New fares 2016

[GeminiFan1991]

During my uni days, I used to have the student card which was £3xx a year which was a massive saving ! Shame I've graduated ...

[Stu]

@Stu I think people especially on your page (which I'm a member of) don't realise that yeah there's a 10p increase on single fare. They don't realise the savings on off peak daysavers and other deals available and oh wait the amount of investment nx has put the last few years?

I happy paying what I pay out to nx every month my service to merry hill has nice 61/12 plate buses which are nice clean and reliable service (when merry hill traffic flows properly).

20p on a peak daysaver is nothing I had to put up with First Kernow. I used to work in Truro and live in Redruth (2010) The return went up from £4.80 to £5.60!!

Thanks Chris, I agree and I even pointed out in my original post there that people should look at the whole picture before jumping to conclusions and slamming NX.

As I see it:
- there is no fare increase if you switch to paying with Swift
- people who buy Daysavers after 9:30am actually get a fare decrease (from £4.20 to £4.00)
- which is decreased even more if they switch to Swift (from £4.20 to £3.80)

As for other comments that have been raised:
- buses are only as dirty (internally) as the people who use them
- NX operate much newer and better presented buses, as well as a bigger fleet of vehicles and services operated, than some other operators, who will also be increasing their fares at the same time, yet no-one slams them for blatant profiteering
- buses don't run on time because of heavy traffic caused by people not choosing to use public transport because of the pre-conceptions that all public transport users are smelly weirdos who stab and murder everyone who uses buses, or that all buses are full of cannabis smokers. And then there are regular bus users who complain that the buses never run on time because they don't understand that buses are not magical beasts that can effortlessly glide across the traffic jams to keep to their timetables.

Sorry for the mini-rant, but just wanted to get that off my chest!  ::)

[BK63 YWP]

I understand why buses are late, eg merry hills a nightmare peak times and other drivers do not know the keep clear sections of the roundabout by the cinema is there to allow cars/buses through to keep the systems moving yet they park on them waiting to get to the multi storey hence making everything late.

Concerning rubbish, the buses don't have time to get cleaned during service unless its at wolves (if they still getting cleaned I.e. 529/126 etc) and some services in Birmingham. And if some people like some school children and other people that seem to use the bus as a bin, they would be alot cleaner.

Nx uses a good portion of the profit they generate into refurbs, with people mistaking the crimson 57/09 buses as brand new. They are probably going to purchase around 150 new double deckers next year to get the majority of the old tridents out of city centre before 2017. So in my view that £2.30 (increase of 10p) will give newer buses, more platinum routes that give a higher standard of bus for the same price of £2.30 as a normal, refurb existing buses and maybe more new services for that price.

I do not mind paying an increase that happens once a year. I think NX is doing a grand job of modernising a fleet with the money they make.

[Liberator9]

These fare changes seem fair to me - good idea to reduce the daysaver to £4 after 9:30 certainly; also the idea of £1 extra for an accompanying child. It will encourage the move to SWIFT, which works well I must add, considering the prices for that are remaining at £2.20 etc. The low fare zone that is present in Walsall is also an excellent initiative and it would be good, if practical, for similar schemes to occur elsewhere.

Went into Solihull today and impressed by the change in just a few months - the Platinums on the 957 and host of new Crimson E200MMCs look excellent and create a good impression of NX. Saw a Crimson Gemini and again good to see some of the older members of the fleet being updated to fit in. The YW Tridents having been done up by now all looked good. Will be even better when the 6 Scanias are refurbished into Crimson - Solihull bar a few routes will be pretty much Crimson and Platinum. The transformation over the last 12 months is excellent - long may it continue. In relation to this, hopefully more road infrastructure schemes can be pursued with by Centro etc. to improve reliability by improving traffic flows.

Another operator will no doubt push up their fares, yet will continue to perform to their usual standards, or less; evident by the lack of iniatives or action in regards to joining up to the Alliance.

[Other Walsall Tony]

how long before the Express and Star describes there increases as 'inflation busting'?

[barry619]

Personally I think that passengers should pay more to travel during the peak, afterall jjourneys take longer and this is using more fuel, and costs more in drivers wages

But by doing that anyone who can possibly avoid travelling in the peak will do, and then at the moment off-peak fares become available all and sundry then want to travel at once.

The railways (and Virgin WC in particular) seem unable to grasp this concept. Whenever I catch a peak time train (at no less than £126 for a walk-up standard class fare, albeit on expenses) they are usually half full at best. Then as soon as the clock ticks into off-peak territory it's a scrum to get on otherwise you'll be standing all the way to London.

