First bus fares change from 27th March 2016

[RollingJ]

In Brighton & Hove (my 'second' home city), conversley, you pay £2.50 per single journey, BUT there are 'short hop' fares of £1.80 (about 1.1/2 miles max).

 

They also have day/week/month tickets at around the same price as South Yorkshire, but the advantage there is that the multi-trip tickets are valid on all operators (excluding Stagecoach - there seems to be a mutual dislike between SC and Go-Ahead).

[nohands]

Of course Stagecoach need the extra money following the recent case (March 16) where they were found to have been involved in "a clear case of tax avoidance" (HMRC). This would have taken £11m out of public funds.

[myriad]

 

Believe it or not fuel is not the biggest cost of a bus operator - they spend more on staff - and that isn't just bus drivers, it is engineers, cleaners, controllers and various office based personnel - all who expect an annual pay rise of some sort. Most of First's ticket prices are still lower than in 2010.

 

Ha, that's more than the rest of the country gets, try 5 years and then get arsey

[Aleksandr]

So a massively over-inflation increase and still the 51 bus service is the worst in the world! It's a good job that we have Hulley's - their number 247 is a far more reliable bus and half the price! Shows what rip-off merchants First are!

[Funky_Gibbon]

I bought my usual weekly Citywide ticket today and was handed a Travelmaster smartcard rather than the usual cardboard and sticky-back plastic number. I'm a bit behind the times with these smartcards... I know how it works on the First buses but can you use them on the tram too? Presumably the conductor has something to scan it? And can you get them refilled on the buses themselves or do you have to go to a kiosk?

Edited April 2, 2016 by Funky_Gibbon

[CatznRatz]

I topped up my smartcard with cash from the driver this morning. I would imagine the conductor on the tram uses a handheld scanner like they use to scan oap passes etc.

[SpiderPete]

I bought my usual weekly Citywide ticket today and was handed a Travelmaster smartcard rather than the usual cardboard and sticky-back plastic number. I'm a bit behind the times with these smartcards... I know how it works on the First buses but can you use them on the tram too? Presumably the conductor has something to scan it? And can you get them refilled on the buses themselves or do you have to go to a kiosk?

 

Yes you can update them on the tram as well, I use both bus and tram.

 

When it runs out you give bus driver/tram conductor the required money and the card and they put the money on card and give you a receipt.