Bus Fares to Rise

[claret wizard]

£2 limit is being raised to £3, unless you live in London or Manchester where it will remain at £1.75 or £2. Seems like a tax on sustainability and the poorer in society.

[Guppyspotter]

The cap has been raised, if the fares rise that's up to the travel company

[pushpinpussy]

To bus, or not to bus, that is the commuter’s question.

[Jakubclaret]

The cap has been raised, if the fares rise that's up to the travel company

You can guess there's only 1 way that'll go the subsidies will be removed.

[Jakubclaret]

To bus, or not to bus, that is the commuter’s question.

If you don't drive or can't get a lift off anybody & no other means & need to travel it's not optional. The people who regularly travel probably fall into 1 of the categories.

[basil6345789]

Last thing you'd do if you were serious about improving economic growth

[Guppyspotter]

I'm not an economist, far from it but if you are reliant on buses then you are probably not the driving force behind economic growth. It's free for the elderly members of society regardless of your ability to afford it, free for the youngest in society and if you don't have the means to drive then you are saving on car purchases, repairs, insurance, fuel duty, parking charges etc etc.
Don't get me wrong, I'd like to see free buses for everyone but not everything can be subsidised by the state.

[bfcjg]

If you look at the bigger picture though buses are far better for the environment and surely public transport must be encouraged.

[Jakubclaret]

I'm not an economist, far from it but if you are reliant on buses then you are probably not the driving force behind economic growth. It's free for the elderly members of society regardless of your ability to afford it, free for the youngest in society and if you don't have the means to drive then you are saving on car purchases, repairs, insurance, fuel duty, parking charges etc etc.
Don't get me wrong, I'd like to see free buses for everyone but not everything can be subsidised by the state.

You have to remember how much money was wasted on HS2 more could be subsided if it wasn't wasted to start with. Some people who drive will be catching the buses because it's not all about saving money some of it supposed to be about improving the carbon footprint.

[GetIntoEm]

Getting a taxi is cheaper now for a family of 4 in Burnley

[Big Vinny K]

Last thing you'd do if you were serious about improving economic growth

It really isn’t.

[Row x]

Who actually pays on buses nowadays?
Everyone seems to have a pass for some reason

[IanMcL]

If you live in Scotland and are 5-21 years old you are eligible for a card giving you free bus travel. You must be resident in Scotland for the majority of the year (at least six months). Children under 5 years old already travel for free on buses and don’t need a card.

Civilised.

[Newcastleclaret93]

Last thing you'd do if you were serious about improving economic growth

Someone’s got to pay for all the electric buses haha

[ClaretTony]

Who actually pays on buses nowadays?
Everyone seems to have a pass for some reason

I think there are quite a few who pay journey by journey but a lot of people buy weekly/monthly passes.

[AmbleClaret]

Who actually pays on buses nowadays?
Everyone seems to have a pass for some reason

Me

[Inchy]

I’m a labour voter, mainly because they align more with my personal beliefs, but I’m not some nutcase who defends politicians when they make sh*te choices.


This is should a stupid thing to do. I never used to get the bus but over the past year I’ve got the bus several times instead of trains/taxis. Increasing the fair is the most unlabour policy ever.


I get all the other crap news labour have given us. I think they are getting all the crap out the way early and will then bring out some descent social policies just prior to the next election. However this is just **** for no reason.

[Bosscat]

I’m a labour voter, mainly because they align more with my personal beliefs, but I’m not some nutcase who defends politicians when they make sh*te choices.


This is should a stupid thing to do. I never used to get the bus but over the past year I’ve got the bus several times instead of trains/taxis. Increasing the fair is the most unlabour policy ever.


I get all the other crap news labour have given us. I think they are getting all the crap out the way early and will then bring out some descent social policies just prior to the next election. However this is just **** for no reason.

The current social policies are "descent social polices" enough we won't need any more

[Inchy]

Decent* autocorrected

[claret wizard]

Freudian autocorrect?

[Inchy]

Probably, or could be the “polices”?

[timshorts]

I suppose that this is not unreasonable. The previous
arrangement was unfair to the private rail companies who ended up having to compete with a state subsidised bus service. They still do, but the playing field has levelled a little.

The London subsidy continuing seems entirely wrong and inequitable though. So much for levelling up.

[bfcjg]

He didn't take the news well.

images.jpeg (5.48 KiB) Viewed 2672 times

[Caballo]

The cap has been raised, if the fares rise that's up to the travel company

[IanMcL]

He didn't take the news well.
images.jpeg

"I 'ate you Starmer!"

[chadders]

It's the cap raised from £2 to £3.

Folk find fault with owt.

Perhaps we should trade in twixs.

[GetIntoEm]

It's the cap raised from £2 to £3.

Folk find fault with owt.

Perhaps we should trade in twixs.

Thing is, it has been £2 to get from rosegrove to Burnley for some time, I expect they'll push that up to £3 now.

They quote it as a "cap" but it isn't, they max it out.

As I said, family of 4 taxi to town is £5.50. sod getting on a bus with them creatures

[Boss Hogg]

Take away the winter fuel allowance and then catch them again if they get the bus. Plenty more clueless ideas to come on Wednesday.

[GetIntoEm]

Maybe the idea is they can get warm on the bus with their bus pass?

[jojomk1]

Maybe the idea is they can get warm on the bus with their bus pass?

