It was introduced amid the COVID pandemic to attract more customers back to bus – and now Transdev in northern England says its £1 after 7pm single journey fare is to continue in Lancashire after it sold a million tickets in 14 months and boosted evening bus use by 72%.
The news follows a review of Transdev’s fares, as it prepares for next month’s launch of cheaper one-way and all-day multi-operator tickets in West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.
Transdev’s bargain flat fare for any single journey on any evening after 7pm was first launched by the bus operator during the COVID pandemic in June 2021, as part of a package of measures designed to encourage more people to get out and about across the region.
Early reaction proved positive with numbers on board during 2021 reaching 85% of pre-pandemic levels – having plummeted to just 5% at the peak of the first lockdown in March 2020.
Transdev UK now says it’s sold a million £1 evening tickets in 14 months since its offer was originally launched, while recording a 72% rise in evening ridership within Lancashire – an impressive result which has inspired the operator to retain the deal within the Red Rose County.
As a result, any journey wholly within Lancashire after 7pm on buses run by The Blackburn Bus Company, The Burnley Bus Company and Rosso – including Burnley to Preston, or Blackburn to Rawtenstall – will still be only £1.
We know our buses have played a vital part in rebuilding Lancashire’s evening economy beyond the pandemic – and it was with that in mind that we first created our £1 after 7pm fare offer.
We originally planned it to continue until the end of September 2021, but as it was clearly helping to attract more people back to our buses, we extended it to the end of last year and kept it going through 2022. The popularity of the offer is such that we can now carry on with it for evening journeys in Lancashire.
In West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, the new £2 one-way and £4.50 all day tickets will represent a significant price reduction for many of our customers. We hope that these lower fares will prove popular and will help many people to continue enjoying everything the region’s town and city centers have to offer.
Director Paul Turner, Transdev UK’s Commercial
From Sunday, 4 September, in partnership with Mayor Andy Burnham and Transport for Greater Manchester, all journeys wholly within Greater Manchester will cost no more than £2, with the any bus, any time System One day ticket also reduced to £5 from its current price of £6.40.
Also, from the same date and working with the Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, all journeys on Transdev’s buses within West Yorkshire will cost no more than £2 – with the any bus, any time Day Saver ticket also reduced to £4.50 from its current price of £5.50.
In West Yorkshire, Transdev will offer a new £5 all-day KDAY ticket, which can be used on all The Keighley Bus Company routes in West and North Yorkshire – plus for the first time, on all Team Pennine buses in West Yorkshire and into Greater Manchester.
Transdev’s popular range of seven and 28-day tickets, including KZONE and Leeds Bradford passes, will continue to be available and offer savings for commuters who only need to use its buses to make regular journeys.
Within West Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, Transdev day return fares currently priced at £4 or more will be withdrawn as it’ll be cheaper to buy two single tickets.
At the same time, Transdev’s promotional £1 single fare for travel after 7pm – introduced in June 2021 across its entire North of England network to attract people back to bus travel during the pandemic – will come to an end, except for journeys wholly within Lancashire where it will continue to be available. Fares for all cross-boundary journeys between Lancashire, Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire will be frozen at their regular daytime prices.
Full details of all bus tickets and timetables are available online at transdevbus.co.uk and on the Transdev Go mobile app.