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Bus tickets set to go up 10p in April



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Published Date: 27 March 2008
BUS chiefs have confirmed plans to put up the cost of adult single fares next month, but vowed to freeze the cost of other tickets.
As the News predicted two weeks ago, the cost of a ticket on Lothian Buses will rise from £1 to £1.10, with effect of April 6.

Child fares, daysaver tickets, and Ridacards, however, will all be unaffected.

The council-owned company today blamed
its inflation-busting price hike on increases in tax and fuel costs.

Other factors affecting a near £4 million shortfall faced by Lothian Buses include a Scottish Government freeze on a rebate to transport operators used to cover rises in fuel duty.

Lower than expected levels of compensation to cover the cost of free travel for pensioners are also a factor in the increase.

Passenger groups today described the fare rise as disappointing, but they added that the freeze on the price of Ridacards and daysavers was welcome.

Lothian Buses managing director Ian Craig said: "The £1 single fare has been in place for two years, but increasing costs, particularly of diesel, and the 2p per litre tax increase in October 2007 – coupled with reduced payments for carrying concessionary passengers – means we are forced to increase adult single fares to balance the books."

Lothian Buses last put up adult single prices in March 2006, which saw a 25 per cent rise from 80p to £1.

The 10p rise is likely to earn Lothian Buses around £2.9m.

Gavin Booth, chairman of passenger watchdog Bus Users UK, said: "Any fare rise is disappointing but Lothian Buses appears to have done everything it can to keep the increase to a minimum. It is good that the other tickets such as a daysavers are not affected.

"Obviously moving from a £1 to £1.10 when there is no change on this service will take some getting used to do, but I think people will adjust pretty quickly."

A MORI poll, commissioned by Lothian Buses late last year, found that 84 per cent of Edinburgh residents use buses.

It also found that 76 per cent thought the £1 single fare was value for money.

Bus passengers made a record 114 million trips on Lothian Buses last year – an increase of nearly six million on 2006.

It is the ninth year in a row the company has seen passenger numbers rise and the figures mean an average of 312,000 people a day are now using Lothian services.

Pilmar Smith, chairman of Lothian Buses, said: "Our Ridacard and DayTicket prices are being frozen so regular passengers will not be affected, and neither will children as the 60p child fare is not changing either."

www.lothianbuses.co.uk





The full article contains 461 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

 
1

allknowing,

27/03/2008 12:04:58
I would take the bus if it was only 10p. Why you guys pay these prices for the service recieved i'll never know.

Couldnt imagine having to sit next to the general public cramped on a bus being sneezed on and stabbed!
2

Capital Boy,

The Capital 27/03/2008 12:13:37
agree with comment 1, its now going to cost £2.20 for a return trip to city centre, cheaper taking the car and I don't have to listen to other people's mobile phone conversations or whatever annoying music they are listening to on their ipods
3

Finbarr Saunders,

27/03/2008 12:25:58
This is a nuisance.

£1 was a nice easy amount for locals and visitors alike - Get the bus, it only costs a pound no matter where you are going.

This seemingly trivial increase is just gonnae cause delays, with people not having ten pence pieces ready and, as said above, it hardly discourages car use.

4

Steven P,

edinburgh 27/03/2008 12:28:15
Interestingly, MD Mr Craig didnt highlight the absurd salaries and pension contributions that he, Smith, Coupar and the ultimate fat-cat Rennilson draw from LRT.
5

Dave2384,

27/03/2008 12:30:22
WOW an extra 10p, I use the buses to get to work go to university and general going out. If you were near London or in London the prices there are way much more, for me to do the same distance near London as it takes me to get to work would cost £2.50 one way so be thankful that the buses are council owned and not some fatcat private company.
6

ADMuir,

Edinburgh 27/03/2008 12:33:54
I wonder how much the trams will cost per trip? I'm sure there are a few more above inflation price hikes to come in the near future.
7

Think Tank,

27/03/2008 12:44:56
#6

Exactly the same as the buses.

Because it's the same company- Edinburgh Transport Ltd. Get it into your little heads.

8

Mr Crisps,

Musselburgh 27/03/2008 12:51:07
#1 We don't all live in rough neighbourhoods! Been getting buses for 25 years and not been stabbed so far...

