Bus Fares Rise

I understand that, with the new improved bus service, there has been quite a sharp rise in bus fares with a return ticket to Exeter now costing £6.20. Bizarrely, it is now cheaper to get an Explorer ticket to Exeter than to get a return.

At a time when commuters are being urged to ditch their cars and return to public transport I cannot see why they are being financially penalised for using the Buses. I suppose that the explanation will be the rising cost of fuel and the like. Doubtless, the cost of free transport for the elderly and disabled will also get the blame. Surely, the real reasons lie in the endless greed of multinationals like Stagecoach and in the failure of sucessive Governments to make affordable public transport a priority in rural areas.

Whilst on the subject of public transport, while most of us support buses running via Wyndham road during the day when there is an obvious need for them, it is difficult to see why we now have buses running through the evening when no one seems to use them. One hopes this is not a case of Stagecoach creating the circumstances where they can cut services drastically somewhere down the line.