Arriva bus fares rising by up to 8pc as costs soar
Fares are being increased by a company that runs bus services across the Black Country and Staffordshire, it was announced today – with some prices going up by more than eight per cent.
Arriva is putting up selected single fares by 10p from tomorrow. And the adult local day saver is to be increased from £6 to £6.20, with a child ticket going from £4 to £4.10. Bosses have blamed the fares increase on rising bills but insist that a number of services will remain at the same price. They also say there are still a number of offers and season tickets that will pass on savings to passengers.
The current £1.20, £1.70, £1.90, £2.20, £2.30, £2.40, £2.50, £2.60, £2.70, £3.30 and £3.50 adult single fares will each go up by 10p. The £1, £1.30, £1.40, £1.80, £2, £2.10 and £3 fares will not change.
The company's managing director Alex Perry said: "No one likes to increase their prices especially at such a difficult time but, as everyone knows from their domestic bills, costs are steadily rising.
"The price rise will allow us to continue our significant investment in new fleet and meet rising business costs," he added.
There are also changes to a limited number of child single fares, generally increasing by 5p.
The company said offers such as the £8 Midlands Day Saver Plus, £12 Midlands Group Saver and £25 Midlands Weekly Saver would be frozen.
Promotions including the 'quids in' £1 journey into town centres from surrounding areas will be retained. The new prices will be introduced tomorrow.
It comes after a fleet of buses costing the firm £1.1 million has taken to the roads in Staffordshire.
The buses have been introduced to the 25 and 26 routes which run from Cannock to Hednesford, while a new Sunday service started last weekend.
In January a single fare on a National Express West Midlands bus increased from £2 to £2.10 in what is now a tradition of annual 10p increases.
National Express, which runs around eight out of 10 bus services in the West Midlands, said the increase would allow it to continue 'significant investment into the region's bus network and meet rising business costs'.
A child's fare went up from £1 to £1.05 while an adult Daysaver went from £3.90 to £4 and a child's from £2.70 to £2.75.
