'Bus travel offers excellent value for money'

Most of our ticket prices were frozen through our mTickets app and our 7 & 28 Day tickets were made available to purchase via ticket vending machines in transport interchanges. Some increases were made to on-board fares including rounding cash single fares to £1 increments. This information has been available online and on bus since 13th May 2018.

The reason behind the change is to speed up customer boarding times by aiming to move customers towards buying tickets via digital channels and having a simpler cash fares structure, we believe this will help to run a more punctual service. 10,000 free day tickets have been given away in June through our Mobile App and we are extending this through July to encourage customers to “Switch and Save”.

In 2016 we introduced our Sheffield Price Promise, which means that if customers found a cheaper fare for the same bus journey, then we provide a refund and price match that fare. Many customers have benefited from a lower fare since our changes in May as we have been price matching other operator fares. If there is no longer a cheaper fare available, then our price reverts to our published fare.

Sheffield Day and Week tickets remain matched under Price Promise and therefore customers are still receiving a discount and have benefitted from thousands of pounds of savings collectively through the promotion. At any time, under the Price Promise guarantee, the prices can change, but if our published fare is cheaper – it will remain the same. The only time our fare will increase is if our published fare is more expensive.

Bus travel offers excellent value for money. Our Sheffield Day and Weekly tickets remain the same or less than in 2007 and we have introduced a 10-trip ticket on our mobile app, priced at £1.80 per journey, which can be used over 12 months for customers who travel less frequently.

Allan Riggall

Head of Commercial at First South Yorkshire