Fares for lifeline Ring and Ride service set to increase
Fares for a lifeline Ring and Ride service that provides door-to-door travel for people with mobility issues are set to increase by more than half at the start of next year.
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Transport for West Midlands has put forward a proposed 70p increase for users which will see a single trip go up from the current £1.30 to £2 from January 2025.
Bosses said there had been a ‘significant increase’ in operational costs, staffing and fuel costs coupled with a reduction in revenue which has prompted the proposal.
They said if nothing was done to mitigate these costs, it could result in a reduction of the service.
Ring and Ride provides door-to-door travel for people who find it difficult to access other modes of public transport.
If agreed by the West Midlands Combined Authority Board, it will be the first Ring and Ride fare increase for seven years.
The authority still provides a subsidy of £6.467 million per year to run the service but this is a far cry from 2010/11 when its budget was around £12 million.
If approved, the new Ring and Ride fare structure will be:
£2 – Registered user aged 16+/essential escort carer (up from £1.30)
£1 – Registered user aged five-15 (up from 65p)
£2 – Adult travelling with registered user (down from £2.40)
£1 – Child travelling with a registered user (up from 65p)
Children under the age of five will still travel for free
Fares for the West Midlands On Demand service, which is run in Coventry, are also being reviewed by the authority.
The issue is set to be discussed at a Transport Delivery Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on November 4.
A report to the committee said more than 4,800 weekly trips were made by Ring and Ride and West Midlands on Demand customers.
The report states: “The Ring and Ride service provides a valuable door-to-door accessible transport service for eligible individuals who find it difficult or impossible to physically access mainstream public transport provision across the West Midlands.3
“As with all public transport, the West Midlands Ring and Ride Service has experienced a significant increase in operational costs largely driven through inflationary pressures, higher staffing and fuel costs against declining funding.
“Failure to implement fare changes in line with the proposal will impact the affordability of the service resulting in a potential reduction in service capacity including changes to operating hours, days and geography across the region.
“A larger increase was considered however this was deemed unaffordable for users of this service.”