;-)
9

allknowing,

27/03/2008 12:54:39
#7, i think you missed the point.

ETL will increase the bus fares in the next couple of yesrs, so that when trams do come online, they will be the same due to all the increases the following years!
10

Alternative (High Octane) Fuel Head,

Edinburgh 27/03/2008 13:08:48
"...freeze on a rebate to transport operators used to cover rises in fuel duty."

I might have guessed it would be down to fuel duty.

Something tells me that the government don't want you to go anywhere at all unless you walk.
11

The Genuine Mario Antoinette,

27/03/2008 13:10:08
Bus Chief.
12

The Genuine Mario Antoinette,

27/03/2008 13:13:15
Me Bus Chief.

You give me 9 Nine Pounds or You leave Bus Now.
13

Edin,

27/03/2008 13:20:20
10p is loads.... Just another reason why i take my car everywhere
14

PaulB,

Edinburgh 27/03/2008 13:24:08
I can't believe anyone is complaining about an extra 10p - buy a Ridacard - they aren't going up! Edinburgh has the best bus service by far of anywhere I have been in the UK. Perhaps some of the drivers need to cheer up a bit, but I have not heard of anyone being stabbed! Have to say though, although bus and tram fares are to be the same, I believe the bus fares will rise well above the rate of inflation allowing the tram costs to be covered. Also - since the tram works started on Shandwick Place, the buses are actually running faster than before. perhaps they should be left on their new routes permanently.
15

Boy Wonder,

27/03/2008 13:25:08
I don't use peasant-carriers.
16

Morag McBoots,

Lasswade 27/03/2008 13:27:30
A maximum single fare of £1.10 sounds like a bargain to me. Here in Brum that's the cost of a 'short hop'. The max single fare is £1.50 and a day ticket's over £3. I've also found that LRT bus drivers are far better than the ones down here who have evidently no concept of the term "stop smoothly" and the buses aren't nearly as clean.
17

ADMuir,

27/03/2008 13:32:07
Thanks #9

We are all well aware that Edinburgh Transport Ltd will be running the trams. The point that I was trying to make was that we best get used to the price hikes. There will no doubt be a massive short fall in the tram budget by the time it's up and running and ETL will be doing as much as they can to pre-empt this.
18

Martin 2,

Edinburgh 27/03/2008 13:34:05
I remember Lothian Buses and "passenger groups" saying that the 25% hike to £1 was good as it was clear one coin standard charge - being quiet on that now?

Shorter journeys have now almost doubled from the 60p single they were just 4/5 years ago.

Lothian Buses marketing strategy is clearly to get all users on a Ridacard.
19

Thomas3030,

Edinburgh 27/03/2008 13:36:27
No matter how much they put up the fares by, for whatever reason they can make up, the bus service is still very poor in parts of the city.
20

The Genuine Mario Antoinette,

27/03/2008 13:40:22
14 Paul , I believe the extra 10p is to go direct on pharmaceuticals for the drivers, benzodiazepines to be exact.
21

The Genuine Mario Antoinette,

27/03/2008 13:42:27
2 euros 40 here for a 10 minute journey to "pay at the door" (about 1 pound 90). The trick is to use a weekly pass or a day pass etc.

Then again we can change trams onto a bus or a train or whatever in the space of an hour for the same price in the same fare zone.
22

Response to 14-PaulB,

Edinburgh 27/03/2008 14:51:38
I guess you(14) are from the countryside!

Lothian buses never arrive on time, sunday is the day most people want to go out, meeting friends, why there's no frequent buses services! I thought the government is encouraging us to use public transport instead of using private cars??

you think they won't adjust the cost of 'Ridacard'?wait you see,don't be too happy so early!

I have to say, buses in this country is a nightmare! dirty, steamy in the morning with everyone's coughing virus! Most of the 'electric bus arriving meter' in the city centre do not operate most the time!(it's great to have it exists tho!)
NO ONE complain about it! I actually think british is very patient and generous to their government!
23

Euan,

Edinburgh 27/03/2008 14:54:44
Unfortunately you can't blame LRT for having to add 10p onto the price of a single ticket.

With the exorbitant fuel prices in this country, I would say we're going to see a single fare up to £1.30 by the end of the year.

