Arriva Bus Fares to rise

[Trident 4609]

http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2014/03/29/arriva-bus-fares-rising-by-up-to-8pc-as-costs-soar/

[Bob]

Its not a big rise though...but £6.20 for a daysaver is dear....it ought to be reflected in better quality buses...at least refurbished older ones...

[Westy]

Where I live, you only really have the choice of routes to Cannock & Lichfield via Walsall.

(Unless you fancy a day trip to the likes of Blakenall on the 19 or Brownhills on the 23!)

[Bob]

Lol and for a limited time only you can nip to new invention and wolves

[Bob]

I wonder when they're gonna advertise the forthcoming changes to the 19? Some cannock routes are changing as well

[Trident 4609]

I wonder when they're gonna advertise the forthcoming changes to the 19? Some cannock routes are changing as well

Typically they are getting rid of the 19 at my end of the route (Bloxwich-Wolves) and I have seen the loadings pick up. I have actually seen some jam packed darts in recent weeks including 2414 yesterday afternoon leaving W'ton with a healthy load

[Tony]

Seemed strange yesterday seeing an Arrive bus in a 'bright' livery

[Bob]

Yea but a darts a 29 seater typically,  or about 37 if its a longer one ( or 40 squashed in with zilch legroom if its an alx w-snr), so a busy one still doesnt equate to a profitable route if half are pensioners or have n bus. I got the half 3 ish one yesterday ( it was 15mins late) it was a decker, me and one other person upstairs and about 8 downstairs.  I had an nbus and everyone downstairs was an oap. The only person who possibly paid wouldve been the teenage lad sat upstairs.  If it made any money they wouldnt be getting rid. Im surprised its lasted this long tbf. Have all of the deckers got stop bells that are broken? ? Theyve never worked on any ive been on! One woman went mental at the driver on a s-jua before cos she missed her stop. They weren't working on the w reg I was on yesterday either.  Maybe its not a requirement for them to be working

[Westy]

I must get my bum out of bed early enough on a day off & go over Bridgnorth.

Getting up around 530am & getting a series of buses over to Great Bridge from Bloxwich & back is not good on the old sleep pattern!

[bwsau cymru]

£6.20 for a midlands day saver is good value for money!! Arriva have a mass longer distance network. They are the onky network where you can get from east midlands to west midlands abd the only operator that you can get into wales with a midlands ticket, they only thing I woukd say makes it exspensive is for rual communities who dont have the luxury with a local ticket.

The express ans star seems to be very one sided, im sure it doesnt have such big coverage when it puts its prices up!

[Tony]

£6.20 for a midlands day saver is good value for money!! Arriva have a mass longer distance network. They are the onky network where you can get from east midlands to west midlands abd the only operator that you can get into wales with a midlands ticket, they only thing I woukd say makes it exspensive is for rual communities who dont have the luxury with a local ticket.

The express ans star seems to be very one sided, im sure it doesnt have such big coverage when it puts its prices up!

The Express and Star is a very anti public transport paper, and loves stories where it can have a go at any train company, Arriva or National Express. It has also published some 'damn right lies' in its anti HS2 stance. And you are right. It put its price up 3 weeks ago from 45p to 50p, an increase of over 11% so more than NX or Arriva's increases and it did it without any warning, just a 'sorry we have put our prices up due to increased costs' message in a very small article the day it actually increased.

[Bob]

Yea but realistically whos gonna want to go wast to west mids unless they have all day and are a bus spottee or something?

[bwsau cymru]

I come from a rual village in Shropshire where its all virtually arriva lots of midland day tickets bought in that area!!!

I use a day ticket to get to shrewsbury from Walsall and for £6 its brilliant value compared to coach and train, its also really easy to get to Stafford from Walsall. I can understand why there is a day saver plus but I do think that is pricey!

[Bob]

Ypu can get from cannock to Bedworth with a nx daysaver for four quid. Most people that buy them arent going halfway across the midlands so it works out more than 50% more than nx daysaver.

[bwsau cymru]

Ypu can get from cannock to Bedworth with a nx daysaver for four quid. Most people that buy them arent going halfway across the midlands so it works out more than 50% more than nx daysaver.

lol!!! I like your journey idea but some how I cant see anyone doing that. The key point is arriva have the biggest geographical operating company. Up until recently they have not been the most expensive for a network ticket (diamond £6.20). you would logically expect the biggest network to charge a little extra. and I think 20p is not bad as it was frozen last year. What I did think was wrong was the increase from £5.20 to £6.

BUT what we all must remember is that the bus no matter what operator still is the cheapest option compared to other modes such as car, taxi, train or coach!