ARRIVA FARE INCREASES 2

Arriva has reviewed prices of its range of Multi-Journey Saver Tickets in light of increasing costs, and will be introducing revised prices on most of its multi-journey savers. Derby Local Day Saver price frozen: £3.60, Derby Local Ten-Trip Saver: £15, Derby Local Weekly Saver: £15 (Adult), £10 (Child). All Day, Ten-Trip, Weekly and 4-Weekly Savers are available from the driver, along with Weekly, 4-Weekly, Quarterly, 6 month and annual tickets being available from PayPoint, Payzone and epay outlets.

Keith Myatt, communications manager, said, “We have tried hard to keep price increases to a minimum however we have reached the point where it is inevitable that we must pass on some of the additional costs to customers in order that the services remain sustainable. Regular travellers can still benefit from our value for money Day, Weekly and Four Weekly Savers which are fully transferable and can be used without restriction (not valid on Park & Ride services). With the price of our Family Day Saver being ‘frozen’ there are huge savings in real terms.”

Arriva passengers in and around Derby can now purchase a range of tickets from the driver, cutting out the hassle of visiting a local agent. No photographs are required, which means other members of the family can use the ticket when the person who purchased it is not using it.

Keith Myatt, spokesman for Arriva, said, "We're committed to making public transport as efficient, reliable and cost-effective as possible. By purchasing one of our popular Arriva tickets, bus journeys on the heavily-congested roads are quicker because it takes less time for customers to get on board at the bus stops."

An Arriva day ticket will be £2.85 for adults, offering unlimited travel on the day of purchase in the Derby local zone. Arriva weekly tickets are at £11.40 for adults or £5.70 for senior citizens and allow up to seven days unlimited travel in the Derby local zone. An Arriva family ticket allows two adults and up to three children travelling together unlimited travel for the day in the local Derby zone and is priced at £5.70.

What Arriva does not say is that these tickets are not available to pensioners using their council travel permits for a reduced fare, as pointed out by David Roddis of Alvaston. Felix and Trent Barton accept travel permits and give the appropriate reduction when issuing their ZigZag tickets, which offer the same benefits as the Arriva Zone Day saver tickets. And ZigZag tickets are better value.

Arriva are increasing fares again in October 2004. An adult single fare will increase from £1.25 to £1.30, an adult return ticket will increase to £2.20 from £2.00 and a day local zone ticket will increase to £3.00. The weekly local zone ticket will actually be REDUCED by 40p.

Some Arriva bus fares are increasing 11%. The company said that the new structure would reduce the amount of different fares, making things easier for customers. Some of the most popular routes currently costing £1.30, will rise to £1.40 while users currently paying £1.20 for their journey will pay £1.10 and those paying 55p, 75p or 95p, will have their fares cut by 5p. Bus users paying £1.60, £1.90, or £2.20, will also see a 10p rise in their fare. In addition, people paying 45p will see their fare rise by 5p. Other fares rising by 5p are those currently costing 65p, 85p, £1.05 and £1.35 and people paying £2.60 for an adult single fare will see the cost of their journey go down by 30p.

Some fare prices will remain the same. Arriva weekly local zone tickets, which allow seven days of travel within the Derby area, will remain at £11 for adults and £5.40 for pensioners, while family local zone tickets will stay at £5.70. Passengers with an Arriva day ticket, allowing travel across the Midlands for one day, will still pay £3.75 for an adult and £2 for a child. And weekly all-zone tickets, giving seven days of travel across the Midlands, will be frozen at £15 for adults and £7.50 for pensioners. Arriva spokesman Keith Myatt said, "We're trying to reduce the number of fare bands to make it a more simple fare structure for our passengers." They call this making things simple?

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