East Lancashire bus fare rises criticised

A second East Lancashire MP has called on Transdev to think again about local bus fare rises and ticketing changes which came into effect this week.

The firm, which oversees operations at The Burnley Bus Company and The Blackburn Bus Company, announced that fares would increase from Sunday January 18.

All-day tickets will rise from £6 to £7.50, while a weekly ticket will increase from £19 to £25.

Now Burnley MP Oliver Ryan has joined his Labour colleague for Hyndburn Sarah Smith in writing to Transdev UK chief executive Guillaume Chanussot in urging the firm to reconsider.

He has also launched a petition calling on the bus operator to halt the planned changes to ticketing which he says ‘will increase costs for families, students and commuters across his constituency and the surrounding area.

The changes also see the scrapping of local area tickets and moving to a single Lancashire-wide product.

Mr Ryan launched the petition after parents contacted him to raise concerns about rising bus costs – particularly the impact on under-19 tickets and school travel.

One example highlighted by the MP is that a family with two school-age children who each need a weekly U19 pass will face an increase of around £54 per month in travel costs.

Mr Ryan, who is seeking a meeting with Mr Chanussot, said: “My petition’s already nearly 700 signatures.

“This is a massive issue for parents and families.

“An extra £54 a month is a serious hit to the household budget.

“I’m asking people to sign my petition to stop this Transdev cash grab.”

The petition calls on the bus company to rethink the changes and to bring forward alternative ticketing options that protect frequent local users from higher costs.

A Transdev spokesman said that despite the changes, many customers will pay less for the same journey – notably to and from Manchester.

He added that new fares, such as the ‘Lancashire Ticket’, will offer greater flexibility across a larger geographical area with no change in ticket price for customers making a single or return journey.

Mrs Smith letter said: “Whilst I welcome steps being taken to simplify ticketing and wider Lancashire travel, it is quite clear that in Hyndburn the loss of the ‘Blackburn Local’ ticket (formerly known as the Hyndburn Circular) will have a significant impact upon many families who rely on public transport for work and school.

“This is in large part due to the geographical nature of the borough, with several distinct towns all interlinked, whereby passengers will travel to the next local town for their nearest secondary school, or their employment.”