Bus fare campaigner to meet with mayor George Ferguson and MP Charlotte Leslie today

“This is really quite simple:

* Keep the 'good' tickets: e.g £4.00 First Day /£2.90 night

* Charge £1.50 adult / £1.00 child flat rate per single journey

* Introduce 'Oyster-style' card payment, paid for by any money that has been allocated for daft route improvement/BRT-type government grants (I took a 35 min trip into town recently, 15 mins at least of which was taken up with people messing around with change due to current indeciperable pricing structure for anything other than a day/night ticket - this would solve journey time problems instantly)

And that's about it! Do I get a prize?”

“An 'Oyster' type card and an exit door would help speed up bus movement. Zones are too small, e.g. Whitchurch Village, Thornbury are out of £4 day rider area. If this day rider covered Bath, W-S-M and elsewhere within a 25-mile radius, then more people would use the buses outside peak times for leisure trips. Also, the day rider should be valid until 4am (like London); it's ridiculous buying a ticket for the day then having to pay again for a night rider after 11pm. One of many reasons why so many use taxis when in a group at night.”

“There isn't any justification for the costs. We know this becuase Wessex Red are running services across several routes with a £2.50 day rider. If Wessex can do this on on new routes which were never believed to be viable by First then First can follow this example and run all of their well rehearsed routes for the same price. Wessex Red = £1.67 for a single ticket and First = £3.09 for the same destination but with less stops in between.
Wessex Red = new buses. First = often fairly old buses which aren't fit for elderly and disabled people.
If Wessex can do it, then First can do it. The best way to compare service and costs is already in place.
First = the reason why everyone is Bristol drives. Wessex Red = the reason why attitudes are changes for people who lives close to a Wessex Red route. Wessex Red = the reason why more and more people stand and smile while a First Bus passes by and uses their Oyster Style car on the next bus along which is Wessex Red. Want a job done properly, then ask a Bristol based company to deliver it. Think local and save money.”

“Slow traffic speed is only one of First's gauntlet of excuses to justify biannual price hikes. In the past we've also had:

Cost of fuel
Loss of subsidies
The wrong type of snow
The right type of snow
Because we want to
Our CEO is down to his last £20 million
Our shareholders are down to their last £20 million
We really, really love money!!
Give us all your moneys

etc.

Of course the logical hitch with blaming things like fuel cost is that you'd expect prices to come down sometimes, which of course they never do.”

“Thanks Steve.

I don't really believe that it is a valid justification for high fares myself.

Having a monopoly on the marketplace means you can charge what you like...people have no choice.

I think its good that someone challenges the bus companies, I don't get the bus myself as it's expensive, slow, dirty and bus drivers are (for the most part) cretinous idiots.

Good luck with the petition.”

“@whippetprince
Slow traffic = slow bus = more buses needed to maintain the same frequency = extra costs = higher fares”

“How does 'slow traffic speed' contribute to higher bus fares?”