The sad thing is that it is exactly what some people do to avoid putting the heating on in the house
And many also spend a good deal of time in their local library for the same reason

All whilst Keir gets measured for another new suit

[Quickenthetempo]

It's a real shame.

It was a massive success from what I have seen. Keeps people from driving. Gets people out the house and town centre's busy.

[Clovius Boofus]

It's a real shame.

It was a massive success from what I have seen. Keeps people from driving.

To be fair, if you have a car and have been trying to save money by taking advantage of the £2 cap, then another quid is hardy going to put many off. Cost you more to park up in most places.

[Quickenthetempo]

To be fair, if you have a car and have been trying to save money by taking advantage of the £2 cap, then another quid is hardy going to put many off. Cost you more to park up in most places.

This is a nation that priced everything ending in 99p to give the impression it was under the 'pounds' value.

Brits love a bargain.

[GetIntoEm]

To be fair, if you have a car and have been trying to save money by taking advantage of the £2 cap, then another quid is hardy going to put many off. Cost you more to park up in most places.

it contributes to the decline of town centres, most out of town shopping places you can park for free. certainly cost less than £12 (cost to get to town and back for me) in diesel to go to the trafford centre and park for free

[Clovius Boofus]

It will still be a bargain at £3.00. Mind you, if you are using it for very short journeys, then maybe not so much, but then again, why not walk if this is the case? It would do some of the fat lumps I see knocking about a world of good.

[evensteadiereddie]

Take away the winter fuel allowance and then catch them again if they get the bus. Plenty more clueless ideas to come on Wednesday.

Wrong.
Take away the wasteful fuel allowance that, let's be honest, most pensioners do not need.
A crazy waste of money and if it was a bribe, it turned out to be a pretty useless one.
A pound rise?
That's a quarter of a pint of beer down here and I'm not sure it's going to affect an awful lot of people. Our buses are hardly overflowing are they?
You lost the election and, as they say, get over it.

[Newcastleclaret93]

Wrong.
Take away the wasteful fuel allowance that, let's be honest, most pensioners do not need.
A crazy waste of money and if it was a bribe, it turned out to be a pretty useless one.
A pound rise?
That's a quarter of a pint of beer down here and I'm not sure it's going to affect an awful lot of people. Our buses are hardly overflowing are they?
You lost the election and, as they say, get over it.

Say that to the pensioners that will freeze to death this winter because of labour policy.

Quite disturbing logic from you there

[sjb]

Whatever you do, if you find yourself out & about in a town centre in the early hours, do not confront a Labour MP about this disgraceful policy, as you may well get punched to the ground & end up lying on the road.

[Jamesy]

Wrong.
Take away the wasteful fuel allowance that, let's be honest, most pensioners do not need.
A crazy waste of money and if it was a bribe, it turned out to be a pretty useless one.
A pound rise?
That's a quarter of a pint of beer down here and I'm not sure it's going to affect an awful lot of people. Our buses are hardly overflowing are they?
You lost the election and, as they say, get over it.

Champagne socialism rearing its ugly head.

[ClaretOfMancunia]

Trains seem to get all the attention, but buses are far more widely used (see below). The buses in Manchester have recently been brought back under council control (as a franchise model), under the banner of the "Bee Network". Where there were a dozen different operators, and multiples of that in ticket types, and services were not "joined up" - there are now flat fares regardless of the operator, services joined up in a more cohesive manner and fares capped at £2 per journey. Some initial teething problems early on but has largely been hailed as a success.

According to recent data from the Department for Transport, bus usage is higher overall than train use for commutes and general transportation. In 2022, for example, there were around 4 billion bus journeys compared to approximately 1.7 billion journeys by train. Buses dominate short, urban commutes, particularly outside major rail-served areas like London, whereas trains capture a larger share of longer-distance and inter-city travel.

[sjb]

Wrong.
Take away the wasteful fuel allowance that, let's be honest, most pensioners do not need.
A crazy waste of money and if it was a bribe, it turned out to be a pretty useless one.
A pound rise?
That's a quarter of a pint of beer down here and I'm not sure it's going to affect an awful lot of people. Our buses are hardly overflowing are they?
You lost the election and, as they say, get over it.

I've been scouring the Labour Election manifesto to find any mentions of removing the Winter Fuel Allowance & increasing the bus fare cap, but no success thus far.

[Row x]

Wrong.
Take away the wasteful fuel allowance that, let's be honest, most pensioners do not need.
A crazy waste of money and if it was a bribe, it turned out to be a pretty useless one.
A pound rise?
That's a quarter of a pint of beer down here and I'm not sure it's going to affect an awful lot of people. Our buses are hardly overflowing are they?
You lost the election and, as they say, get over it.

Imagine the outcry if season tickets go up by the same percentage next year

[Clovius Boofus]

The problem with the WFP cut is that there are pensioners who are just above the means-test threshold. This govt could have tweaked this, so that the people who are just getting by didn't lose out. All in all though, for what the govt are going to save, in the great scheme of things, and given the absolutely appalling optics, they would have been better off leaving well alone.

Very poor political judgment, not to mention the morality of taking money away from those who did the right thing by paying into a small employees pension scheme, only to see themselves penalised for doing so.

[Shaggy]

At least there is one good thing about 2 tier Kier and his band of rogues. liebour will be out out of power for a very long time after this stint. Silver lining and all that.


MOD: THREAD LOCKED - very quickly became a political thread