– George Ferguson, Mayor of BristolI am delighted that First Bus are reintroducing their popular short-hop £1 fare. I hope this bodes well for future announcements about their fare structure following the consultation exercise underway, as I will do anything I can to help make public transport more affordable. The consultation is open until the end of June, and I urge everyone in their city to have their say."
– Marc Reddy, Director, First South West and WalesWe reluctantly abolished the ‘3 Stop Hop’ ticket in April 2012 after we had encountered serious problems with people travelling fraudulently – staying on the bus for a lot more than three stops for their £1 fare. However, it became clear during our recent fare consultation events that people are really keen to see it restored. We’ve heard this message and so we’re bringing back the ‘3 Stop Hop’ as a temporary measure until we know the full outcome of our current fare consultation. However, we shall also be taking extra steps to ensure that the ticket is not abused.”
The company is relaunching its popular 'Three Stop Hop' ticket on Sunday (12 May).
Passengers will be able to travel short distances of no more than three stops within Bristol's zones 1 and 2 for £1.
The operator says it follows widespread public requests during a week of fare consultation road-show events.
The operator says it follows widespread public requests during a week of fare consultation road-show events.
First Bus is 'reviewing' its fares within the City of Bristol, following a campaign led by a local passenger and the Mayor of Bristol, George Ferguson.
– Marc Reddy, Regional Director First GroupThere's alternatives that people can make including community accessible transport provided by various local authorities.
I want to work with Dorset County Council to see if there's some way that we can jointly fund some of these changes to make them more viable.
More than one 150 angry bus users in Weymouth packed a meeting last night to argue about proposed changes to bus routes in South Dorset.
First Bus plans to stop routes 5, 5A and 4B from March 24. But local residents said the move would leave many elderly and infirm people isolated in their own homes. The bus operator blames tough economic times on the decision.
It also says that the money the company receives from the concessionary fare scheme is less than forty per cent of the actual journey price. Fuel rebate has also been reduced so it's been left with no option unless Dorset County Council steps in to subsidise these routes.
The meeting was called by South Dorset MP Richard Drax who had been contacted by many of his constituents unhappy with the decision to axe routes.
Commuters and local politicians will be voicing their concerns over the rise in bus fares at peaceful demonstration later [Saturday]. It will be held outside Bristol Bus station and start at 12:00pm.
It comes after First bus service announced they will be holding a consultation and review of their fares.
It has been organised by Daniel Farr a concerned bus user who started the Make Fares Fair campaign by setting up an e-petition on the direct.gov.uk website that has now collected over 2,840 signatures.
The high cost of bus fares in Bristol is to be discussed in the House of Commons. Bristol West MP Stephen Williams has tabled an early day motion saying the city's economy is suffering because of high prices charged by First Bus.
Mr Williams says services need to be geared to suit passengers rather than the company. A First Bus spokesman said they were committed to ensuring Bristol has an excellent transport network.