Bristol could get flat rate £1 bus fares
Passengers could be charged a flat rate of just £1 for some bus journeys as part of a trial being proposed for Bristol.
Jon Rogers, the city councillor in charge of transport, hopes the idea will encourage more people to use buses at off-peak times and speed up road journeys.
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He says he would like to see £1 single fares brought in for journeys within the city's boundaries on one of the showcase bus routes.
Single fares currently range between 80p for two stops and £2.80 for a journey from Henbury to Hartcliffe or Keynsham to Cribbs Causeway.
Dr Rogers says the council might need to cover the cost of the trial and says he would like to see it up and running within a year.
The Liberal Democrat councillor says the pilot scheme would give people who cannot afford to use public transport the chance to catch a bus into the city centre.
Dr Rogers said: "We're looking at using the trial on the Bristol to Bath route and also the Bristol to St George route as well. It would have to be off-peak and not during the rush hour.
"People with limited funds could use the buses when they are quieter. First claim they don't make a profit in Bristol but the trial might not affect the takings for the bus companies because, although the fares will be cheaper, there might be more customers.
"The council would certainly be prepared to put some money into a pilot like that.
"How widely we could offer the £1 fares would depend on price but would probably only be for journeys inside the city boundaries.
"We've been in discussions with First and we need to broaden it out a bit and talk to all the other bus companies. We're aiming to bring it in before the end of the year."
Dr Rogers says as part of the proposed trial scheme, passengers might be able to pay their £1 fare into a machine rather than paying the driver.
He says this would speed up journeys because drivers would not need to deal with cash or hand out change.
First Bus spokeswoman Suzannah Marsh said the firm already offered some discounted deals, including the 80 pence for two stops fare, but added: "We would be pleased to hear more about Councillor Rogers' ideas."
On Wednesday, the Bristol Evening Post reported that an electronic ticketing system for trains and buses could be up and running in Bristol within a year.
Bristol City Council has agreed to spend £20,000 looking into the idea of introducing pre-payment smart cards, similar to London's Oyster Card.
To use the system, passengers would top up their cards then touch them against a sensor when they board buses or trains.
But Dr Rogers says plans to introduce a smart card system would not conflict with proposals to trial £1 fares in the city.
He said: "The card system is likely to take longer to implement whereas the £1 fares could be brought in quite quickly.
"This idea will give us the chance to see if cost is a major barrier or not. It won't conflict with longer term aspirations for smart card technology."
49 Comments
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by Kerry McCarthy MP, St George
Friday, May 08 2009, 12:22PM
“Just for the record, Jon, it was hardly 'an angry message'. It was a light-hearted message sent out to those I communicate with on Twitter.
What I would really like to hear from the Lib Dems is confirmation that they all - in the four local authorities which contribute to the Joint Local Transport Plan - are singing from the same hymn sheet regarding the need for an Integrated Transport Authority for the area, and also whether they are all prepared to support an inquiry into whether Bristol and the surrounding area should aim for a Bus Quality Contract. And while you're at it, any chance of getting the Tories on board too?”
by Alan Peters, Abus (Bristol)
Wednesday, May 06 2009, 8:56AM
“In response, and thank you Jesse for your comment. To educate those who know not of Abus. Abus was the first bus operator in Great Britain to operate low floor double deckers and now 70% of the fleet are low floor vehicles less than 10 years old! 2 NEW Vehicles are due to be delivered this month!”
by Peter Tomlinson, Bristol Bishopston
Monday, May 04 2009, 11:21AM
“I emailed Dr Rogers, but he hasn't replied...”
by Ad, Bristol
Saturday, May 02 2009, 4:42PM
“And one final thing, quite why the Council are spending "£20,000 looking into the idea of introducing pre-payment smart cards, similar to London's Oyster Card" when we don't even have a even passable and vaguely affordable transport system yet is beyond me.
Please get the priorities straight and come up with a real plan. If this was coming along as a package that would genuinely improve transport in Bristol it would be welcomed, but I suspect it will make no difference to a vast majority of people who can't afford to take First and the Council's embarrassing and ever-broken attempt at a transport system, and will probably simply end up lining First's pockets further.”
by Ad, Bristol
Saturday, May 02 2009, 4:24PM
“I have one request:
Please do not give any more money to First.
