv.com/news/granada/20...-be-capped-in-greater-manchester-by-september

 

[DocAnna]

Sadly I remember in Sheffield when it was a standard cap of 5p for adults and 2p for children for the fares. Even at that time (a fair wee while ago) that was really good value. The 50p I'd get from my Grandma when visiting would take me all over town with change for something nice. A few years later when the cap was 10p for adults 5p for children, this freedom also led to my younger brother getting thoroughly lost miles away after getting on the wrong busses, and this was long before the mobile phone

EDIT - just looked it up, looks like my memory wasn't quite right, the price went up to 15p for adults and 4p for children. Not going to put the date in though!

 

[Dutto]

…

My interesting word for the day is paradigm.

That’ll be due to your linguistic aptitude.

 

[moto748]

That’ll be due to your linguistic aptitude.

A paradigm by the dashboard light?

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

Sadly I remember in Sheffield when it was a standard cap of 5p for adults and 2p for children for the fares. Even at that time (a fair wee while ago) that was really good value. The 50p I'd get from my Grandma when visiting would take me all over town with change for something nice. A few years later when the cap was 10p for adults 5p for children, this freedom also led to my younger brother getting thoroughly lost miles away after getting on the wrong busses, and this was long before the mobile phone

EDIT - just looked it up, looks like my memory wasn't quite right, the price went up to 15p for adults and 4p for children. Not going to put the date in though!

I used to go swimming with friends every Saturday when I was a kid with 10p. 3p bus fare there and back and 4p entrance.

 

[Stu's Brews]

This is the right solution but to the wrong problem.

Bus fares (and rail fares) should have been bought under control a long time ago in order to encourage people to use them instead of private vehicles. As an example; it currently costs me £2.70 single and £4.70 return to get the bus from outside my house into the town centre (~2.5miles) but it costs roughly a fifth of that to drive my car.

At £2 per journey it still doesn't work out cheaper using my example above so it's not even that good a solution in reality. Only really helps for longer bus journeys, probably those travelling between two different towns.

Until you make public transport either more affordable or quicker than the alternative then the vast majority of people won't adopt it.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Spike
@Spike______
Replying to
@AndyBurnhamGM

It's a start Andy, but that's £4 for the full return journey.
Or £8 if you have to take two buses to your destination.
Sorry, but it's still too much. Please consider a £3 all day ticket (For all operators.)
Now that would be a real breakthrough in #GetOnBoard

----------------------

Andy Burnham
@AndyBurnhamGM
We are doing a £5 all-operator unlimited journey day ticket.

-----------------------

LT-Leeds
@leeds_lt
That’s pretty standard across Europe. I just came back from Barcelona who charges €2.40 for a single journey.

 

[Bernie]

The people using the buses now will have been paying the old, high bus fares and will have been able to afford it. Admittedly, this will help some, although, many will have had bus passes or season tickets. So, who is this aimed at? People who use the car despite the fact that the car is already more expensive. Burnham admits this since he says that if passenger numbers do not increase higher fares will return. Experience in many areas tells us that it is very difficult to dissuade the inveterate car driver and the only way is to make it impossible to use the car to reach ones destination.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Experience in many areas tells us that it is very difficult to dissuade the inveterate car driver and the only way is to make it impossible to use the car to reach ones destination

I think they are or have brought in a London type charge for driving in the city that may persuade car drivers to leave the car at home and take the now cheaper bus.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Can we keep this thread on the subject of what AB is doing in Manchester this is not about bus passes it's about cheaper travel for everyone, I have opened another thread for bus pass discussion, thanks.

 

[Crappyfish]

This is the right solution but to the wrong problem.

Bus fares (and rail fares) should have been bought under control a long time ago in order to encourage people to use them instead of private vehicles. As an example; it currently costs me £2.70 single and £4.70 return to get the bus from outside my house into the town centre (~2.5miles) but it costs roughly a fifth of that to drive my car.

At £2 per journey it still doesn't work out cheaper using my example above so it's not even that good a solution in reality. Only really helps for longer bus journeys, probably those travelling between two different towns.

Until you make public transport either more affordable or quicker than the alternative then the vast majority of people won't adopt it.

Our bus companies Ariva and Trent have scrapped return fares so we would be better off. When you work out car journey is it just to drop off or is parking free?

 

[Stu's Brews]

Our bus companies Ariva and Trent have scrapped return fares so we would be better off. When you work out car journey is it just to drop off or is parking free?

I can park for free at the office, although I actually very rarely drive into town. I try my best to limit doing short journeys in the car when I could take an alternative instead. Most of the time I walk as I quite enjoy it but if time is tight or the weather is poor then I'll take the bus.

Unfortunately, I'm in the minority and most people would use the car for such journeys. Data from 2020 showed that 59% of all car journeys were less than 5 miles.

Those are the journeys that we need to be converting into walking, cycling or public transport. Pricing of public transport is one of the main obstacles to achieving that though, along with the poor quality service/availability.

 

[Crappyfish]

Can we keep this thread on the subject of what AB is doing in Manchester this is not about bus passes it's about cheaper travel for everyone, I have opened anoher thread for bus pass discussion, thanks.

Spike
@Spike______
Replying to
@AndyBurnhamGM

It's a start Andy, but that's £4 for the full return journey.
Or £8 if you have to take two buses to your destination.
Sorry, but it's still too much. Please consider a £3 all day ticket (For all operators.)
Now that would be a real breakthrough in #GetOnBoard

----------------------

Andy Burnham
@AndyBurnhamGM
We are doing a £5 all-operator unlimited journey day ticket.

-----------------------

LT-Leeds
@leeds_lt
That’s pretty standard across Europe. I just came back from Barcelona who charges €2.40 for a single journey.



View attachment 73569

Still it shows to be Labour that gives no matter how small let's hope other Labour councils come on board.
Burnham didn't have to make this move but it can be seen as a positive in these times of take take take.