Herefordshire bus operator Sargeants Brothers has opted to freeze its current fare scale for 12 months in a bid to grow patronage on its network of urban and rural routes.
The measure applies across all those services and includes passes for schoolchildren and students. It has been possible while Herefordshire County Council (HCC) “provides the level of support needed to enable us to not pass on our operating cost increases to our customers,” says Transport Manager Natalie Amos. The business adds that while it is under pressure from high fuel prices, it also recognises the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on its customers.
Sargeants has already invested to update its 26-strong fleet and Ms Amos adds that the Kington firm believes that an increase in fares “would be counterintuitive with regards to seeking passenger growth within the city of Hereford and the wider county.”
The operator says it is “committed to improving bus services in Herefordshire” and that it is “fully engaged” with Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP)-related work in the county. Ms Amos adds that while quality and cost represent a part of successful delivery, faster journey times aided by priority measures are also key, hence Sargeants’ keenness to see BSIP work progress.
“We intend to continue to develop our offering and we also hope that by keeping prices as low as possible, we will provide a credible alternative to car journeys in the city and wider county.”
HCC has funded free Sunday bus travel in the county for a year in an initiative that will end on 28 August. However, the LA will continue to support the most popular among additional Sunday services that were introduced as part of the same Bus-It scheme. HCC says that “thousands of people” have used the free Sunday services each month since introduction.