If and when the silly tram LINE ever gets up-and-running, I can see a single ticket coming at around the £3.00 - £3.50 mark easily
24

The Genuine Mario Antoinette,

27/03/2008 15:12:25
24 Nine Pounds Euan. You give to me now or you leave the bus.

Only correct money please and no coins, i am no Big chief Jinglin Geordie.
25

PaulB,

edinburgh 27/03/2008 15:20:04
#23 - I have lived in Edinburgh for over 25 years. Previously I lived on the west coast, and have used (or tried to use) buses in many other parts of the UK,rural and urban. Glasgow's services are apalling if they actually turn up, Aberdeen's cost a fortune thanks to the First monopoly, and in other places the frequency could not hope to match Edinburgh's. I will agree the buses here are not perfect, but try going elsewhere and see what it's like.I There of course could be further improvements in Edinburgh, particularly on Sundays - at least we have a Sunday service! You would miss it if it was gone.
26

Journalistic licence,

at the Royal Mint 27/03/2008 15:22:46
"I remember Lothian Buses and "passenger groups" saying that the 25% hike to £1 was good as it was clear one coin standard charge - being quiet on that now?"

No worries #19 - I've just spoken to the Head of Coin Minting and they're putting the equipment in place, to make a £1.10 coin, as we speak. He did say he would pass the manufacturing charges onto ETL though.
27

Euan,

Edinburgh 27/03/2008 15:30:16
#25

I'd better get my wad out then.
28

Stevie Mac,

Edinburgh 27/03/2008 15:49:22
If they increased and adult fare by 50p it would still represent good value for money. Our bus service is second to none (UK bus service of the Year 2007). Let me make it clear that I don't work for the Council or LRT but I do appreciate our buses.

#1- you don't know what you are missing not taking the bus. You won't get stabbed or spat on anymore than you do at the moment.
29

Sods Law,

EDINBURGH 27/03/2008 15:56:09
The Scottish Government has reduced the concession repayments to Lothian Buses for the free travel of pensioners. MAYBE IF THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT STOPPED GIVING CONCESSION CARDS TO EVERYONE WHO ASKS FOR THEM, PENSIONERS I CAN UNDERSTAND BUT DRUGGIES AND THE CLAMPETS FROM GREENDYKES AND MUIRHOUSE IS GOING A BIT TOO FAR. Come on Evening News use the freedom of information act and find out how many people other than pensioners have concession cards for free travel.
30

Gorgie_Tony,

Edinburgh 27/03/2008 17:14:10
Notice all the selfish car brigade are using the rise as an excuse not to use the bus. These selfish, brain dead, car drivers are making my breathing more difficult every day with their excessive car journeys, which could be quite easily replaced with bus journeys. Notice when petrol is increased by 10 pence a litre you never hear them say they are giving up the car. Shame on selfish car drivers - you are seriously effecting my health.
31

The Wookie,

Edinburgh 27/03/2008 17:19:09
31#....

Effecting your health - so what's the down side!!!!!!
32

Why can't I use my usual name?,

Glasgow 27/03/2008 17:40:09
#26, you're spot on. The greater opportunity for being stabbed on a bus here do justify some of the cost differential though, surely?!
33

Darren :-),

Edin city but on ma way to ibrox 27/03/2008 17:51:06
If they want people to get out of their cars and uses buses that are (not always but sometimes) packed with people, smelly, damp, etc... then having to stand in rain etc... to get people to do all that, REDUCE the prices and not put them up!

Few times ive got on the bus headin to and from glasgow and its £5.10 single - which, many people forget the price increase has taken place - so give £5.50 and are told "you will get 40p at the end of your journey" - to be told then that they "still have no change" and "sorry"

What will happen with LRT since they are the only bus service (stull stuck in the oold times) who dont give change, so somebody puts £1 in the hopper without thinking, asks for single and are told its up - they have no other change - some a*seholes would tell them no.

Car in to city centre -

Points for car -
A) cheaper
B) handier
C) no waiting in queue or rain
D) no pentioners or such thinking they are more important
E) door to door

Points for bus
A) emmmmm...
34

Anonym,

not on public transport 27/03/2008 17:52:16
Gorgie_Tony, you are always banging on about car drivers being selfish eejits, and generally wheezing on about the imaginary impact to your health. You can choose to get the bus if you want, and the car drivers can choose to use their cars.

