Trent Barton blames rising costs for bus fare increases
BUS operator Trent Barton has confirmed it will be putting up fares on some of its routes because of rising costs.
The Heanor-based firm, which operates services throughout Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, has confirmed that ticket prices on eight of its services will be going up from February 5.
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Alex Hornby
The company said it took the decision to put up prices following its annual fares review earlier this month.
Routes that will be affected by the changes include Rainbow, Rapid, Skyline, Spondon Flyer, Transpeak, Buxton Town, Sixes and Sevens bus services.
But the firm said the overall average price increase was below inflation, which currently stands at 4.2%.
Alex Hornby, commercial director at Trent Barton, said: "Only eight out of 45 routes across our network have been affected by a fares review.
"And on those eight routes, the cheapest tickets, which involve the majority of journeys used, including Mango single fares, Saver and Get on Together passes, continue to be frozen at 2011 prices.
"These changes represent an overall average price increase of just 3.4%.
"While costs continue to accelerate, we continue to find other ways of minimising the effect on our business, rather than passing the burden on to customers through fares."
But bus user Stuart Robinson, a tutor from Derby, who travels from the city to Nottingham once a week on the Red Arrow service, claims that fares have recently gone up on that route also.
He said: "One week it was £6.20 and the following week it was £7 – that's an increase of 12.9%, which is well over twice the rate of inflation.
"Personally, I think such rises are excessive. I appreciate that Trent Barton may have to contend with rising costs but it is asking a lot of people in this current climate.
"I'm lucky as I also have a car. I think it is particularly unfair on those people who rely on the bus as their only means of transport."
Trent Barton said the increased Red Arrow fare applied to journeys before 9am. It said the cost of fares after this time had been increased from £4.90 to £5.
The company added that passengers would be able to avoid some of the increases by switching to a Mango card, which allows people to pay their fare in advance. Trent Barton said it would be freezing Mango fares for at least the next three months.
At the start of the year, bus company Arriva increased its ticket prices on some journeys in Derby. It put prices up by 10p on most single journeys. A small number of journeys went up by 20p.
The firm blamed financial pressures, with rising fuel bills and cuts in grants.
7 Comments
by SpeedyReidy
Tuesday, February 14 2012, 1:40PM
“To the Government:
"Are we learning yet?"
The price of nearly all goods & services will rise with fuel prices; because at some stage transport will be required. The best way to get us and the economy moving would be to drastically reduce fuel duty. £1.30 - £1.40 per litre is absurd.
Yes, you would lose some tax revenue in the short term, but you'd then gain the VAT on the increased sales of goods and services.”
by markjones29
Friday, January 27 2012, 6:48PM
“To be fair, I can get from Darley Abbey to Edale via Sheffield on the train for about £7.50 using a wayfairer. Its not the issue of fairs, its about educating people of the fairs available. I often find myself explaining to the driver the cheapest way to travel.”
by B_o_b1
Friday, January 27 2012, 4:24PM
“onnhoj2010 - Yes, it will be but you won't and will miss it. ;)”
by onnhoj2010
Friday, January 27 2012, 3:38PM
“Stephen192 - any idea whether my bus home's going to be on time tonight?”
by B_o_b1
Friday, January 27 2012, 3:30PM
“Hear, hear Sharon_derby as regards the Trent Barton drivers (for the most part) and buses. They really are a cut above.”
by sharon_derby
Friday, January 27 2012, 3:03PM
“Arriva routes are far more expensive.£1.70 single to city centre from Cheviot St.
I have recently used Trent Barton buses and would happily pay the fairs they charge as very reasonable, The Buses are clean and updated. Most of all the staff are ulta polite. The company are a credit to Derby.”
by stephen192
Friday, January 27 2012, 10:14AM
“Trent Barton say costs are rising higher than inflation knowing the cost of running a car is falling in real terms will need to be investigated by the Government and Bus user groups to find why fares and costs are rising.
The investigation will need to look at insurance companies who charge bus companies higher compared to european bus operators and since buses are safer than cars because the driving test is higher compared with car drivers so buses are safer.
The Government is another factor for increasing costs with the increase in fuel duty over the years and the future planned reduction in fuel duty will increase costs further that could lead to higher fares and reduced services and I believe the present and previous government should take the blame of bus rises and cuts. since buses were Privatised in the 1980s that allowed companies to increase fares and choose how to run services.
For example Nottingham City Transport services cost less covering the same distance because some of the ownership is local council controlled that regulate the price of the buses and in London the Mayor of London regulate the price of fares through out London include private operators so more customers on the bus the more profit they earn.
In spondon the fare at present is £1.20 to travel 1 way around spondon and on the 5th Feb the fare will rise to £1.30 and to Derby a single fare will be £4.00 or £3.90 return and mango will rise to around £1.53 from April 2012.
I believe the new fare around Spondon is expensive knowing people could walk to the village saving them £1.30 but buses in Derby like the Spondon flyer miss out on Saver tickets that people could purchase on the Indigo in Long Eaton could travel 7 days a week between Long Eaton and Nottingham.
I believe Derby Spondon Flyer, Indigo and R4 from Borrowash to Derby should have a saver ticket like on trent routes to Nottingham this will help reduce congestion that Trent Barton say congestion affect and increase their costs that increase the cost of fares in Derby.
Another factor why fares are higher in Derby compared to Nottingham both Arriva buses and Trent Barton pulled out of Derby City Council integrated bus ticket costing around £4.40 similar to Nottingham bus ticket like the kagaroo costing £3.90 that allows people to travel on all buses through the day.
At present if you travel to Derby from Spondon it will cost you £3.90 and the £4.00 if you need an Arriva bus like travelling to work so the journey costs would be around £8.00 to travel to work making the bus fare expensive than a car.
On the 26 March 2012 the 9 bus will be replaced by a 9 and 9a that will operate every two hours between spondon village and chaddesden and this cuts in service will affect people who require to travel to services like Doctors, dentist, and shops that are open between 7am and 7pm excluding the open 24 hour stores.
From April people in Spondon needed too travel to work in Chaddesden or visit the Dentist will need to pay £2.50 return on the Spondon Flyer and £3.00 return on the 4 bus to travel to chaddesden when the 2 hour service starts costing the average customer of around £5.50 making the route more expensive than travelling to Derby Bus Station.
The 9 bus should be returned and take out the bus station that affected by traffic light delays causing the journey times to be increase. If the bus runs from Corporation Street the Bus could cover waterford Drive then Spondon area to Ockbrook and to Borrowash and return again leaving Derby with the first bus at 6.00am and then hourly at 7.00am to 3.30pm then at 4.00pm. 4.30pm, 5.00pm and 5.30pm and 6.00pm and the last bus at 7.00pm this service would encourage more people to use the 9 bus because it would operate in the afternoon.”