First are a vile and evil company that charge extremely high fares for absolutely awful service and have a monopoly in the south west on trains and buses.
Taking the bus and train to work was complete hell when I attempted it, thanks to First's inability to keep to any kind of schedule and extremely high prices.
What we need is competition and ideally removing First from the equation. Every single person in Bristol knows that First have never done any good for anyone, and it's high time the Council put in place some penalties for it if it fails to provide a service. The Council should also ensure competition by forcing First to give up either the buses or trains in the Bristol area to force it to provide a better service and give people alternatives.
Thankfully Bristol is a small city and it's possible to walk many places, however the state of public transport in Bristol is an absolute and complete disgrace and the planning needs to go back to square one.
Unfortunately we've been saying this for as long as I can remember and the council has taken no action but to further cement First's monopoly position.”
by Jessy, Bristol
Saturday, May 02 2009, 2:50PM
“Why is it that RETARDS find it necessary to type everything in BLOCK CAPITALS and are too lazy to use the Caps-Lock Key, and use a bit of punctuation . . ;-)
(See below)”
by LEE, BRISTOL
Saturday, May 02 2009, 9:42AM
“YEAH ALRIGHT. BUT HAVE YOU SEEN THE BUSSES THAT ABUS ARE RUNNING,,, AND YOU WONDER WHY THEY ARE SO RUBBISH BECAUSE YOUR PAYING A POUND.... WHEN FIRST WHERE RUNNING A BAD BUS THEY PEOPLE WHO WHERE NOT PAYING WHERE THE FIRST TO COMPLAIN! ARE YOU REALLY THAT STUPID!? BIRMINGHAM ARE ALREADY RUNNING THE MACHINES THAT YOU PUT THE MONEY INTO. IF YOUR JOURNEY COSTS A POUND AND YOU PUT A 2 POUND COIN IN YOUR NOT GOING TO GET ANY CHAINGE!
THE 16MIL PROFIT WAS FROM THE ENTIRE GROUP NOT JUST GB. SO THATS EUROPE, USA CANADA EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD SO DONT BLAIM OUR DRIVERS! THEY HAVE TO PUT UP WITH RETARDS GETTING THE BUS AND COMPLAINING BECAUSE THEY WONT GET OF THEIR BUMS AND GET A JOB!”
by Jon Rogers, Ashley Ward Councillor
Saturday, May 02 2009, 4:59AM
“Thanks for all the comments.
To be clear, I am NOT claiming the £1 flat fare is "my idea". The idea has been around for a long while. In fact I had an angry message from Kerry McCarthy MP. She said, "I see Lib Dems in Bristol have nicked another Labour policy, re flat rate bus fares"!
These ideas are not new, but we need to think about how we can make them happen.
Reading the comments below, I am sorry that I did not know that Abus "already offer £1 flat fare all Day!" I would like to talk with Alan Peters. I can be contacted on jon.rogers@bristol.gov.uk or 0117 914 2558
Finally, there is an election on June 4th. Transport is a major issue for all parties and now is a great time to let the politcacl parties know your views on issues, and hear their policies.
The Lib Dems are offering our "Six to Fix" as our recipe for a better Bristol. Number 1 is our plan for better transport for all. I believe that we can make it happen.
Jon”
by steven, Nuremberg
Friday, May 01 2009, 9:34PM
“Not a bad idea,the one pound tickets,but could be better.Here in Nuremburg a four Euro (ca 3 pound) ticket lasts 24 hrs and can be used on any bus,tram or underground and these are practically always full.A weekly or Monthly pass is cheaper still.Maybe an idea to kick around? (instead of kicking the Bus companies around).”
by Martin, Clifton
Friday, May 01 2009, 9:22PM
“I don't travel by bus that often, but I do think this would be a great idea, if combined with an oyster card.
As for subsidising first, it is in all our interests to reduce the amount of car traffic in Bristol.”