Published: Thursday, 14th May, 2009 4:00pm
Fare hikes at crisis-hit Reading Buses
by Adam Hewitt
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Chief executive James Freeman
STRUGGLING Reading Buses wants staff to come up with cost-saving ideas to save their jobs.
The company"s expected revenue from single fares alone is down £100,000 in the last month so it is hiking return fares, cutting bus frequency and maybe jobs too.
Personnel Manager Caroline Anscombe told employees: 'We are sure you have some great ideas of your own. If you do have any ideas you think will help us as a company to cut costs, save money and improve efficiency then we would love to hear from you. These ideas can be short term quick fixes or indeed have long term benefits - all ideas will be considered.'
The company is currently planning to:
- Introduce Easysaver smart card tickets on Monday, June 1, costing £12 for 10 trips
- From June 1, Busabout day tickets are going up 30p to £3.50, single fares staying at £1.70
- Weekly Reading £9 and £10 tickets both going up by £1
- Summer timetables from July 13 with reduced frequency on some routes
- Close Newbury Buses station offices. No change to timetables.
- Consider job cuts among Reading drivers in the third week of September
- Cut spending across all departments
In November ahead of the last major fare rise, chief executive James Freeman said: 'By taking decisive action now we hope we can stave off a further fares rise for another 12 months.'
But he said this week: 'This is a fast changing situation. The present extremely adverse position only became clear about eight weeks ago. We are not alone, as many other bus companies across the country are facing similar if not worse problems. The number of buses we run has to go up and to go down according to demand. We have respond to what is happening around us. It is our intention that by acting decisively and quickly over the next four months we can restore the performance of Reading Transport before the next financial year starts on October 1.'
Link: www.readingbuses.co.uk
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Steve
(Unregistered User)
May 15 09 00:10
Our Ref: 3633
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I have thought this flat-fare system is ridiculous since the day it came in. £1.70 to go a short distance is extortionate and I hate subsidising the longer journeys.
There are many bus stops close to town I can think of that have bus shelters because lots of people used to wait for buses, but have not done so since RT priced their shorter journeys off their vehicles.
Why can't we go back to graduated fares where you pay for the distance you travel. It is fair and proportionate. RT said a while ago that people wouldn't know how much to pay, but we used to do it for years and it worked! I also heard a rumour of an "inner Reading zone" with cheaper fares, but where is it? I ditched RT years ago - it is far cheaper to drive!
And why not stop re-painting the buses vile colours? Quite a number of the fleet must have been repainted several times! What a good marketing exercise - the income has gone down!
Let's also not forget that RT didn't bother counting all of the OAP pass holders they carried from outside the Reading Borough boundardy until January this year. And the decision by one RT emplyee to fix the cost of fuel for 18 months at the highest ever price, which we may still be suffering from!
Adam Hewitt
(Unregistered User)
May 15 09 11:54
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It's a very good question Steve - we investigated why Reading Buses moved away from graduated fares, see the story here:
www.readingchronicle.co.uk/articles/1/6331/
Don't know what you think of that!
Steve
(Unregistered User)
May 16 09 00:31
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Adam - thanks for the reminder. I do remember your article from it's original publication and that is probably what I was quoting about RT's opinion that we wouldn't be able to work out what the fare was (we could just ask the driver).
I stand by what I said above and what the person (Nowtas) who commented on your original story implies. The current fares system is unfair and prices a lot of people off the buses and into cars, thus dropping revenue.
The comparison you did with other towns was interesting and highlighted by Rotherham and Aberdeen - fares start at 70p. Brighton & Hove start at £1.30 in the centre and 10p more than Reading further out.
As long as RT keep charging the same for five stops from Cemetery Junction to town as it is from the Oxfordshire border in Caversham Heights to Asda in Wokingham Borough, they will miss out.
Nikki Ball's comment about graduated fares being confusing is nonsense. It worked fine for years. Besides, you can publish the fares to all or common destinations at bus stops. And if we really must, go back to the zonal system we had before the flat fare came in.
Perhaps Jacqui Gavaghan, RT's very new Performance Manager who will now be earning another chunk of the fares income can do something.
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