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Better by bus
PROPOSALS set to transform bus travel
which include enabling customers to travel on any bus, anywhere across
Merseyside for 1 price are set to go before the Merseytravel Committee on Thursday, 2 March
2017.
Aimed at encouraging passenger growth and making ticketing simpler for
customers, the report includes the following proposals which would come into
effect from 3 April 2017:-
► All solo ticket types to be valid for use across Merseyside.
► Price changes for all existing and new Solo products.
► Introduction of a new Solo four weekly Young Person's ticket.
Reviewing zonal structures and pricing to simplify the customer ticket offer is
a key objective of the Bus Alliance, a formal agreement between Merseytravel,
Arriva and Stagecoach (who together operate 90% of commercial bus services in
the Liverpool City Region); and aims to get more people travelling by bus which
drives up investment potential to benefit all who use them.
The proposals would result in the removal of 'zones' giving Solo
customers greater freedom to travel across Merseyside as many times as they want
with 1 ticket.
The proposed fares would be up to a third cheaper for people who currently buy
all area tickets, resulting in significant savings for those customers.
Solo ticketing would also become simpler for everyone as customers would not
have to work out which zone they need and it could support greater access to
work and leisure opportunities.
In terms of the proposed price structure, 7 out of 8, 1 area, prices will
increase in line with inflation to a maximum of 0.3% above or below RPI (set at
1.9%) and could be off set by the significant benefits customers will
experience.
Usually approved price changes for Solo season tickets are applied annually in
January along with other ticket products. However, in January 2017, it was agreed
to freeze these prices to avoid 2 price increases for Solo products during
2017.
Customers have already been benefitting from the prices being maintained at 2016
prices for the 1st 3 months of 2017.
Bus users who buy a 1 Area Adult 4 Weekly Solo will experience a marginal
price increase, but would benefit from being able to travel across the whole of
Merseyside as often as they want within a 4 week period.
The introduction of a new Young Persons 4 Weekly Solo ticket would contribute
towards making travel more accessible for young people and would be a welcome
addition to the ticket offers already available, including the ₤2 My Ticket.
Chief Executive Frank Rogers said:- "These proposals represent a
significant step forward in improving the bus offer and giving customers greater
freedom, at affordable prices across the network.
The current zonal system for Merseytravel tickets dates back to the 1970's and
doesn't represent modern travel patterns. Simplifying fares would make ticketing
buying more straightforward and easy to understand; 1 way of encouraging
people to try the bus.
Not only do we want to make the experience better for those who already use it,
but remove those perceived barriers for those who may otherwise give it a try if
routes were simpler, make fares easier to understand, broaden people's horizons
and support better access to work and leisure opportunities. Following on from
recently introduced services and offers, including being able to load some
Arriva and Stagecoach tickets onto Walrus cards plus the new adult 1 Day Solo
ticket that can be used on any bus, any time, we are continuing to work together
with operators to improve the customer experience." |