I don't give a stuff about the 10p rise. I avoid public transport because it is rubbish! The seats are uncomfortable, it takes longer, and the routes and timetables do not suit my schedule.

How could you possibly know if a car journey is necessary or not? Do you work shifts over a 24 hour pattern? Do you need to be at work for 05:30 am in the middle of winter? Guess what, that means the car needs to do a return journey, even though there are busses running by then... you see?
35

Dunaskin,

Edinburgh 27/03/2008 18:07:22
I used to never take the bus. Now I do quite a bit. Why? They suit me. I live centrally, so I've access to lots of routes. My workplace is also on several bus routes. Today I took the bus to work (I usually cycle), then to the dentist, then to George Street, then home. All of which cost me £2.50. No problems at all. Clean buses, polite drivers, no spitting or stabbing. Lots of other folk using buses - they're popular, and rightly so.
36

Gorgie_Tony,

Edinburgh 27/03/2008 18:20:11
#35 - you speak rubbish - you obviously don't know me - I still work the odd shift at my old age - and believe you me I am often in work before 5:30am - using the bus!! I don't find it a problem at all. The seats are comfortable, and before 5:30am the travel times can easily compete with the car journey!!
37

Anonym,

on the bus 27/03/2008 18:21:53
Yeah, the buses are fantastic aren't they, unless you're over five foot, in which case your knees get squashed up against the back of the seat in front.

Apart from that though, the buses are fab, because they always turn up when you want one, and they take you exactly where you need to go, and the drivers open the doors to let you on, and everything.
38

Anonym,

at work 27/03/2008 18:27:49
Look Tony, the nearest bus stop to where I live that has a service I could use to get to work, is 15 minutes walk away, and would make me 20 minutes late for work.

So how does that mean I'm talking rubbish when I suggest that things might be better all round for me, my colleagues, my employer (these latter folks don't give a stuff, they just want me to turn up on time), if I drive to work rather than freeze my nuts off waiting for a bloody bus, which may or may not be early or late, but which is guaranteed to make me late for work, because the earliest service available gets to the bus stop, which is 15 minutes walk away, at 05:45 am, which is 15 minutes after I'm supposed to bloody clock in?
39

Gorgie_Tony,

Edinburgh 27/03/2008 18:31:26
#39 - you speak rubbish - buses in Edinburgh operate 24 hours a day!! So your 5:45am earliest service comment is rubbish.
40

Incandescent,

27/03/2008 18:55:37
Hush now Tony. You're irritating the good people again.
41

frannylee,

Penicuik 27/03/2008 19:09:33
Why not charge the OAP's 10p and keep the fares at a £1 ?
42

Darren :-),

Edin city but on ma way to ibrox 27/03/2008 19:31:10
#39 - only certain buses run all night - and those that do, are every hour or so, you have to wait ages in the cold for one
43

Darren :-),

Edin city but on ma way to ibrox 27/03/2008 19:31:34
sorry i meant #40
44

Kit,

edinburgh 27/03/2008 19:44:12
2.9 million extra?does that mean my area may actually get a nightbus...or at least a bus that runs later than midnight?
45

micky,

edinburgh 27/03/2008 22:54:25
a day ticket would be a good idea if it allowed you to use both bus companies ! why cant they get together & arrange that ? are they too busy copying each others timetables to really consider customer service ? many more people would buy a day pass or a season ticket if they were usable on both services !
46

Voldemort,

Edinburgh 27/03/2008 23:35:26
47 - Not getting sneezed on, not having to wait in the rain for buses that are too full to take you and having the luxury of not having to smell your fellow man's oxters is worth a whole lot more - you will never sell public transport on monetary grounds -

The government secretly loves cars as they create so much revenue for them and they create tens of thousands of jobs ... so don't listen to this green claptrap they are talking just now - they don't really mean it .. it they did they would DO something about it not just talk about it - the politicians just say what you want to hear but they'll never give up their freebies for the big corporations ...

