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Bus prices must fall!

 

Could the First Bus service from the Earl of Leicester into the city centre here in Norwich now be the most expensive in the country, mile for mile?

First blamed the high price of fuel for the August fare rises and I am somewhat astonished by their refusal now to review fares following the huge fall in fuel prices.
The frequency of buses down Dereham Road is excellent and really it should be a "no brainer" to choose the bus instead of the car when visiting the city from the western side; however, it is actually cheaper for many families in my ward to drive into the city and park all day at St Andrews - there is no incentive to take the bus! This is madness - it is this that results in congestion ... and in high exhaust emissions...
Both myself and my wife hold Oyster cards and use these every time we visit London. A single bus journey in London is £1 with the card and the same "ticket" can be used with any bus company. Why can't we have something like that in Norwich?

I wish the new boss of FirstBus all the best in his new Job, but I also call for his 1st act to be a significant reduction in the fairs to help struggling families.

In the longer term, behaviour like this (keeping their prices up, when fuel prices plummet) on the part of First only increases the pressure for implementing Green Party policy - the re-regulation of the buses, the taking of them into public control once more. If companies like First behave like this, then we can only get justice and a decent service for the people of Norwich by having democratic control over this vital public service - public transport.

 
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