Ticket prices for multi-operator services such as the Saveaway are expected to rise across the Merseytravel network next year.
Should Liverpool City Region Combined Authority ’s (LCRCA) transport committee approve the decision, fees for tickets that can be used across Merseyside on more than one mode and operator will increase at a rate of around 6% in 2023. This will mean a standard adult one area Saveaway ticket will go up from £4.30 to £4.60 from January 3.
The Merseytravel Multi-Operator Ticketing Scheme is a ticketing scheme owned by the combined authority and administered by Merseytravel as the executive body responsible for delivering public transport services on its behalf. The scheme ensures there is a ticketing offer that can be used on more than one operator and mode, such as an Arriva bus and Merseyrail train, “in the interest of providing customers with affordable transport tickets” according to a CA report.
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It delivers the Trio, Railpass, Saveaway, Solo and MyTicket options to users across Merseyside. All but the Solo and MyTicket products will increase in January, pending approval, with further negotiations around any possible rise around those two.
Term-Time and school year tickets prices would increase from August. The CA document, which will be discussed when the committee meets next Thursday, said price increases no greater than the average retail price index annual change are generally applied each year.
Nearly all of the products, apart from My Ticket, were increased by below inflation rates in early 2022 – around an average of 1.8%. The report added: “However, costs across almost all sectors and core products have increased significantly since that last increase.”
All transport operators are seeking an increase in the Merseytravel tickets products, citing increased sector costs, the low increase this year and main costs likely to increase ahead of inflation. The combined authority is seeking to strike a balance to encourage transport use wherever possible and any increase in ticket costs.
As a result, officers are recommending “a below inflation increase in the Trio, Railpass and Saveaway products. In making these recommendations, officers have considered the impacts a price freeze would have on operators’ costs, making parts of the transport network less sustainable.
The report adds: “With this in mind, and the rising costs of providing the service, and the upward trend of these costs, officers recommend an increase of 6% across the majority of ticket types for 2023.” Prepaid ticketing products generated £36.7m in ticket sales for Merseytravel during 2019/20, the last full year before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
This income is repaid to transport operators across the region on an agreed apportionment model, with all scheme costs met by Merseytravel. It is anticipated the ticket increase could generate an estimated £30k additional income per annum for Mersey Ferries and supported bus services.
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