Less people - now there's a thought ! Stop all the blowins from coming here and filling up the roads.buses etc

Can someone tell me why Mars and Venus are getting warmer? - have we been sending our used fridges there too ? or do you think the global warming/carbon thing is just a gambit to take more tax out of you and to raise the price of oil ??
47

Darren :-),

Edin city but on ma way to ibrox 27/03/2008 23:55:30
#47 - dont be so pedantic "How are cars cheaper than the bus?" - with your post, it sounds like you tried an failed to drive and pass a test and its why you are bitter in your post.

FOr starts - as said above, you dont have smelly people sitting next to you, you dont have fat people sitting ON you, you dont have to wait at terminuses, you dont have to wait for the bus to finally stop where you want to go near, in a car you can stop where you want to stop, go where you want to go and you can carry alot more stuff than you can on a bus. You can go to the shops, buy alot of stuff and put them in the boot, unlike a bus where you cant take more than a couple of bags on board. Then with a bus, you might have to stand due to the amount of people on board. Then you have screaming kids, people pressing the bell for fun, drivers not stopping at certain stops, rude drivers, passangers moaning and then the good old smell of damp when its raining and everybody are wet, then the cold, or too hot buses, and then the waiting at the open bus stops with hard seats. THen you get the neds who go upstairs and cause havock, and make a noise. Then when you go for a bus, you have to wait, and wait, and wait, and wait then when you finally get the bus, you need to get off and wait for a 2nd bus to take you where you want to go. So in a car, it would take 20 mins max, in a bus it takes 4x that. Take city centre to loanhead - x47 takes 45 mins, in a car it takes 20 mins max.

Oh, and i do still use a bus! all of the above is past experiance. Just i see why people would prefer a car to a bus - and with the latest price rise, i see it even clearer.
48

Darren :-),

Edin city but on ma way to ibrox 27/03/2008 23:57:13
Oh yes, and i forgot - the bus drivers who can magicly get kangaroo petrol in an automatic bus!
49

Bus_Driver,

Edinburgh 28/03/2008 01:10:46
£1.10 is still excellent value for money! Go anywhere else in the UK and I guarantee you will pay more for a standard fare. Day tickets staying the same and single tickets only an extra 10p! Come on Edinburgh, brand new buses year after year and it only costs you £1.10 per journey! Hope I'm not the only one to notice best bus company logos in scotland 2006 and UK 2007! Realise what you have and be proud! Well done Lothian Buses!
50

Darren :-),

Edin city but on ma way to ibrox 28/03/2008 02:26:30
#53 - LRT are best bus company in the UK as they must have entered in to a private (and only entry) draw.

Look around, and you will see Stagecoach, First Glasgow, etc... all do a much better job than LRT. LRT can't even keep to a timetable!
51

Darren :-),

Edin city but on ma way to ibrox 28/03/2008 02:28:17
#52 - you have just contridicted yourself

I have never driven a car in my life and I have no interest in ever owning a car and I used to be able to fill up a tank for less than a tenner! Now its about £15!

If you aint ever owned a car or driven, why would you beable to fill up for less than a tenner?

Im against petrol price rising but fact of it is - its not the 10p on buses im against, i coudlnt care if they charged £20 a journey, its people saying that they are better than sliced bread...
52

thehitmaster,

Penicuik 28/03/2008 09:12:22
#34 "What will happen with LRT since they are the only bus service(stull stuck in the oold times) who dont give change"

Firstly LRT are no more that's why they are called 'Lothian Buses' and for seconds Firstbus do not give change on services that only operate within Edinburgh and Midlothian. I'll bet anything though that First fares go up now as well..
53

turbo-jamtart,

edinburgh 28/03/2008 10:43:33
Sunday buses- pensioners to church.
Early evening- pensioners to bingo.
Late evening- pensioners from bingo.
All other times- pensioners going shopping for the 4th time that day. Travelling at rush hour when workers trying to get to and from work, expecting a seat, struggling with overloaded trollies, going 2 stops on express buses,holding up bus trying to open pass, get bus from Marks to St James Centre/one side of Mound to other! Is it any wonder buses can't keep to time. Ask any bus driver and it's the pensioners travelling for nothing that cause the most delays! Make them pay and cut out all the 1 stop journeys holding up the buses. Don't even get me started on those huge "buggies" that parents insist on bringing on buses. Think of the £177 million being wasted giving free travel when you are standing waiting for your bus!
54

rs,

on the bus 28/03/2008 11:21:48
34
Darren :-),

here we go again the old story that it cheaper to run a car into the City Centre !

