Students hit with bus pass price hike

by Jim

Whilst Stagecoach’s fares increase earlier this month was very modest (and, of course, constrained by the £3 fares cap) one group of passengers will see a much larger rise in travel costs.

Students at Lancaster University are complaining about what appears to be a huge increase in the price of Unirider tickets, compounded by the withdrawal of one of its most popular versions.

Unirider tickets offer unlimited travel in the Bay Megarider area but are only sold to students. With Lancaster University’s campus being 5km south of the city centre and with large numbers of students living in the city, buses are a popular method of transport, with fourteen buses an hour running between the two in term time and more at peak times.

Increase

In previous years, Uniriders came in three versions: A one-term ticket; a three-term ticket covering the academic year but not the vacations and an annual pass that gave a full twelve-months travel. In 2025/6 the three-term ticket cost £389, increased from £360 the year before. The Annual ticket was priced at £499. However, for the forthcoming academic year the three-term ticket is not offered, leaving students with a choice of a One Term Ticket at £174 (three of which would cost £522 but exclude vacations) or the annual ticket at the new price of £555.

Whilst the price of the annual ticket itself has risen by 11% (at a time of 3% inflation), students who would have bought the Three Terms ticket at £389 are faced with a hike of 34% if they choose three one-term tickets (excluding vacations) or 42.6% if they opt for the Annual at £555.

Simplification

Stragecoach’s Managing Director, Tom Warterhouse, defended the increase, saying that the range of tickets had been “restructured” and “simplified” for the coming academic year.

He told the Bus Users’ Group: “The Term ticket still offers incredible value for money at £2.32 unlimited travel per day and the annual at £1.54 per day. As with the previous £2 capped fare, students can choose whichever duration of ticket they wish, but our UniRider range of products still offers much better value for the large number of students making regular journeys.

Alternatives

Despite the increases, the Unirider still appears to offer savings over the alternatives, which are all that is on offer to other passengers:

Single Tickets: Stagecoach’s response (above) quotes costs that appear to be based on 75 days travel for the termly ticket and 360 days for the annual. The single fare between the Campus and the City Centre is £2.20, forecast to reduce to £2 from January. Assuming two single journeys per day, 75 days travel would cost £330 in term one and £300 in terms two and three, a total of £930 for the year (excluding vacations).

Day Rider Tickets At £6.20, a Day Rider ticket is only worth buying if more than three single journeys are made in any one day. When fares are capped at £2, four single journeys per day will be necessary before a saving is made.

Weekly and Monthly Tickets: Alternatively, Eleven 7-day tickets at £23 would cost £253 per term (£759 per year) or 3 x 28 day tickets at £74 each would work out at £242 for a term (£726 per year) in both cases excluding vacations.

The Unirider ticket, even at its new, higher, price still appears to be significantly cheaper than the alternatives.

Students are good business for Stagecoach

Law of Unintended Consequences?

Although under our deregulated bus system operators have complete commercial freedom when it comes to fares, in practice recent years have seen them constrained by a number of government initiatives. The most prominent of these is the fares cap, which has seen fares capped at £2 (2023-2025); £3 (2025-2026) and now £2 for 2027. Although the cap applies only to adult single fares, in practice it has limited the extent to which daily, weekly or monthly ticket prices can be increased before they become more expensive than singles for regular travellers.

Whilst the governemt compensates bus companies for the loss of income, the amounts paid are apparently non-negotiable and dependent on what theDepartment for Transport thinks is appropriate. Some bus companies have been disatisfied with the compensation on offer and have not participated in the scheme, which is volunatry.

With most fares effectively capped, and costs such as fuel continuing to rise, it wouldn’t be surprising if bus operators were looking for ways to increase revenue from those tickets that are not affected by the cap. By the end of 2027, single fares will have been capped for five years and the cap could, of course, be extended, putting more prerssure on bus operators to look for other ways of increasing revenue in future.

Free travel all day for Disabled Pass holders

by Jim

In another policy statement on buses, Andy Burnham’s government has announced that the restrictions on the use of concessionary bus passes issued to disabled people are being lifted.

A government spokesman said:

“Eligible disabled people across England will get free bus travel all day, every day, after the Prime Minister announced today (Tuesday 18 August) that the government will lift time restrictions on concessionary passes.  

From 1 April 2027, people who hold a disabled bus pass can travel on buses for free, no matter the time of day. This extra support will help to open up access to workplaces, education, training, and other opportunities as well as giving people breathing space on the cost of living and putting money back in people’s pockets.

Currently, disabled bus passes are only valid for travel between 9.30am and 11pm during weekdays, unless local authorities choose to fund an extension. For example, Greater Manchester Combined Authority permanently lifted the time restrictions from March this year.

Backed by £60 million of funding, the Government is now stepping in to remove these time restrictions across the whole of England, so that from next year, disabled bus pass holders can always travel for free on the most popular form of public transport, regardless of their postcode.”

The change is the latest development to affect disabled pass holders in Lancashire. Prior to December 2018, pass holders could travel before 0930 on payment of a flat fae of 50p. In December 2018, citing budget pressures, this was raised to £1, which applied until April 2025 when the facility was abolished altogether and pass holders couldn’t use their pass until 0930hrs.

Anomalies?

Although the headlines surrounding the announcement stress the ability to travel free in the morning peak, the small print makes it clear that the evening travel restriction is alo being lifted. This leads to the seemingly annomalous position that holders of Disabled passes can travel after 23.00hrs but holders of Senior Citizens’ cards have to pay full fare.

Time for a review?

Whilst there are good grounds for allowing disabled passholders to travel free in the morning peak and whilst there is a need to prevent overloading of busy buses taking people to work and school by passengers riding for nothing, the Bus Users’ Group feels that it is time the 0930 start time was at least reviewed. Outside London and a few larger cities, the peak demand for bus travel is by schoolchildren rather than workers and most children are in school well before 0900. Bringing the start time forward by half-an-hour would give greater flexibility to pass holders and, by spreading journey start times over a longer period, reduce the pressure from passholders on the first bus that comes along after half-past-nine.

Evenings

At present, bus passes cannot be used after 2300 hrs on Monday to Friday nights. The Bus Users’ Group has never seen a credible justification for this other than that it is “national policy”. Lancaster has a better late evening bus service than many places its size with buses running after 2300 to Morecambe, Bare, Heysham, Galgate, Garstang, Bowerham and the University. Despite being well used, they are rarely full and certainly have room for a few passholding pensioners who, contrary to belief, do enjoy an occasional night out! That the restriction was never thought through is clear in that it doesn’t apply on Saturday nights, or after midnight on Fridays, the two busiest nights of the week!

From 1st April 2027 these late night buses will be free for holders of disabled passes, and whilst senior citizens will not begrudge them this “perk” they will be wondering just why it doesn’t apply to them too.