West Midlands bus prices to be among 'lowest fares in the country'

People using bus services in the West Midlands are to get lower fares as Covid restrictions lift, says Transport for West Midlands.

It follows a new agreement with operators, who say some fares will now be the lowest they have been in more than a decade.

Bus operators and Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) have agreed to reduce the n-bus multi-operator fares across the board, and say they will be the lowest bus fares of any metropolitan area in the country.

From Monday 19 July, the savings will range from 60p off on a day ticket to £140 off on the 52-week fare.

The n-bus day fare is now £4.20 the same price as it was in 2012.  While the last time a one week n-bus ticket was as low as £15.80 was 2008.

The new agreement also includes multi-day offers, designed for those working flexibly with some days at home, and some in the office. It includes a £38 ticket for 10 days of use.

Passengers will continue using Swift, which is the West Midlands version of London's Oyster card.

Operators say the Swift card was used by customers to pay for more than 50 million journeys during 2019.

The fares recently announced by the regions largest operator, National Express West Midlands, are in line with those on n-bus fares announced today.

It means passengers hopping between bus operators will share the same low price fares, say TfWM.

Fares start from £4.20 for an adult n-bus ticket.

Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said: "Pre-pandemic we were starting to see patronage on our buses increase - bucking the national decline.

"Now, as we look to encourage people to get back on the bus, the operators have got together to cut fares.

"Come Monday we will have the lowest fares in the country at the same time as we are investing millions in infrastructure and services - such as the Sprint rapid bus route, the redeveloped interchanges at Dudley and Perry Barr, the refurbished Pool Meadow Bus Station, and the All-Electric Bus City in Coventry."