West Midlands bus pass prices to be cut

The cost of a bus pass in the West Midlands is to be cut by up to £1.60 per week under changes revealed today.

morePeople who have one of Centro's nBus passes will now also be able to use them in Staffordshire as well as the Black Countryand Birmingham.

The changes have been brought in by the transport authority following a review with different bus companies.

Most existing nBus passes will be reduced in price from April including an adult one-week pass which will cost £16.80 rather than £18.40 and an adult four-week pass which will be £60 rather than £62.

While the previous passes were accepted by 35 different bus companies, they were valid only within the West Midlands metropolitan area.

But passengers will be able to use their new pass in a number of areas in Staffordshire including Codsall, Bilbrook, Perton, Pattingham, Wombourne, Himley, Swindon, Kinver and Little Aston.

Councillor Kath Hartley, Centro's vice-chairman, said: "At a time when the cost of living seems to be going through the roof – especially items such as food and petrol – it's great to see the price of something as important as bus travel actually coming down.

"These nBus passes, which can be used on all services regardless of which bus company runs the service, will now offer even greater value for money."

The move, approved at a meeting of the authority yesterday, comes after the price of a single fare on National Express West Midlands buses went up by 10p to £2 at the start of the year.

A wider range of nBus products will be launched by Centro this year on its new Swift smartcard which is in the process of being rolled out across the region.

The smartcard allows people to pre-pay for their travel, then swipe it over a sensor on the bus, under a system that will work in a similar way to London's Oyster card.

All nBus passes will be available on Swift – including new products such as nBus passes specifically for Coventry and the Black Country which are planned to be even cheaper.

There will also be a range of off-peak and student passes as well as ones that can also be used on the Metro tram route.