Stagecoach SW announces fare changes

Stagecoach confirmed that bus fares in the South West are to rise by an average of 1.8% from 3 May, reflecting rising costs and reduced public sector investment in buses.

However, within this review a number of cheaper fares are being introduced to encourage more frequent usage.

The changes mean that weekly unlimited local travel with Stagecoach in the South West, which has the lowest bus fares of any major operator in the UK, starts from just £1.16 a day*.

Stagecoach has once again frozen the price of many of its popular Exeter and Torbay day and season tickets, as well as further simplifying single fares in Exeter, introducing extended ticket boundaries to its Exeter Plus and Torbay zones, making its popular £1 child add on available at any time and introducing a Group Explorer day ticket.

Customers will see no change to the price of their day or season tickets in the following zones: Explorer/Megarider Gold, Exeter, Exeter Plus, Plymouth, Torbay and Somerset. However there will be small increases to day and season ticket prices in Barnstaple, Exmouth, Newton Abbot and North Devon.

Stagecoach has also further simplified its single fare structure in Exeter to just three fares: £1 for a short hop (now including from St David’s Railway Station to the High Street), £1.70 for a few stops (for example, City Centre to Heavitree) and £2.40 for all other journeys in the city (cross city journeys were previously £2.80).

Outside of Exeter, the discount on most return fares compared to two single fares will increase, leading to return fares of between £3 and £7 reducing by at least 20p, and in some cases as much as 30-40p.

Building on the success of its extensions to ticket boundaries in 2014, the operator will be extending its Exeter Plus zone to include Teignmouth and its Torbay zone to include Dawlish and Dawlish Warren, reducing the cost of weekly travel between Exeter and Teignmouth, and Torquay and Dawlish Warren by up to 33%.

Due to popular demand Stagecoach is making its £1 child add on available at any time. The ticket, which mirrors the adult ticket it is bought alongside, has until now only been available to buy after 9.30am on weekdays however, by removing this restriction, the operator hopes it will prove popular with parents taking their children to school.

The Group Explorer will replace the current Family Explorer and will give any 5 people travelling together a day of unlimited travel on all Stagecoach South West buses. The price will remain the same at just £15.00.

The fares increase, which follows an annual review, is broadly in line with increasing staff costs resulting from growth in the economy.

Bus operator costs across the UK are rising faster than the income generated from people using the bus. There has been a real-terms cut to the reimbursement paid to bus operators under the government's free concessionary bus travel scheme.

Money from fares is used to invest in more modern, greener vehicles, smart-ticketing and improved services. Stagecoach announced recently that it is investing £80million in new vehicles for its bus and coach operations in the UK and mainland Europe.

Recent research** also shows that travelling by Stagecoach remains significantly cheaper than commuting by car, with bus users saving an average of £100 a month in comparison with motorists.

Managing Director of Stagecoach South West, Michael Watson, said: "Many sectors of the economy are facing rising costs and buses are no different. Prices are also being affected by the continued squeeze on public sector spending on buses.

"We have done our best to hold down prices for our customers and I am very pleased to be able to confirm that there will be no change to many of our most popular day and season tickets plus, in many instances, we have also reduced the price of return fares. We still have the lowest bus fares of any major bus operator in Britain and catching the bus is still significantly cheaper than commuting by car.

“We are continuing to use the money we get from fares to reinvest in greener buses, smart ticketing and other improvements to services, as well as taking care of our employees who deliver these vital bus services in our communities."

Bus fares: your questions answered

What is the cost of bus travel in the South West?
Stagecoach's weekly travel starts from just £1.16 a day for the Barnstaple Megarider. The Exeter Megarider, which is our most popular ticket used by the biggest proportion of passengers, offers unlimited travel from £14.00 per week – that’s just £2.00 per day. We also offer other good value ticket options, ranging from single trips to annual travel.

How are bus fares decided?
Running costs, the number of people using bus services, investment in services and the level of public spending and taxes all affect bus fares. The biggest cost is employee wages, which account for around two thirds of total costs. Other factors are energy and fuel costs, insurance and pensions. Issues such as road congestion and cuts to public spending also affect ticket prices and the viability of bus routes.

Should bus fares not be falling due to lower pump prices?
Like other transport companies, we fix the price of our fuel in advance to protect customers from the regular ups and downs in the price of oil and provide greater certainty in financial planning which is essential for any business. Fuel accounts for only 11% of our total operating costs and cost increases elsewhere are rising faster than the income we get from people catching the bus.

How do bus fares compare with taking the car?
A recent study by Stagecoach found that bus users save an average of £100 per month by leaving their car in the driveway**. The study looked at just fuel and parking costs and did not include the significant costs of buying or leasing a car. An RAC report in 2014 also found that 80% of motorists said they had noticed that parking has become more expensive in the high street or town centre***.

How do Stagecoach fares compare with other bus companies?
Stagecoach has three times been independently assessed as offering the lowest fares of any major bus operator in the UK. The research was carried out by independent transport consultants TAS in 2009, 2011 and 2013. The latest study found weekly bus travel with Stagecoach was on average 12% lower than the next cheapest operator, and weekly bus travel with Stagecoach was 50% less than in London.

What is the money from fares spent on?
As well as covering the costs of running services, money from fares is spent on new greener and more accessible buses and other improvements for customers, such as smart ticketing technology.

Where can I find more information about bus services in my area?
More information is available at www.stagecoachbus.com/southwest.