Bus fares: Fife commuters face 6% rise in fares announced by Stagecoach

The hike has been announced by Stagecoach East Scotland as it battles increased running costs of some 40%. The new fares come into effect from March 31.

The bus operator said almost all the money received in fares goes towards paying for the day-to-day running of services as well as investing in improvements such as new electric vehicles and funding new routes and services. It also covers additional costs including paying government taxes which support public services and goes back into the local communities it serves.

The rise covers all fares including multi-journey tickets which offer unlimited travel across specific travel zones – the more you travel, the more you save - and products like Flexi 5 support those who may travel less often or need a bit more flexibility by offering five-dayrider tickets for the price of four.

Stagecoach said the amount of money bus operators receive in fares to keep services running remains significantly below pre-pandemic levels - but, like other businesses, industries and households, it faces increasing operational costs, often above inflation, including staff costs, vehicle parts, maintenance, insurance and utilities.

Last October, Stagecoach removed ‘peak’ travel fares for certain commuter tickets meaning that day return tickets were reduced in price and valid all day. Although these will be subject to a small increase now, these are still at low rates for travel at any time of the day.

Douglas Robertson, managing director for Stagecoach East Scotland said: “We have 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. 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.

“We are doing everything possible to absorb these cost increases and to help protect our valued customers at the same time as ensuring our own people receive fair pay increases to help them manage the significant cost-of-living challenges. That means that changing our fares to reflect the current climate is a necessity to ensure we can keep our services running and connecting communities across the country.”