The great bus fares debate: are high prices driving away the passengers?

Low fares: help young travellers

Sarah Champion

WHEN I first came to Sheffield as a student in the late ’80s, bus fares were 2p across town, and that was one of the deciding factors for choosing Sheffield over other places.

We were outraged in 1989 when fares increased to 10p, because it put regular bus travel out of the reach for most of us. When I studied, I was lucky to have a full grant – it was before tuition fees were introduced – but the seemingly paltry increase in bus fares meant that I was forced to walk most journeys, because I could not afford to do otherwise.

A student ticket in Sheffield is now 80p. I appreciate that for many of us that does not seem like a lot of money, but students are now saddled with massive debts, so 80p is a considerable investment.

As I did, many students choose not to travel by bus due to the cost, instead spending the money on other essentials. During the day, that is fine, and in fact I would probably encourage it, but at night, I am concerned.

I worry about the safety of students and young people forced to walk in the dark across town or a considerable distance on rural lanes because they cannot afford a bus fare or there is no bus for them to catch.

In Sheffield and most towns, walking is an option, but the situation is compounded if a young person has to travel any distance or be anywhere at a specific time.

If an apprentice has to be in work at a set time for example, what are their options? Rely on friends and family for lifts; own, insure and pay exorbitant fuel costs for a car; or risk their life on a bike or scooter?

Realistically, the only option is catching the bus. On £2.65 an hour, a daily commute by bus becomes a costly enterprise, and some young people I have spoken to have decided not to take up apprenticeships due to the financial burden, which horrifies me. They are turning down a future because they cannot afford the transport to get there.

In reality, is there even a bus that they can catch? Ministers promised that cuts in funding would not lead to a loss of local bus services, yet many communities have seen significant reductions in vital services.

Fares have risen on average by double the rate of inflation. The Government has cut funding for local transport by 28 per cent and direct subsidies to support local bus services by a fifth.

As a consequence, local authorities have not been able to sustain the previous level of support for unprofitable but socially necessary bus services.

Research has shown that one in five local council-supported bus services were cut or reduced last year, and 41 per cent of local authorities have reported cuts to timetables.

Where services have been protected, bus companies have often increased fares to make up for the revenue lost through cuts to subsidies. It is the most vulnerable who are most affected by the loss of a local bus service, with 35 per cent of the 5.2 billion journeys each year in Britain made by those eligible for concessionary travel.

In Rotherham, we are trying to tackle the injustice for young people head-on with the council actively pursuing ways to increase young user representation, so that the transport services are fit for purpose.

Young people in Rotherham have been invited to attend a number of upcoming boards and consultation meetings.

All parties involved, including the council, South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, South Yorkshire Police and the individual operators welcome young people’s input.

Rotherham Council has appointed young people to its transport liaison committee, and the Rotherham Transport Users Group is actively recruiting young people, as they are the people who aware of the specific issues facing them.

In Rotherham, we are trying to make the bus companies apply the 70p fare for young people to through journeys. Currently, if someone gets off one bus and takes another to complete their trip, they are charged 70p for each part of the journey, which often makes the cost prohibitive.

Such schemes need to be adopted across the country. Rotherham has shown that by including young people in the decision-making process, change can occur.

Finally, I urge the Government to consider Labour’s proposals to enable transport authorities to improve local bus services through greater regulatory powers over fares and routes. Without this, I am afraid that the future for young people looks bleak.

Fair deals: companies can offer discounts

Norman Baker

AS I know from my constituency and from my role as a Minister, buses are a lifeline for many people, including young people. They provide access to jobs, schools, health care and social activities.

Good bus services contribute to both the Government’s key transport objectives: creating growth and cutting carbon. By providing an attractive alternative to the car, we can reduce not only harmful emissions, but, at the same time, the congestion that can choke off our local economies.

Buses are of particular importance to young people. More than half of students are frequent bus users and depend on the bus to get to education or training. Buses are used more frequently by young people, with the average 17 to 20-year-old making twice as many trips as people in other age groups.

In Yorkshire and Humber, two thirds of all bus trips by 11 to 15-year-olds involve travelling to or from school. Among 16 to 19-year-olds, 36 per cent of all bus trips are for the purpose of education. A further 20 per cent are for commuting. Young people in Yorkshire and Humber continue to use the bus when they start working. Some 37 per cent of all bus trips by 20 to 25-year-olds are for the overall purpose of commuting.

On average, young people in the Yorkshire and Humber areas make more bus trips per year than the average young person in England, which Members may not realise. Sixteen to 19-year-olds in the region make more than 200 bus trips per year, compared with 186 for England as a whole.

I fully recognise that the cost of young people’s travel can cause difficulty for those seeking employment, education or training. That is why, at last November’s UK bus awards, I urged the bus industry to be more innovative about the fare deals and discounts that it offers young people.

The Government appreciates that bus fares for young people vary a great deal across the country. In many cases, that is the result of operators responding to their local market. However, I am pleased to see that travel discounts are available to young people on many bus services in the Yorkshire and Humber areas. We have no immediate plans to legislate to set fares for young people or to introduce a statutory young person’s travel concession, but I think that a simpler fare structure would help, and in some areas bus operators could do more to offer discounted fares to young people.

People who have decided to leave education and begin work – for example, as apprentices or in training schemes – may find the cost of bus fares a barrier. I am aware of the offers that are available for some people coming off JSA into employment, particularly young apprentices. That is a good scheme and we are happy to endorse such schemes.

Cheaper fares could make buses the mode of choice at an early age and lock in patronage for the future and help to reduce car travel. That is why, at the bus partnership forum in January, I asked the bus industry to consider offering travel discounts to all people aged 18 and under, not just those in education. A fares discount based on age seems far easier to administer than one relying on proof of education. I have encouraged the bus industry to do that because it is in its interest to identify people who want to use the bus and lock them in for future use for the rest of their lives.

Interestingly enough, the legislation that regulates the bus industry, which we inherited in 2010, does not require bus operators to offer any reduced fares to young people. If the Government intervened to enforce an age limit for charging an adult fare or legislated to create a national concessionary travel scheme for young people, local authorities would be obliged to reimburse bus operators for any revenue forgone.

Finally, let me pick up on the careless phrase used by those who accuse the coalition Government of making “reckless” cuts to the UK transport system. We are now seeing more people on the buses – 4.7 billion bus journeys, which is higher than at any time since 1986. We have the biggest investment in the rail network since the Victorian era. We have 850 miles of electrification going on in the railway network, compared with nine miles under her Government in 13 years.

There are more people on the trains now than at any time since 1926. People who use public transport can be well pleased with what the Government is doing.