Darren, for £420 (the annual cost of a monthly ride a card), here a challenge for you, to see how its cheaper to buy and run a car compared to using the bus.

You need to:

Buy a car
Insure a car
TAX a car
MOT & Service a car
Fuel a Car
Pay for City Centre parking (it'll cost you over a £1 for an hours parking, yet you can get unlimited use of LB routes for £1.15 a day)

Darren ? - D) no pentioners or such thinking they are more important ...what are pentioners

Darren .."Look around, and you will see Stagecoach, First Glasgow, etc... all do a much better job than LRT. LRT can't even keep to a timetable!" none of these bus companies operate any major bus services in Edinburgh....Lothian Buses has one of the Newest bus fleets in the Country. Compare the fares to to other Cities
Buses are held up by cars, noticed how during the school holidays this week...how when there are LESS CARS on the road, that Buses run to time....now what can be causing the problem.

We wait to hear how you can run a car in Edinburgh for less than £420 a year, thats £8 a week, you can hardly get 2 gallon of petrol for that, never mind all the other costs associated with running a car

We wait to see how you do it ?

55

Voice o reason,

sumwhur ee deh ken 28/03/2008 11:44:00
#56

First did put there prices up, Dec 30th 2007 if ee please. Ee huv ti watch First, deid sneaky that way.....
56

rs,

in ma house 28/03/2008 13:31:08
No 59 yip they did in there normal "stealth way". off course is was in a areas were they have no competition, they're notorious for increasing fares in West Lothian.

There classic fares will be increasing, but we wont tell you were, even there website has classics like, they have single fares, no indication of how much!!!!

Surprisingly NOT, they didn't Increase the fares in the LB area, amazing how it costs less to run a bus within the "city boundary".

But watch them up there £1 fare, strange that FIRST fares to places in Midlothian,East Lothian from Edinburgh city centre were LB buses operate the fares have actually came down.
57

spadger,

embra 28/03/2008 20:06:33
OK guys
just a few words for no. 30 re consession cards. Not all non elderly persons with a card are scamming the system. Some of us have a dissability which means the crappy old bus is the only way we can get aboot. Go to your local library and get a form showing just who is eligible for a pass. Living in certain bits of Embra is not a pre-requisite. Why should we be blamed for the fat cats at the LRT trying to top up their bonuses?
58

TRUE RED,

edinburgh 29/03/2008 14:41:44
BUS DRIVERS WAGES GO UP WITH INFLATION BUSTING 10.4% 2 YEAR PAY DEAL. WHAT ABOUT ALL THE OTHER PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES ? DONT THEY DESERVE THE SAME.
59

doug 110,

edinburgh 29/03/2008 15:36:08
make bus travel more pleasant
stop the daily smoking and alcohol drinking upstairs

instead of spending all this money on trams how about going back to having cunductors on all double deck buses to control the persistant unrully passengers

not much a driver can do
he/she leaves thier cab to deal with any incident bang goes any protection they may have if/when they get attacked
60

Pond Hall,

30/03/2008 18:10:22
stop moaning about bus fares in edinburgh.

Bus fares must be the strangest thing, the more you pay, the less service you get.


Its some 22 years since deregulation first came to East Lothian.

The Cost of a single from Seton Sands to the West End was £1 22 years ago.

Yet 22 years on they are currently still the same.

Yet we only had a 20 min service to the west end (3 buses an hour), St Andrews square at night.

We currently have 7 buses an hour (4 at night) all cross city centre, even the Sunday service gives us 5 buses an hour compared to 2 per hour.

