Stagecoach announces second Ayrshire fare increase within 12 months

The Ayrshire bus firm has revealed their intention to increase fares from the end of this month.

Bus travellers in Ayrshire have been sent reeling tonight by another fare hike from Stagecoach West Scotland.

The Ayrshire bus firm has revealed their intention to increase fares from the end of this month.

And it means hard-pressed passengers are once again left counting the cost.

It’s the second fare increase imposed by the operator in 12 months.

In March last year, they announced their intention to hike fares by a whopping 15 per cent.

At the time the firm claimed the increase was ‘necessary’ in order for them to keep investing in their staff, their fleet and their customers.

Some of the services affected by this latest increase includes the Ayr Town 7-Day Mega Rider ticket. This ticket is going up from £15.10 to £16 for adults, with students paying £12, an increase of 70p more than they currently pay.

And the Mid Ayrshire Day Rider ticket is going up from £4.80 per day for adults, to £5 and from £3.60 for students to £3.80.

A whole host of fares and packages are being affected by the increases and passengers are being advised to check their own journeys to establish what they’ll need to fork out.

The increase comes into effect from Sunday, March 31.

Fiona Doherty, managing director for Stagecoach West Scotland, said: “Stagecoach has consistently delivered some of the lowest ticket prices in the country and we are committed to continuing to keep fares as low as possible for our passengers.

“As well as paying for the day to day running of the country’s vital bus networks, ticket costs help us to continue investing in improvements for our passengers and pay for bus workers who have worked hard to keep communities connected and services running during the pandemic.

“Attracting new employees to the business is an important part of service delivery and building our network.”

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In another blow, Stagecoach West Scotland has also scrapped their Student 13 Week Mega Rider ticket due to low sales.

However, students aged 22 and over can still take advantage of long-term ticket value with the 28 Day and Flexi tickets.

Fiona Doherty added: “We are doing everything possible to absorb these cost increases and to help protect our valued customers at the same time as ensuring our own people receive fair pay increases to help them manage the significant cost-of-living challenges.

“That means that changing our fares to reflect the current climate is a necessity to ensure we can keep our services running and connecting communities across the country.”

For more information on the new fares in your area, visit stagecoachbus.com/service-updates

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