[barry619]

60.50 for a months bus pass,  I soon be better of not working,

Yup, two quid a day. However will you manage?

[Stu]

how long before the Express and Star describes there increases as 'inflation busting'?

Will probably be in Monday's edition! I can also guarantee they'll use a really old picture to illustrate the article, and will fail to mention that Swift fares won't be increasing.  ;)

[j789]

Will probably be in Monday's edition! I can also guarantee they'll use a really old picture to illustrate the article, and will fail to mention that Swift fares won't be increasing.  ;)

Same in Worcester too with the Worcester news, any excuse to knock the buses without ever highlighting the good things. Clearly easier to work up the complainers and fill the letters pages (no doubt concessionary holders) who fail to understand that buses cannot fly over traffic and that it is the city council who is at fault for failing to provide infrastructure for transport in the city and actually encouraging car use by closing the park and ride site and having cheap car parking. Just easy to criticise the bus company though!

[BU07 LGO]

Thanks Chris, I agree and I even pointed out in my original post there that people should look at the whole picture before jumping to conclusions and slamming NX.

As I see it:
- there is no fare increase if you switch to paying with Swift
- people who buy Daysavers after 9:30am actually get a fare decrease (from £4.20 to £4.00)
- which is decreased even more if they switch to Swift (from £4.20 to £3.80)

As for other comments that have been raised:
- buses are only as dirty (internally) as the people who use them
- NX operate much newer and better presented buses, as well as a bigger fleet of vehicles and services operated, than some other operators, who will also be increasing their fares at the same time, yet no-one slams them for blatant profiteering
- buses don't run on time because of heavy traffic caused by people not choosing to use public transport because of the pre-conceptions that all public transport users are smelly weirdos who stab and murder everyone who uses buses, or that all buses are full of cannabis smokers. And then there are regular bus users who complain that the buses never run on time because they don't understand that buses are not magical beasts that can effortlessly glide across the traffic jams to keep to their timetables.

Sorry for the mini-rant, but just wanted to get that off my chest!  ::)

Sometimes even without any traffic you can still run late due to high passenger load ! The times don't factor stopping for every bus stop!

[Liverpool Street]

Sometimes even without any traffic you can still run late due to high passenger load ! The times don't factor stopping for every bus stop!

I can't think of anything more infuriating from both passenger and driver perspective than a bus making every damn stop along its route.

Also noticed the journey is often rougher due to the constant stopping, nothing wrong with the driver, just the stop-start-20mph-stop-start gets old fast.

[GeminiFan1991]

I can't think of anything more infuriating from both passenger and driver perspective than a bus making every damn stop along its route.

Also noticed the journey is often rougher due to the constant stopping, nothing wrong with the driver, just the stop-start-20mph-stop-start gets old fast.

I pretty much know I'm in for a long ride home when the bus leaves the City Centre packed !


On Topic: I'm happy to pay my monthly installment for my bus pass as I believe you'll get more out of it the more you use it. The £4 daysaver whilst a good saving is remarkably expensive IF you use it once. It's all about careful journey planning and ultimately if more people use the bus, I like to think the fares may potentially go down with increased revenue although that may not be the case with extra buses being required.

My only gripe with any NX fare payment is my daily £6 to Amazon despite possessing a bus pass. To my knowledge isn't not something I can fully blame on NX as I believe Amazon themselves aren't running the service but a recruitment agency there is and they're making employees pay, NX just want the payment regardless of where it comes from I suppose.

[Liberator9]

What a surprise - Birmingham Mail use an old photo (must be 2008-2010) and fail to explicitly mention the fact that Swift cards' prices will be frozen.

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/bus-fares-going-up-west-10573239

[Adam 404]

What a surprise - Birmingham Mail use an old photo (must be 2008-2010) and fail to explicitly mention the fact that Swift cards' prices will be frozen.

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/bus-fares-going-up-west-10573239

Extract from the article you added...
He said: "Overall a quarter of passengers will benefit from reduced or frozen fares.

"We have cut the price of the off-peak daysaver to just £4 to make it even cheaper and easier to go shopping or have a night out and it will always be best value to pay with the new Swift smartcard.

[Liberator9]

I know that, but the article hardly makes the fact clear near the start that Swift fares are frozen; NX clearly having to defend themselves in what can be taken as a criticising article.