Biggest question.... What did Eastern Scottish now FIRST do with all the money they must have been making over the years.... if they can still charge £1 for a single

No 63...bus driving is a job you must be mad to do, it must be one of the most stressful jobs, were you need concentration for 100% of the time, you can't stop for a blether or to read the paper.
Yes the emergency services do a more important and life saving jobs, but bus driving must be one of the most ********

Bus drivers an be out for some 5 hours of driving at a time.
61

Pond Hall,

30/03/2008 18:16:32
we've had the £1 fare for some 4 years, think the last increase was 2 years ago which took the 60/80p fare to £1, the £1 fare has been about for 4 years?

how mush as Fuel prices increased in the last year or so
80p to £1.03 some 25%.

so 10p isn't that bad, how much has a loaf of bread or a "pint" of milk went up over the last 4 years?
62

TRUE RED,

edinburgh 05/04/2008 20:17:26
NO 65 DONT TALK CRAP ITS ONLY STRESSFUL IF YOU LET IT GET THAT WAY.
GREENWAYS HAVE DRAMATICALLY HELPED EASE ANY STRESS FOR DRIVERS IN TODAYS ENVIRONMENT.
BUSES WITH POWER STEERING AND COMFORTABLE DRIVING CABS ALSO HELP.
SO WAKE UP AND SMELL THE ROSES TRY VISITING "SCUMBUS.COM" AND GET THE TRUE FEELING OF LOTHIAN BUSES DRIVERS.... PS ITS NOT THAT DIFFICULT A JOB WHEN SEAFIELD GARAGE HAS MORE SAUSEAGEROLLS THAN GREGGS AND MATHIESONS TOGETHER.....
63

TRUE RED,

edinburgh 05/04/2008 20:22:21
BUT YET AGAIN IT ISNT THAT BAD IF YOU LIVE IN MIDLOTHIAN AND EASTLOTHIAN BUT IF YOU LIVE IN EDINBURGH THEN YOU ARE SUBSIDISING ALL THOSE WHO LIVE IN THE OUTSKIRTS £1.10 IS A LOT CHEAPER TO TRAVEL 15 MILES THAN IT IS TO TRAVEL 4-5 MILES.....SO YET AGAIN CAPITAL RESIDENTS HAVE TO PAY FOR THOSE WHO LIVE IN THE OUTSKIRTS.
PRIVATISE LOTHIAN BUSES AND SEE EXACTLY HOW THE FARES CHANGE...
64

TRUE RED,

edinburgh 05/04/2008 20:25:27
NO 65 DONT TALK CRAP ITS ONLY STRESSFUL IF YOU LET IT GET THAT WAY.
GREENWAYS HAVE DRAMATICALLY HELPED EASE ANY STRESS FOR DRIVERS IN TODAYS ENVIRONMENT.
BUSES WITH POWER STEERING AND COMFORTABLE DRIVING CABS ALSO HELP.
SO WAKE UP AND SMELL THE ROSES TRY VISITING "SCUMBUS.COM" AND GET THE TRUE FEELING OF LOTHIAN BUSES DRIVERS.... PS ITS NOT THAT DIFFICULT A JOB WHEN SEAFIELD GARAGE HAS MORE SAUSEAGEROLLS THAN GREGGS AND MATHIESONS TOGETHER.....
65

TRUE RED,

edinburgh 05/04/2008 20:28:57
NO 37 HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANY TRAFFIC POLICE OUT WHEN THE NIGHT SERVICE IS RUNNING ? NO . NEITHER HAVE I .BECAUSE THESE BUSES COULD NEVER STICK TO A TIMETABLE IF THEY OBEYED THE SPEED RESTRICTIONS.SO COME ON L&B GET YOUR SPEED GUNS ON THESE NIGHT BUSES...
66

techy guy,

Tranent 14/04/2008 00:49:33
I live out in east lothian, and to be totally honest i used to think that the buses were great etc, then i learnt to drive. The past few weeks I have been working down Granton way and I have been getting the car or the bus depending on the day etc. The journey on the bus takes over 1 and a half hours, on a good day, by car it takes only 30 mins - thats on a busy day! There is also a local university which is serviced by the number 30 bus, which does seem to come when it likes, but still my journey there takes 30 mins on a good day by bus, yet only 15 mins by car.
The incentive for the bus gets less and less.
Bottom line, I dont think I am alone in thinking that this is the start of many price rises for all fares and deals on Lothian Buses as the majority have to start to pay major subsidies to the tram system, i mean the tram line. Roll on the £2 single fare.

 

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Today's Vote

Should all under-fives be allowed to travel free on Lothian Buses?
Of course, nobody that age should be charged
Only if they are taking up a seat
No, parents expect to get too much for free

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