Passengers' fury at bus price rises
Thousands of passengers in the West Midlands have signed an on-line petition calling on a bus company to lower its prices.
Thousands of passengers in the West Midlands have signed an on-line petition calling on a bus company to lower its prices.
National Express West Midlands put the price of a single fare up from £1.50 to £1.70 at the start of the month.
Now 4,911 people have signed a petition on Facebook demanding a U-turn.
They are angry that the company, which used to be called Travel West Midlands, pressed ahead with price rises despite a recent drop in the price of fuel.
The rises came into force on January 2 and were a 10 per cent increase, more than twice the rate of inflation.
Mick Burke, aged 21, from Hall Green, Birmingham, who started the petition Get Travel West Midlands To Lower Their Prices, posted a message on Facebook which reads: "This is scandalous. The prices at the moment are already too high.
"The price of diesel has come down, and inflation is set to follow suit.
"There is no justification for this increase. It is about time we told them enough is enough and for them to lower prices."
The internet company support engineer said today: "Everyone I know complains about the prices of the buses as they are too high.
"It would be OK I suppose if the service matched the premium charged, but it doesn't."
Mr Burke started the on-line group on the social networking site shortly before the price rises, and the number of signatories is fast approaching 5,000.
Other groups referring to National Express West Midlands, or its predecessor, have attracted less support. Once group called Travel West Midlands Sucks has just 46 members while another has 653.
Short hop tickets went up 10p to £1.20 while fares on the Midland Metro increased by 6.5 per cent.
An adult day tripper went up 20p to £4.20p, while a return from Wolverhampton to Birmingham shot up by 30p to £4.50p.
National Express blamed the move on "rising operating costs including utilities and staffing costs." The Birmingham-based company insists that only one in four passengers paid cash for bus rides while the rest bought tickets in advance.
Advance Neil Barker, bus and coach director for National Express UK, said: "We are encouraging customers to purchase their fares in advance to secure the best value for money.
"Setting up a direct debit or pre-paying for Daysavers not only provides the best savings, but also helps reduce queues and delays at the bus stops. The January changes mean we can continue investing in a better bus service for the future."
Some bus and rail tickets went up by 10 per cent last year - almost five times the rate of inflation.
