'It is quite perverse now' - Calls for cheaper fares for short bus trips across the West Midlands

Councillor Liz Clements told members of the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) Transport Delivery and Overview and Scrutiny committee the region’s network needed to follow other areas in the UK and in Europe.

She said day tickets represented good value for money but people were having to fork out £3 for a single trip, regardless of distance travelled.

She asked transport bosses to look into the possibility of reintroducing a ‘short hop’ fare – which would enable discounted tickets for short journeys.

Pete Bond, Transport for West Midlands’ Director of Integrated Transport Services said they were in discussions about what could be done about fares.

He added a proposed fares strategy will come out when the first franchised services come into operation in 2027.

Shortly after he was elected, West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker set out his plans to move the current private operator led bus network into public control via a franchised model.

Mr Parker said a franchised service will give them greater control over fares, timetables and routes and it was subsequently backed by WMCA Board members.

Bus services make up almost 80 per cent of the region’s public transport journeys and facilitate 245 million passenger trips each year.

Councillor Clements, who was previously cabinet member for Transport at Birmingham City Council said: “We’ve still got an ongoing cost of living crisis and people are seeing their 50 per cent increase in fares.

“There are no short hop fares any more. Is there any scope in having discussions with the operators about that kind of fare structure?

“It’s a shame we don’t have the same kind of tickets such as the Greater London one which allows you to travel for an hour and make multiple changes.

“That’s very similar to tickets I’m familiar with in big French and German cities.

“On the lack of a short hop fare, it is quite perverse now. The £5.20 cap is quite good for a day ticket. But for going two stops up the road to do some shopping, that costs me £3.

“If we want to make buses attractive we’ve got to do something to sort out that disparity with short journeys.”

Mr Bond said: “There is a proposed to be a fares and payment strategy that will come forward as part of our vision to franchise bus services between 2027 and 2029.”