Weekly bus travel offered by Stagecoach is almost 10% cheaper than the UK average, according to independent research by transport specialists TAS.
Stagecoach saves customers almost £1.50 per week compared with the average cost of weekly bus travel across the UK.
The research also showed that the company has the country’s lowest average single bus fares and Britain’s cheapest single ticket.
According to the study, cities in Yorkshire & Humber, and the North East and North West of England have access to the best value weekly urban bus travel of any UK region.
However, Stagecoach has repeated its calls for value bus fares to be matched by local authority action on road congestion.
Stagecoach UK Bus Managing Director Robert Montgomery said: “The survey cements our reputation as Britain's best value bus operator. Together with huge investment in new vehicles, smart ticketing and better customer information, we are making bus travel an easier choice.
“But we are being held back by worsening road congestion and urgent action is needed by transport authorities to ensure faster and more reliable journeys for passengers.”
The research which has previously three times identified Stagecoach as the UK’s best value bus operator, also found that:
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· Stagecoach has the lowest adult single fare in Britain – this was in Hull
· Stagecoach offers an average weekly ticket price of £15.39, compared with the overall survey average of £16.74
· Regular commuters get excellent value from Stagecoach's weekly tickets, which were found to offer a 28% discount on already leading value single trip tickets.
· Stagecoach had three of the six lowest single fares over three miles; three of the seven lowest priced day tickets; and three of the five lowest priced weekly tickets.
· Across the country, weekly tickets have risen broadly in line with inflation between 2009 and 2015, while day tickets have risen well below RPI. This is despite pressures on operating costs, the impact of congestion and cuts to central and local government support for buses.
· 70% of the sample trips were found to have a multi-operator alternative, while 70% had a smart ticketing option and 50% had an M-ticket option.
Stagecoach has invested heavily in a number of improvements for customers in recent years. The company has invested more than £1bn in new buses and coaches for local communities in the past 10 years.
In addition, Stagecoach has launched a new website and smartphone app which help save passengers time by providing journey planning, next-stop information and live bus tracking. Customers across most parts of the country can also now buy and download dayrider tickets straight to their smartphone.
Most recently, Stagecoach has launched contactless payments in Oxfordshire and the North East of England, with the technology to be available at all Stagecoach bus companies by 2018.
The company has also joined with the UK’s major bus operators to work on an ambitious scheme that could see contactless travel introduced on every one of the UK’s 32,000-plus buses outside London by 2022.
