South Yorkshire bus fares to rise again – but cost of mobile tickets frozen

Many bus passengers in South Yorkshire will soon see the cost of their tickets rise again – but those paying by mobile will benefit from a fares freeze.
First South Yorkshire said the cost of some tickets bought on board its buses would rise from April 14First South Yorkshire said the cost of some tickets bought on board its buses would rise from April 14
First South Yorkshire said the cost of some tickets bought on board its buses would rise from April 14

First South Yorkshire today announced some prices will go up from April 14 for customers paying on board.

But the operator said it was rewarding those who pay by mobile – thus reducing the amount of time spent boarding – by freezing their fares, which are already lower than for paper tickets.

First South Yorkshire said the cost of some tickets bought on board its buses would rise from April 14First South Yorkshire said the cost of some tickets bought on board its buses would rise from April 14
First South Yorkshire said the cost of some tickets bought on board its buses would rise from April 14
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For customers buying tickets from the driver, using cash or contactless payment, the cost of a FirstDay pass for Doncaster or Rotherham will rise by 20p to £4.70.

The cost of an equivalent mobile ticket will remain at £4, representing a saving of 70p.

A FirstDay pass for Sheffield will still cost £4.40 when purchased on board, which is 40p more than if bought via mobile.

The operator said speeding up boarding times, which account for 30 per cent of the time its buses spend on the roads, was a big part of the firm’s strategy to combat congestion, which is why it is encouraging more people to buy tickets using their mobile phones.

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First South Yorkshire’s commercial director, Alan Riggall, said: “We have frozen the price of our best-selling products, which includes FirstDay and FirstWeek, when purchased in advance of boarding the bus. This means that our mobile fares are still the same, or cheaper, than what we were charging in 2007, over 12 years ago.

“We have worked hard to keep any increases to a minimum and continue to offer customers the best value fares via our mTickets App. Our focus on encouraging more customers to purchase mTickets will continue, as this helps improve journey times and punctuality, which are all factors that we know are vital to customers. We are also working to make it even easier to pay for your ticket in advance through advancing our web retailing offering.”

For more details of the new fares, visit www.firstgroup.com/south-yorkshire.