Village transport operators have revealed a Hallowe’en scare for passengers – fare increases for most of their tickets from this Sunday, October 31st.
Ruddington bus users will find the cost of their journeys increasing on Nottingham City Transport (NCT) Navy 3 and Green 10/ 10C/10X routes and on CT4N Services 22 & 23.
Both operators say the fare rises are necessary to balance the books against increased operating costs and reduced government COVID funding for the bus industry.
For NCT, the fares which change from Sunday 31st October 2021 are:
Adults:
| Now | From 31st October 2021 | |
| Adult Single | £2.30 | £2.40 |
| Adult All Day | £4.20 | £4.40 |
| Adult Short Hop | £1.40 | £1.50 |
| Clifton Local Fare | £1.20 | £1.30 |
| Local Fare | £1.40 | Discontinued |
| Inner City Return | £2.50 | Discontinued |
| Adult Single x 10 Trips | £20.70 | £21.60 |
Under 19:
| Now | From 31st October 2021 | |
| Under 19 Single | £1.20 | £1.30 |
| Under 19 Single x 10 | £10.80 | £11.70 |
Students:
| Now | From 31st October 2021 | |
| Student Single | £1.70 | £1.80 |
| Student Single x 10 | £15.30 | £16.20 |
All Easyrider Everyday, Easyrider Anyday and multi-day ticket prices on the NCTX Buses app are frozen – which NCT says is to reward customers who commit to longer term travel, with unlimited daily travel available from £1.57 per day. The Under 19 all day ticket, Grouprider, Network Rider, Park & Ride Return fare and Outer Area fares will also be frozen at the current prices.
Premium fares on NightBuses in Nottingham, such as Ruddington’s N48, will no longer apply and customers will pay the same price as they do during the day – £2.40 single.
The Local Fare and Inner City Return will be discontinued, as NCT says the level of discount offered by these tickets is no longer viable alongside increasing cases of misuse of these tickets outside their designated zones.
For CT4N passengers fares will increase as follows from Monday November 1st 2021:
Adult Single – 10p
Adult Day Return – 20p
Under 19 Single – 10p
Under 19 Day Return – 20p
Local Short Hop Fares – 10p
Student Single – Will increase to £1.80 and only available on production of a valid student ID card.
Dog Day Ticket – Will increase to £1.10 – Assistance Dogs always travel free
CT4N says these fares are applicable irrespective of paying with cash, contactless or via the ‘My Trip’ website/app.
NCT’s Managing Director, David Astill, explains: “We cancelled the planned fare rise that would have come in to effect just after the first lockdown started in March 2020 and have been able to keep our services running thanks to government support through the COVID-19 Bus Service Support Grant. That grant is no longer available and a new government funding mechanism is in place, which still contributes towards operating costs, but at a lower level. There is an expectation within this new government scheme to increase fares to help balance the books and we have ensured these fare changes are below the rate of inflation since our fares last changed in early 2019.”
David adds: “We recognise fare increases are never welcome, but after holding fares for two and a half years, it is now necessary to increase some fares to ensure we can continue operating and providing Nottingham with its award winning bus service.”
Further details about these fare changes are available at www.nctx.co.uk and www.ct4n.co.uk.
There are no new increases for passengers using Kinchbus 9 or NottsBus Connect Service 863 to and from Ruddington, as yet.
