BUS FARES ON THE RISE
PASSENGERS will see Cardiff Bus fares increase for the first time in three-and-a-half years.
The operator cited congestion and rising running costs for the price increases which will affect some of their tickets from October 29.
Passengers who buy their tickets on the bus will be hit the hardest, with the company trying to encourage people to buy tickets online or through the iff card.
The smartcard allows bus users to travel without having to pay in cash each time. Instead, they can load money onto their card when they first get on the bus, at the customer service centre on Sloper Road, at Cardiff Central Library, or at PayPoint outlets.
Cynthia Ogbonna, Cardiff Bus managing director, said: “While we are committed to maintaining a comprehensive network of high frequency services from early to late seven days a week, along with 24-hour services on some routes, we have to remain commercially viable.
“We have resisted these increases for as long as possible as we realise the effect it will have on our customers.
“But these revisions are now unavoidable as we face increasing costs across the whole of our business.”
Cardiff Bus said growing congestion across the city is one of the main reasons for the increase, as a Welsh Government committee heard in August.
The number of bus passenger journeys across Wales declined by around 19% between 2008 and 2015 but, bus travel accounts for more than 80% of public transport in Wales.
Ms Ogbonna said: “The more people we have using the buses, the easier it is to ease congestion in the city. Also, it’s easier for the unit cost of the service to come down because you have the higher volume.
“So it’s very important that that message, of getting more people to use the buses, is promoted and to give people the positive reasons to use buses.”
More bus lanes, better traffic management and enforcement, and working together with other agencies are key to helping reduce congestion and increase the use of buses, she said.
The operator said it has tried to cut internal costs before increasing ticket prices.
Ms Ogbonna said: “First and foremost we looked internally at how we can save and be more efficient, and for the past three-and-a-half years we’ve tried to absorb the costs but it’s come to a point now where it’s no longer possible because otherwise we’re at the point of not being able to generate enough money to pay the basic cost of operating.”
By encouraging users to buy tickets online or through the iff card, Cardiff Bus hopes the boarding process will speed up and help with congestion delays.
From May, Cardiff Bus began trialling contactless payments on certain routes, and Ms Ogbonna said they are hoping to introduce it on another route before Christmas.
The operator said the introduction of night bus services on certain routes was “encouraging”, and it could be rolled out on a Cardiff Bay route.