Bus fares forced up by fewer passengers and lower grant
Bus fares are set to rise
BUS fares in Edinburgh are expected to rise next month following a massive cut in government grants and a drop in passenger numbers due to the tram works.
Lothian Buses also plans service changes, including the withdrawal of one route and reduced frequencies on others.
Managing director Ian Craig said the council-owned bus company had suffered a multi-million pound reduction in income because of Scottish Government cuts in the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) and a change in the way it is calculated.
He refused to confirm or deny the single adult fare would increase by 10p to £1.40. But he said an announcement would be made “in the next few weeks”.
Funding for the BSOG has been cut by 20 per cent and payments are no longer based on how much fuel buses use, but how many kilometres they travel, – a change favouring rural operators at the expense of those in urban areas, resulting in an overall cut of up to 40 per cent in the grant for some companies.
Mr Craig said: “It is a very significant reduction in revenue and we are arguably one of the worst affected operators because we operate in an urban area at low speeds with vehicles which are obviously less fuel efficient than minibuses running around rural areas.”
He acknowledged the disruption in the city centre due to the tram works was also “a significant challenge”.
A series of proposed service revisions are in the pipeline, including the withdrawal of the X48 between Ratho, Hallcroft Park and Sheriffhall park-and- ride – though the company says the western end of the route will be replaced by a new peak-time X12 service and off-peak by the No 12.
The changes are due to come into force at the beginning of March and any fare changes would happen then too.
Mr Craig said: “We’ve still got one or two final decisions with regard to tweaking some fares. We will announce in the next few weeks if there are to be any change in fare levels.
“The decision to alter fares is not one we take lightly. We are a low-fare operator and we will cling to that going forward, but it is becoming more and more difficult to maintain fare levels.”
A source said the company was planning to increase the single adult fare from £1.30 to £1.40 and the day ticket for unlimited travel from £3.20 to £3.40.
City council transport convener Gordon Mackenzie said: “I have no doubt the changes to the BSOG will have an impact on services and fares. You cannot take such a large amount of money out without having an impact, even on well-managed operators like Lothian Buses.”
He said many of the service changes were mitigated by complementary changes to parallel routes. “Lothian Buses has worked very hard to minimise adverse effects for passengers.”
Labour transport spokeswoman Lesley Hinds said Lothian Buses faced a “double whammy” from the grant cut and the tram works. She said: “There is a concern Lothian Buses will consider fare increases. I would urge them not to do that.”
She said the city council should look at ways of offering Lothian Buses support, including not taking the full annual dividend due to the authority.
George Mair, director of the Confederation of Passenger Transport in Scotland, which represents bus operators, said: “The industry understands these are difficult times but the speed and depth of the cuts here are quite spectacular.”
Transport Minister Keith Brown said changes to the BSOG would encourage fuel economy and secure rural services.
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Comments
There are 70 comments to this article
Page 1 of 5
bifter
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 10:55 AMI will never forgive the council for the tram debacle and for running our bus service into the ground. How will they cope when they have to subsidise the trams?! However we are where we are. Some suggestions for Lothian Buses: reduce the number of stops, there's sometimes one every 50m in places; invest in more flexible use buses with fold down seats to allow prams, etc (Dundee has these) to encourage uptake; invest in bendy buses to carry more passengers and more doors to assist efficiency; more LPG buses or hybrid engines; change to a strip-card payment system or similar - in the Netherlands you can purchase them at any newsagent and they are very efficient and look into RFID or NFC payment methods (e.g. swiping your phone).
Black Five
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 10:40 AMBleedin ` obvious whats wrong .just take the bus into town and look at the mess .It`s beyond belief .Roads up everywhere .No one knows where buses are .City is a permanent bombsite .This council should be strung up .
judgedredd777
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 10:38 AMWell the "Wheels on the Bus just fell off". Cant be long now until they fall off the "Vanity Tram" if the tram ever enters service or will the first electric bill derail it when it hits the buffers??????????
Jingsitsme
Thursday, February 2, 2012 at 09:04 AM#60 - people move here from all over the world for the free benefits system and all the wonderful tat shops!!!! That is what is killing our city!
Jools in Edinburgh
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 11:40 PM#51 flyinngscot............................................., I might stick my neck and go as far to say that the inefficiency of Lothian Buses has enhanced the case for a tram. Get on a bus in Prague Barcelona or Athens and you'll see the difference. A long bendy bus stops, three doors open, 40 people get on and off in 20 seconds (without tickets). Meanwhile back in Edinburgh the bus stops, those wanting to get on wait patiently while 20 folks get off the bus. If you're lucky everyone gets on one by one paying the driver individually. If you're unlucky someone starts asking the driver questions, someone else doesn't have the right change etc. etc.
Jools in Edinburgh
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 11:28 PM#50 Not AvailableEuan..........yes, we know you've said that previously when bus fares were £1.20. If this rise is confirmed that will be 20p up, £1.60 to £2.60 to go. So when the trams are up and running in 2014 there will have to be a 250% rise in bus fares to meet your prediction. Cut your losses now and admit defeat:-)
leithman
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 10:59 PMDon't know if this has been asked, but what is going to happen when the bus company has to subsidise the tram line?
Tintock Pete
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 10:36 PMBenefits are rising by more than this so the "poor" or "pour" as Jackie Baillie would say, wont be affected.
sarcasm22
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 09:42 PMUnless they're going to lower fares and reintroduce a 37A route!
sarcasm22
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 09:39 PMAm I the the only one to nitice how out of date that picture is? When was the day ticket last £2.30?
jingsmaboab
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 08:41 PMNo. 58: "Of course less people on buses as trams have killed the city off. " Och aye, we're all dooooooooooooooomed, ah tell ye! Doooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooomed! The tram works have summoned the four horsemen of the apocalypse, even Beelzebub himself is roaming the streets of fair Edina. That'll be why we have one of the lowest rates of unemployment in Scotland, the city is still growing, folk from all over the world move here to live. But naw, reduce a few bus services and put the fares up 10p and the End Of The World Is Nigh. Doooooooooooooooooooomed! All doooooooooooooomed!
whosaid
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 08:29 PMwould it not be enough of a saving by reducing services, why not go back to a half hourly service and lets start walking to bus stops again, stopping buses running into estates can only make us all fitter and reduce emission levels which i am sure someone somewhere has mentioned that we have a target to meet!
Jingsitsme
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 07:48 PMnothing to do with lesser numbers using the bus. Of course less people on buses as trams have killed the city off. It's quicker to walk than get a bus somewhere, sometimes without knowing where it is going to stop with all the diversions etc. It's all to do with, in my opinion, making the trams look good and getting everyone to say " we need the trams and they are great"! I for one will not - it's the trams that are killing the buses and we used to have the best service.
flyinngscott
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 07:11 PM56 :) Could you teach a panda to drive too?
Tartancult
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 06:59 PMThere is a simple solution here - attendance at the zoo is up, allegedly due to the pandas - so we get more pandas, put one on every bus and more people will use the buses more.
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