Preston Bus fares to increase as senior councillor complains of 'poor service'
“All this is happening while the bus services themselves are extremely poor. The timetables are meaningless and some evening buses, which are only every 30 minutes, do not arrive, leaving passengers stranded for long periods or forced to pay again for another bus or a taxi – or, of course, to walk, which is not always safe at night.”The travel firm last month temporarily lengthened the journey times on some of its routes in an attempt to improve punctuality, which it said has been hit by.
Responding to the criticism both of fare increases and reliability, Thomas Calderbank, Commercial Manager for Preston Bus, said: “We are currently experiencing some reliability issues on certain services, which is due to a range of factors – including a shortage of drivers, the closure of Friargate, which is significantly extending journey times, and the ongoing city centre roadworks.
“However, over 98 percent of our services are operating on a daily basis and we are working hard to improve reliability further, including [via] an intensive recruitment drive.“The 28-day tickets continue to offer excellent value for money and still reward loyalty. The 28-day ticket offers unlimited travel around the Preston area for just £2.14 per day, offering considerable savings over the £4.70 EasiDay ticket,” Mr. Calderbank added.
Cllr Rawlinson said that “expensive” passes for school bus services should permit children to take other buses outside school hours.“This is a double whammy for parents [and] restricts family budgets, family outings and hits the local economy – especially families in east Preston where many rely on the school specials as there are no high schools within a single bus ride.”
However, Thomas Calderbank told the Post that all of the Preston Bus school passes were valid on their other services “at any time of the week” – adding that while that may not be the case for the scholar passes issued via Lancashire County Council, “that would be an issue outside of our control”.
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