Bus user group labels fare hikes ‘regressive’
PROPOSED bus fare increases have been labelled as regressive by the chairman of Bus Users Guernsey.
Fergus Dunlop also has some concerns about proposed route changes, principally concerning how the duration of some journeys will be affected and how the changes will be communicated.
Traffic and Highway Services is proposing to put the standard pay-as-you-go bus fare up from 65p per journey to 75p – an increase of 15.4% for those who use the buses most frequently to get around.
‘These are people whose only other option is to walk,’ Mr Dunlop said. ‘For some of them, 15% means quite a lot. We mustn’t forget our core bus users.
‘It’s a regressive change. The people who can least afford it will pay the same as the people who can most afford it.’
If the increase goes ahead as planned on 28 February, it will be the third rise in three years. The price per journey went up from 55p to 60p in April 2019 and from 60p to 65p on January 2020.
That would mean a 36.4% rise in the space of 34 months.
It is proposed that contactless payments for one-off journeys will go up by 25% from £1 to £1.25, that monthly passes should go up by 14%, weekly passes by 19% and one-day passes – which are particularly popular with tourists – by 50%.
Traffic & Highway Services director Karl Guille said the last increase to the one-off fares had been in 2010, when the 60p flat rate was increased to £1.
He said this new rise was below RPI for that period.
He added that the additional revenue would be used to help cover costs, such as fuel price increases, fleet maintenance and drivers’ wages.
The price rise was agreed jointly between CT Plus and Traffic & Highway Services, before going out to consultation. Mr Guille said changes could be made to the plans if there was strong feedback from the consultation.
Among the route changes, it has been suggested that route 13 should stop in at Admiral Park and that Le Frie Baton and Le Route des Clos Landais should be included on route 60.
Mr Dunlop accepted that this would be welcomed by those living along the additional part of the route but he warned against bus routes becoming too convoluted in order to accommodate too many areas.
‘I’m a fan of shorter routes,’ he said.
‘Including additional roads inevitably leads to longer bus journey times for all users on that route.’
Generally, Mr Dunlop is positive about the services provided by CT Plus and he has been happy to see their passenger numbers rising year-on-year – a steady increase only interrupted by the Covid pandemic and the associated restrictions.
However, he is concerned about what he sees as the company’s poor communications.
‘Whenever you make changes to bus routes, they need to be carefully and thoroughly communicated as quickly as possible,’ he said.
‘People need to know whether they’re going to get into work on time.’
He said he had been dismayed when, in November, CT Plus pulled the plug on its live app – the introduction of which he had campaigned for – on the basis that the website had all the necessary information.
‘The app was a bit clunky,’ he said, ‘but it was very useful.
‘Jersey has a live app for bus services provided by the same company and it refreshes every two seconds with live information about where your bus is.
‘It’s essential that this app is back up and running before these proposed changes are enacted.’
Nobody was available to speak on behalf of CT Plus when approached by the Guernsey Press yesterday.
n The proposed changes are open to public consultation. Comments should be sent by email to passengertransport@gov.gg or in writing to The Director of Traffic and Highway Services, Bulwer Avenue, St Sampson, GY2 4LR
