A fare increase in Brighton bus prices

Changes to bus fares in Brighton that came into place in the New Year have seen the cost of a Saver ticket rise by 10p on last year’s prices. The cost of a single journey remains at £1.80 while a saver ticket, which provides unlimited day travel now costs £3.60 – a 40p increase from the same ticket two years ago, in spite of decreasing fuel prices.

The commonly used route 25 bus service currently provides student rates on weekly passes at £10, £100 for three month passes and £300 for yearly passes. The service, which is part of the Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach Company Ltd and run by The Go-Ahead Group plc, offer no student concessions for singles or city saver trips.

While the weekly-pass provides a considerable saving, many students living-off campus travel on route 25 only one or two days a week and those living on campus may wish to take a weekly trip into the city centre (approx. 5 miles) or travel to Sainsbury’s (approx. 2.9 miles) and will pay over-the-odds prices for such trips.

Although the cost of selected short bus journeys was slashed in the New Year to create a new £1 ‘short hop’ fare – other fares have risen. The 25 service was not amongst the routes chosen for a price cut. The company has however, decided to freeze one-day saver purchases online at £3.00 and in shops at £3.20 to deter customers from delaying journeys by paying in cash.

Speaking to The Argus, Managing director Roger French indicated that despite a decrease in fuel prices bus fares would not be reduced. He points out that as the company buys fuel in 12 month supplies, “we haven’t felt any impact on fuel prices ourselves in terms of pricing because it’s contracted.”

Sources suggest that, as the Go-Ahead Group arranges fuel costs in advance, they currently pay roughly 57p a litre, which reflects the substantial tax-break they receive for providing a public service. The public meanwhile pay around 99p per litre at the pumps.

Brighton & Hove Bus Company’s main competitor The Big Lemon offer single bus fares for £1.50, a price which has also recently risen in order to run a more regular service. However, the price of day and weekly tickets has remained constant.

The £10 weekly-saver ticket provides a generous saving of £15 compared with the £25.20 it would take to travel daily with a city-saver ticket. Uni-Link services operating at The University of Southampton also provide weekly tickets for a fee of £10 but charge just £2.50 for unlimited day travel for a marginally shorter journey – over a pound less than the equivalent ticket at the University of Sussex. However, as a result, the service provided is far less frequent. By their own admission, the University of Sussex acknowledges that as services are operated on a commercial basis it makes it difficult for the University to control fare levels or provide new services.