The people of Bristol and the surrounding areas have spoken out about the new bus fares being introduced across the region. A £2 flat fare for a single journey will be in place for the first time from Sunday (September 25) when the company rolls out the new prices along routes in Bristol, Bath and the West of England.
Return fares in Bristol will also reduce from £4.30 to £3.50 and single bus tickets in Weston-super-Mare will remain at £1.60. Child single tickets will also be capped at £1.
The price changes will mean there is no cheaper fare for the three-stop hop ticket, however, which is rising from £1.50 to £2, meaning there is not a cheaper fare for the shorter journey. Bristol day fares will also rise from £5.30 to £6 and a Bristol week pass for the bus will change from £21.50 to £23.50 - more details here.
Read more: Full price breakdown of new fares in Bristol and the West of England
The new fares are part of a major package of changes designed to make bus fares simpler and cheaper and to encourage more people to get back on the buses post-Covid. The metro mayor for the West of England, Dan Norris, said the new fares will start on September 25 on the vast majority of buses in the region, before being introduced across all routes - regardless of the operator - by the end of October.
Some commenters on the BristolLive website welcomed the cheaper price for a single ticket at £2 with user Citizenpip labelling it as a "good move" from the bus company. Blackbeard83 added: "Good to see something come down in price. Plus the 3 stop hop was also abused by people that don't get off."
While Saetana said: "Good news about the cheaper singles - bad news about the demise of the three stop hop, going three stops has just gone up by 70p! Also the increase from £5.30 to £6 for a day ticket is a rise of more than 10%. Be nice if service reliability [sic] improved but I am not holding my breath."
Website commenter, zipster, also thought the loss of the three-stop hop was unproductive. "If you have a family no more three stop hop means a short journey on a bus is not worth it, stupid decision," they said.
However, Player677 said "the costs were never an issue" but "getting to work on time by bus is impossible" for them. 6470 said adjusting the bus fares "wasn't the answer" and that " you need to stop all the other vehicles using the bus lane ie. taxis, electric scooters, bikes, ect so at least the busses have a chance of keeping to there time table".
On Facebook, there were more mixed reviews on the upcoming changes to bus price fares. While the prices were welcomed many people inferred there should be a more regular service.
Hayley Quick said: "That's brilliant, now all they need is for buses to actually turn up!"
Lynda Smith agreed: "That's great if you actually have a bus service where you live just 5 miles from Bristol centre."
There were also many references to the bus services which are being axed in Bristol and across the country due to a driver shortage. "Shame they cant [sic] run the existing service reliably and are cutting routes throughout Bristol. Winterborne, for instance, is about to have ALL its buses scrapped," Mark Pearson added.
Andy Quinn wrote: "I haven't used buses in years because they're extortionately expensive and incredibly unreliable, I cycle everywhere now. I pity anyone forced to use public transport, especially in bad weather."
Up next:
- Bus services 'still face axe' despite £130m Government U-turn
- The 18 bus services set to be axed in the Bristol region
- Bristol Community Transport axes lifeline buses amid costs crisis
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Full price breakdown of new fares in Bristol and the West of England
