Bus fare rises add to cost-of-living crisis in Rugby - The Rugby Observer

Bus fare rises add to cost-of-living crisis in Rugby

Rugby Editorial 12th Apr, 2022   0

BUS fares are the latest prices to go up in Rugby as the cost-of-living crisis continues.

Stagecoach Midlands has announced changes to its fares and ticketing in Rugby which will take effect from April 24.

The cost of a seven-day adult Rugby ‘MegaRider’ pass will go up by 60p to £17.10, and 28 day passes by £2.90 to £64.90.

The equivalent pass for young people will rise by 40p to £12.80 for seven days, and £2.20 to £48.70 for 28 days.




An adult Rugby ‘Plus’ pass will go up £7.60 to £31.10 for a seven day ticket, and by £29.10 to £118.10 for a 28 day pass.

For young people, it will rise by £5.70 to £23.30 for seven days, and by £21.80 to £88.60 for 28 days.


The adult MegaRider Gold pass will be priced at £36.40 for seven days travel – a £7.40 rise – and £138.30 (110) for 28 days – up by £28.30.

The equivalent pass for young people will cost £27.30 for seven days – up by £5.50 – and £103.70 for 28 days – a £21.20 rise.

Rugby DayRider, Rugby Plus DayRider and DayRider Gold will all remain at £4.50, £8.20 and £9.60 respectively.

Single and return fares in and around Rugby – of which Stagecoach says there are a ‘huge number’ – will be reduced to six key adult single fares and six young person single fares. The bus operator also says ‘most’ return tickets will be removed.

A Stagecoach spokesperson said: “For many customers, costs go down or stay the same, but there will be customers who will see increases to their fares. Stagecoach understand that any increases in costs are unwelcome, particularly when there are wider pressures on household budgets.

“These increases reflect the rising costs of running services. Since 2019, costs across the bus industry have risen by around 12 per cent, mainly driven by fuel and staff wage increases.

“Almost all the money received in fares goes towards paying for the day-to-day running of services as well as investing in improvements.”

Mark Whitelocks, Managing Director for Stagecoach Midlands, added: “We are delighted to be able to introduce a fares review where so many passengers will benefit, with daily travel mainly frozen and many customers able to save on travel. Stagecoach has consistently delivered some of the lowest ticket prices in the country and we are committed to continuing to keep fares as low as possible for our passengers.

“Like many sectors of the economy, bus operators are seeing significant cost inflation, primarily driven by increased fuel and staffing costs. At the same time, the money bus operators receive in fares to keep services running remains significantly below pre-pandemic levels.

“The changes we are making follow a fares freeze for nearly three years and are below the annual rise in inflation.

“As well as paying for the day to day running of the country’s vital bus networks, ticket costs help us to continue investing in improvements for our passengers, and pay for bus workers who have worked hard to keep communities connected and services running during the pandemic.”

Visit www.stagecoachbus.com for more information.

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