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Brighton & Hove buses ripping people off with price rises



Oct 25, 2003
23,964
I'm a 700 man myself. A day saver is £3.80. So much quicker into town (and nicer along the seafront). Plus after 7pm its a flat rate £2 return. In fact I think its £2 anywhere after 7pm, so you could in theory go to PORTSMOUTH for £2, if you so wished.

700 is the absolute dogs bollocks
 




No it's called a monopoly. People will keep paying so long as it's the only option. The alternative is to not hike up the prices for no reason and rip people off.

Cities that offer people a so-called choice of bus company have confusing ticketing systems that don't allow return travel on any bus that comes along. This just leads to fewer passengers using the buses and more traffic congestion.

Brighton's "monopoly" bucks the national trend of declining patronage.
 


Arthur

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
8,760
Buxted Harbour
I got the bus for the first time in about 10 years last Saturday from Crowborough to Tunbridge Wells and it was £4.20 return. Reading that article does that mean I could have picked that same bus up in Brighton to take me to TW for the same price?

If so Brighton to Tunbridge Wells and back again for £4.20 seems incredibly good value to me. I certainly wouldn't be moaning about a 30p increase.
 




Weatherman

New member
Jun 10, 2008
323
People are always moaning about train/bus fares but would probably pay an extortionate amount for a short cab ride without a murmur..
I think the bus fares are very reasonable for the extensive service.
 






Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,827
Uffern
Tourists, people visiting friends for a weekend, etc.

edit should say I do agree with you though, for regular passengers there really is no excuse.

The problem with using the mobile phone app is that appears to have been put together by someone doing work experience at a fly-by-night company. I've just deleted and reinstalled the mobile app for the FIFTH time in the last couple of years as every few months it decides to stop working. I've not had a problem with any other app on my phone.

So, this week, I had to buy a ticket on the bus as I didn't have the time to reinstall and enter all my details before the bus came. There are probably dozens of regular users forced to buy tickets on the bus because the poor-performing app
 


brightn'ove

cringe
Apr 12, 2011
9,169
London
Cities that offer people a so-called choice of bus company have confusing ticketing systems that don't allow return travel on any bus that comes along. This just leads to fewer passengers using the buses and more traffic congestion.

Brighton's "monopoly" bucks the national trend of declining patronage.

They don't just have a monopoly in terms of bus companies, they have a monopoly on transport in the city. That means that they can hike the prices up as much as they like because there are no sensible alternatives. If you want to pop into town to do a bit of shopping, it will cost £5 (!!!) for a saver to get you there and back. The other options are cab (extortion) or drive and park (extortion).
 




surrey jim

Not in Surrey
Aug 2, 2005
18,162
Bevendean
The problem with using the mobile phone app is that appears to have been put together by someone doing work experience at a fly-by-night company. I've just deleted and reinstalled the mobile app for the FIFTH time in the last couple of years as every few months it decides to stop working. I've not had a problem with any other app on my phone.

So, this week, I had to buy a ticket on the bus as I didn't have the time to reinstall and enter all my details before the bus came. There are probably dozens of regular users forced to buy tickets on the bus because the poor-performing app

the problem I have had in the past, is that my phone runs out of battery hence I cant show the driver the screen and need to buy a ticket.
 


brightn'ove

cringe
Apr 12, 2011
9,169
London
the problem I have had in the past, is that my phone runs out of battery hence I cant show the driver the screen and need to buy a ticket.

Not a problem they care about, as it means you have to buy another ticket, in cash, which costs more. More pennies in their pocket.
 


Thunder Bolt

Silly old bat
The problem with using the mobile phone app is that appears to have been put together by someone doing work experience at a fly-by-night company. I've just deleted and reinstalled the mobile app for the FIFTH time in the last couple of years as every few months it decides to stop working. I've not had a problem with any other app on my phone.

So, this week, I had to buy a ticket on the bus as I didn't have the time to reinstall and enter all my details before the bus came. There are probably dozens of regular users forced to buy tickets on the bus because the poor-performing app

When I was working, I used the three day ticket on a regular basis with no problems at all. Maybe it was your phone?
 




Eeyore

Colonel Hee-Haw of Queen's Park
NSC Patron
Apr 5, 2014
25,921


JBizzle

Well-known member
Apr 18, 2010
6,230
Seaford
One thing I would question is people have mentioned "petrol prices being at an all time low". They're not though are they? Oil prices are low, yes, but petrol process have been creeping up again, so on that justification, I can understand them wanting to up the price to cover any outgoings on that front.

Personally though, I find buying a ticket for £2.50 annoys me into using the app to save 20p which is exactly the behaviour they're looking for. In terms of the bus service, I'm actually a fan of it. Given the complexity of running a transport network in a city where the road system is nightmarish, I rarely have to wait longer than 10 minutes for a bus. I'm ok with that.
 


brightn'ove

cringe
Apr 12, 2011
9,169
London
One thing I would question is people have mentioned "petrol prices being at an all time low". They're not though are they? Oil prices are low, yes, but petrol process have been creeping up again, so on that justification, I can understand them wanting to up the price to cover any outgoings on that front.

Personally though, I find buying a ticket for £2.50 annoys me into using the app to save 20p which is exactly the behaviour they're looking for. In terms of the bus service, I'm actually a fan of it. Given the complexity of running a transport network in a city where the road system is nightmarish, I rarely have to wait longer than 10 minutes for a bus. I'm ok with that.

Nobody in this thread has said that petrol prices are at an all time low, just 'low for some time'.
 




Smoky McPot

Member
May 12, 2009
39
If B&H Buses had got things wrong, Brighton and Hove would have seen a significant decline in bus ridership, like pretty much everywhere else in the country, outside London. But that's not been the case. The number of passengers using buses in Brighton has DOUBLED in recent years.

Interesting, whilst this is true, their overall figures for the past year has seen a 2% in the number of passengers. Coupled with an increase in turnover by 5% and an increase in profit by 33%, this rise is pretty much unjustified.
 


BUTTERBALL

East Stand Brighton Boyz
Jul 31, 2003
10,283
location location
If i use the bus, it's when i head into town because it saves me the hassle of finding parking, getting stuck in traffic and usually it's less expensive. The app is quick and easy to use so works well for me.

My issue will occur if the prices go up on the app because there would be no justification for doing so with the statement they have made to support these increases.
 




wellquickwoody

Many More Voting Years
NSC Patron
Aug 10, 2007
13,912
Melbourne
One thing I would question is people have mentioned "petrol prices being at an all time low". They're not though are they? Oil prices are low, yes, but petrol process have been creeping up again, so on that justification, I can understand them wanting to up the price to cover any outgoings on that front.

Is that after their spokesperson said that 'fuel is only about 10 per cent of the overall cost of running the transport service, and is also purchased well in advance, so people should not expect reductions in fares when the fuel price drops'. Or words to that effect.
 




Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,827
Uffern
When I was working, I used the three day ticket on a regular basis with no problems at all. Maybe it was your phone?

No. I've changed phone and I've had the same problem. And Mrs Gwylan has had to delete and reinstall the app several times as well
 


Tony Meolas Loan Spell

Slut Faced Whores
Jul 15, 2004
18,071
Vamanos Pest
I think 2.40 is a bit much fro Church Road to Churchill Sq. Thankfully I dont have to take the bus that often. A quid is probably about right.
 


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