Bus fares increase across the board

The two big bus companies serving the university – Travel Coventry and Stagecoach – have both increased their bus fares respectively to £2.90 return since the start of 2009.

“We are increasing our price due to inflation,” as an official from Stagecoach explained, “the fuel price has gone up, and because of changing regulations, we now have to have increasing staffing all across our sectors.” Stagecoach has also noted they are only allowed to raise prices once per bus route per year due to regulations.

On the other hand, Travel Coventry, which is part of the National Express franchise, stated on 16 December 2008 that the increase in prices are “results of rising operating costs, which includes utilities and staffing costs.”

For bus service number 12, which runs Coventry–University of Warwick– Kenilworth– Leamington Spa, single fare is going to be increased from £1.30 to £1.50, while daysaver rose from £2.60 to 2.90.

Service U1, Sydenham–Leamington Spa–A46–University of Warwick, has been increased a return journey from £2.50 to £2.90.

The Stagecoach official further explained that the reason they have increased the fares in conjunction with its competitor is that the bus industry is in a “very competitive environment that it only seems rational to increase fares at the same time as their main competitor”.

Seasonal bus passes such as the Unirider are not going to be affected in the short term. “But the prices of those seasonal passes are highly likely to be increased in our next financial year, which starts in May 2009,” the official concluded.

Mike Pidgeon, Communication Officer of the Students’ Union, understands many students are having to keep a tight budget and the increased fares will not help student finances.

“I very much encourage students to get in touch with us,” Pidgeon noted. “Although we haven’t got one big plan to reduce [the bus fares] straight away, student voices will be translated into policies to judge whether the increases has been just or not.”

However, pricing has been inconsitent with different buses and drivers charging different fares for the same journies on the same day. Not all drivers questioned were even aware of these changes.