COACH company National Express Coventry is freezing cash bus fares in the New year in a bid to attract more customers – but contactless, Swift Pay As You Go and mobile app fares are increasing by 10p.
From January 2 2020 a single trip ticket paid by contactless or mobile app single ticket is rising from £2.10 to £2.20 as discounts are removed.
The company has also just announced it is also making youth tickets cheaper. The under-18s all-day ticket – the daysaver – will be reduced from £2.50 to £2.30 in 2020.
This is the third year in a row that cash fares will stay the same. The off-peak daysaver – the bus company’s biggest-selling product – will cost in 2020 the same price it was in 2014. And the weekly travelcard is being reduced from £18 to £17.50.
Chris Gibbens, National Express Coventry Commercial Director, said:
“In 2020, nine out of ten journeys on our buses will cost the same – or less – than they were in 2019. Across all of our tickets, the average change to fares in 2020 is zero.
“And don’t forget, the cheapest way to buy bus travel is still our yearly pass, paid for on direct debit. And I’m happy to say that in 2020, you’ll pay exactly the same for that as you did in 2019 too.”
Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “Buses are the backbone of public transport in the West Midlands, with more than 250 million journeys being undertaken each year – more than the rail and metro networks combined.
“With so many people reliant on the bus as their main mode of transport, it is imperative that journeys are kept accessible with fares low and competitive.
“Today’s announcement by National Express means exactly that, with the cash price of every single ticket not budging – expect getting cheaper in some cases. This means cash prices will not have increased once since 2017, and I am determined that we continue to keep prices low to help attract more passengers.
“On top of the cash fare freeze, we have new environmentally-clean state-of-the-art Platinum buses that are being introduced by National Express on routes across the West Midlands, and all low-fare zones will continue as today – a major boost for high streets and town centres across the region.
“Put simply, journeys across the West Midlands are improving significantly at no extra cash cost to passengers. National Express and Transport for West Midlands deserve great praise for making this possible.”
Chris Gibbens said: “For the sake of the planet, we want our young people to grow up using public transport. So we are making it really, really cheap for Coventry under-18s to get the bus – to school, to college, to work or just to go out with their friends.”
National Express Coventry says it is aiming to attract more customers to use the bus.
Although some fares are going up in 2020, the bus company will be investing £11 million on 29 electric-powered buses.
These will be arriving early in 2020 to run on routes in Coventry, Solihull and Birmingham – National Express claims this will bring a big reduction in its carbon footprint.
All tickets in the low-fare zones (Sandwell & Dudley; Walsall; outer Birmingham) will still be available at the current sale price – which is £3 for a day ticket or £11 for a weekly pass.
This is part of National Express West Midlands’ campaign to help local high streets and support small businesses.
For full details of all fares, see nxbus.
