Will bus prices start decreasing again soon?

[Gary Leeds]

First Leeds is even worse, they still operate peak time fares (before 9.30 am and between 3pm and 6pm weekdays) where the equivalent of going from Hollingdean to Old Steine will cost you £2.80 (£2.50 off peak). And if you are a child over 11 and don't have one of their young peoples card then tough, you will pay full fare.

Their daily tickets are £4.60 peak and £3.80 after 9.30am so a little saving on Brighton fares there

 

[Canonman]

First Leeds is even worse, they still operate peak time fares (before 9.30 am and between 3pm and 6pm weekdays) where the equivalent of going from Hollingdean to Old Steine will cost you £2.80 (£2.50 off peak). And if you are a child over 11 and don't have one of their young peoples card then tough, you will pay full fare.

Their daily tickets are £4.60 peak and £3.80 after 9.30am so a little saving on Brighton fares there

Do their bus drivers keep singing "we are Leeds" all the way round

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Have you considered sending off an e-mail to B&H Buses suggesting a £1.50 single fare that can be downloaded to a smartcard or mobile ?

Pay as you Go will be available on Smartcard soon - possibly with cheaper fares too.

 

[trueblue]

Have you considered sending off an e-mail to B&H Buses suggesting a £1.50 single fare that can be downloaded to a smartcard or mobile ?

Have suggested it more than once. They just skirt around it in their replies and bang on about the all day fare.

 

[trueblue]

Pay as you Go will be available on Smartcard soon - possibly with cheaper fares too.

Let's hope so. If it's available on a smart card but not a cheaper fare, then it really makes no difference.

 

[yxee]

The bus prices will go down when the council stops gifting them a natural monopoly on transportation in this city, i.e., when pigs fly.

 

[The Large One]

The bus prices will go down when the council stops gifting them a natural monopoly on transportation in this city, i.e., when pigs fly.

Outstanding.

 

[Weatherman]

Why do people on here quibble about such petty things as bus fares etc but quite happily pay an extortionate amount to watch a football match ?

 

[wellquickwoody]

Bus prices don't really bother me, they are quite convenient if you live inside the bypass.

What I hate is the holier-than-thou adverts on the back of them. All the 'relax, chill out, watch the cars at a standstill' claptrap. Think I might get a sticker for the back of my car - Bus User = Loser

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Given that new Euro 6 engine legislation will be kicking in next year and companies will be required to upgrade all of its buses with brand new models over the coming couple of years, I doubt it.

That's not how these things work. Improved emissions standards are only required on new vehicles. Old ones can continue to be used (except in designated Low Emissions Zones). Brighton & Hove City Council is currently consulting about the introduction of an LEZ in the city centre. But, as yet, even the biggest LEZ (London) only has a requirement for buses to meet Euro IV standards. It will be years before buses will have to meet Euro VI standards.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I didn't say buses are the sole preserve of those people. Just that the majority of passengers are being ripped off. If the bus company wants to look after its customers so much, why is it still impossible to get a discounted single journey on a smart card after all this time?

Relatively few B&H bus passengers make just a single journey. Over the past 20 years, the bus company has doubled patronage (a unique achievement in the UK, outside London) and it targets its marketing at the biggest segment of its passenger base - those who pre-pay for more than one journey. As long as passenger numbers continue to rise, they will continue to charge what the market will bear.

Of course, if a serious competitor did emerge (and there is nothing in the deregulated rules of bus licensing to prevent this), things would be different. But "market forces" aren't delivering serious competition from other big bus companies.

The other exceptional feature of Brighton and Hove's bus network is the extensive scale of evening, Sunday and night bus services that mostly run without any council subsidies. No other city in the land has an unsubsidised night bus service like Brighton and Hove.

 

[The Large One]

While you're here Ed, and rather O/T, I got Roz's text message today.

Good news, glad to hear it.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

While you're here Ed, and rather O/T, I got Roz's text message today.

Good news, glad to hear it.

Thanks.

 

[trueblue]

Relatively few B&H bus passengers make just a single journey. .

That's one of those meaningless arguments companies and councils trot out to justify their prices/policies. Self-fulfilling justification. Perhaps people would use them a lot more for single journeys if the price wasn't so high.

Either that or I'm the only person in the whole town who will walk most of the time but would prefer to jump on a bus in certain circumstances. Bad weather, with shopping, knackered after work, late at night etc

I don't because the price bears no relation to the distance travelled (yes, yes - there's a city fare or whatever it's called but that's still expensive for 4 stops or so). With smart cards there's no reason why that should still be the case. Touch in, touch out, debit accordingly.

 

[yxee]

Outstanding.

I don't deserve too much credit, it's basic economics.

 

[trueblue]

Putting this another way, when I moved closer to the city centre in 2003, the bus fare to avoid the 20 minute hilly walk to the station was 50p. Allowing for inflation, that should now be 69p - not £2.30. To be fair, it quickly went up to 70p back then, which still brings the inflation adjusted figure in at under £1.

Ok, so fuel prices might be more relevant than inflation. Back then, it appears a litre of diesel was 79p. It's still less than double that yet the bus fare had increased almost fivefold. It may still be a good deal for people in outlying areas but those closer to town (who frequently can't have a car as an alternative because of the lack of parking) are being fleeced.

 

[The Large One]

I don't deserve too much credit, it's basic economics.

It's not basic economics - it's a factual inaccuracy.

As pointed out in post 51, the council has never 'gifted' anyone any kind of monopoly.

 

[The Large One]

That's one of those meaningless arguments companies and councils trot out to justify their prices/policies.

What does the council have to do with this?

Self-fulfilling justification. Perhaps people would use them a lot more for single journeys if the price wasn't so high.

Of course single journeys are expensive. Multiple journey less so.

I assume you have the same amount of disgust and scorn for the Albion's ticket price policy, because pretty much the same principles apply.

 

[keaton]

What does the council have to do with this?



Of course single journeys are expensive. Multiple journey less so.

I assume you have the same amount of disgust and scorn for the Albion's ticket price policy, because pretty much the same principles apply.

Have the council spent any money improving the Albion's facilities and services to the detriment of some of the public?

 

[CheeseRolls]

The other exceptional feature of Brighton and Hove's bus network is the extensive scale of evening, Sunday and night bus services that mostly run without any council subsidies. No other city in the land has an unsubsidised night bus service like Brighton and Hove.

Is this right ? It surely deserves to be more than just a footnote. Along with the excellent information systems at the bus stops, this tells me at least that some of the key things are being addressed.