As well as a revised timetable (see other story) the new year will see a revised fare structure on Midland Metro with increases in line with inflation. The reason Midland Metro have given for these increases are rising business costs. Adult singles will increase by 10p, Day Returns by 20p-30p and Metro cards by £1 per week.
Full details of the revised fares are as follows (with the old prices in brackets):
Adult Singles: £2 (£1.90), £2.80 (£2.60), £3.50 (£3.30)
Adult Cheap Day Returns: £3 (£2.80), £4 (£3.80), £4.70 (£4.40)
Adult Day Returns: £3.20 (£3), £4.20 (£4), £5.30 (£5)
Child Single: £1 (95p), £1.40 (£1.30), £1.75 (£1.65)
Child Cheap Day Returns: £1.50 (£1.40), £2 (£1.90), £2.35 (£2.20)
Child Day Returns: £1.60 (£1.50), £2.10 (£2), £2.65 (£2.50)
Metro Adult Daytripper: £4.80 (£4.50)
Metro Child Daytripper: £3.60 (£3.40)
Metro Family Daytripper: £9.50 (£9)
Metro-Bus Adult Dayticket: £5.70 (£5.30)
Metro-Bus Child Dayticket: £3.75 (£3.50)
Metro Adult 1 week Travelcard: £17 (£16)
Metro Adult Direct Debit (Monthly) Travelcard: £52.50 (£49)
Metro Adult 4 week Travelcard: £59.50 (£56)
Metro Child 1 week Travelcard: £8.50 (£8)
Metro Child 4 week Travelcard: £29.50 (£28)
The new fare structure will be introduced from Monday 2nd January 2012 and full details of the new fares can be found at http://nxbus.co.uk/the-metro/news/midland-metro-fare-changes-from-2-jan-2012
Much talk about extensions for the Midland Metro, and indeed such talk should be quite natural; Birmingham is, after all, the UK’s second city! Yet one wonders if the Westminsterites and Whitehallites will get the message. After all Leeds is having to accept trolleybuses rather than trams even though it is larger than Sheffield which has three tramway lines no less. Don’t hold your breath Birmingham. (Somebody in Leeds must have stepped on the corns of someone in Westminster or Whitehall presumably and the city is being punished for it. It’s the way things are done in the UK! Is Birmingham also being punished by having to put up with just one line – even though that line is – wait for it – being extended a whole half a mile! Wow!!)
I think it’s to do with the fact that authorities in mainland Europe adopt a “can-do” approach to public transport systems, recognising their value, whereas the “cost of everything and value of nothing” politicians and civil servants in this country prefer to spend large amounts of taxpayers’ money trying to find 20 reasons for NOT doing things.