First Glasgow to adjust selected fares in August
Glasgow’s largest bus operator will change a number of tickets for first time in 16 months due to inflationary cost pressures.
First Glasgow is set to adjust the cost of selected fares, including its Two-Trip, FirstWeek and First4Week tickets, from Sunday 4th August.
The city’s largest bus operator had frozen prices across all impacted tickets for the last 16 months, but increasing inflationary pressures related to rising fuel, energy, parts, and labour costs – similar to those being faced by many transport operators - have meant it was no longer feasible to keep fares at their previous level.
The changes will mean the Adult Two-Trip City/Local tickets move from £5 to £5.20; the Adult FirstWeek City/Local tickets rise from £20.40 to £22.50, and the Adult First4Week City/Local tickets will increase by just over £2 per week from £61.80 to £70.
The overhaul of First Glasgow’s ticketing options, effective from Sunday 4th August, will also see changes to Flexible Day Ticket Bundles, First Unlimited, and selected fares within the product range that were not increased in April as part of the operator’s annual review.
All fares that were changed in April, including Single and FirstDay tickets, will remain unaffected.
First Glasgow has invested heavily in its network over the last 12 months, delivering increases in the punctuality and reliability of services across the city which can be credited to an innovative AI-driven timetable scheduling platform introduced last year.
The planned updates to its ticketing structure are essential in allowing First Glasgow to continue to deliver and grow services throughout Greater Glasgow.
Graeme Macfarlan, Commercial Director for First Bus Scotland, said: “At a time when other operators and rail were increasing their fares across the board, we chose to freeze our fares across a number of our ticket options earlier in the year as we wanted to absorb the inflationary rises we were experiencing in to benefit our customers. Unfortunately, this has reached a level where it is unsustainable and we’re regrettably having to implement a change to those specific fares.
“Like so many other transport providers, we’re facing significant rising costs across our operations, and fare increases reflect that. Nonetheless, we have strived to keep increases to a minimum. We have a diverse range of tickets available to customers meaning there is a product to suit everyone’s travel needs.
“Bus remains one of the cheapest, most convenient, and sustainable ways of travelling around Glasgow. Through investment in new electric buses and on-board technology, we’re making great efforts to make it an even more comfortable and environmentally friendly mode of transport for the city.”
For full details on all First Glasgow ticket prices, please visit firstglasgow.com/fares
Notes to editors
For further information please contact Craig Dennett on 07866 818456 or email: craig.dennett@firstbus.co.uk
Alternatively, please contact Stripe Communications via email at firstbus@stripecommunications.com
Notes to Editors
About First Bus
First Bus is one of the UK’s largest bus operators. Making journeys easier for our customers, we were the first national bus operator to accept contactless card payments across all of our services and our First Bus App is voted ‘best in class’ amongst UK bus operators. Our most recent investments are in new, state-of-the-art buses across our key networks.
We work proactively with our local authority partners, making a positive impact on air quality, tackling congestion and improving customer experience. We are focused on First Bus becoming a leader in the transition to a low-carbon future and are committed to operating a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035. We also operate the Aircoach network in Ireland.
First Bus is a division of FirstGroup.
First Bus is an equal opportunity employer.
First Bus is an excellent place to work with opportunities for a rewarding career.
We are committed to equality of opportunity, diversity and inclusion. We believe diverse experiences and attitudes help us better understand the needs of our customers.
For more information on First Bus: news-scot.firstbus.co.uk