Bus fares in the West Midlands are to be frozen at current levels until 2025 under a new plan agreed between the region’s combined authority and bus operators, who said it would save the average commuter £250 a year.
The fare freeze is part of a government-funded £88m Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP), which aims to drive up passenger numbers and reduce private car use over the next three years.
The BSIP has been developed by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), in partnership with the region’s bus operators.
Under the plan, which includes a review of the number of fares and ticket types ‘with a view to reducing and simplifying them for passengers’, a multi-operator day ticket will cost the same as in 2013 – currently £4.20.
Mr Bradford, Mr Street and Agata Litwinowicz-Soltysiak, zero emission operational manager with National Express
West Midlands mayor Andy Street said: ‘Our region's bus services continue to be amongst the most affordable in the entire country with day tickets already the same price they were a decade ago - with our guarantee in place to keep them low through to 2025.
‘This is a genuine success story given the fuel price rises and broader cost of living challenges facing many of our fellow local residents at this time. So I encourage people to leave the car and give the bus a go as not only is it great value for money, it's also better for the environment.’
David Bradford, managing director of National Express West Midlands, said: ‘We know how tough things are at the moment and we’re pleased to be working with WMCA to help our customers in any way we can.’
Cllr Ian Ward, WMCA portfolio holder for transport and leader of Birmingham City Council, said the fare freeze was ‘just one part of our plans for bus services with funding in place and designs being developed for 50 kilometres of bus lanes and priority measures over the next five years, more cross-city bus routes and hundreds of greener electric and hydrogen buses on order’.
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