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Andy Burnham urges people to use buses as price drop confirmed
He admitted that the region’s buses still need a lot of improvement, however…
Andy Burnham has urged people to start using buses more often as cheaper fares are set to be rolled out across the region.
Yesterday, the mayor announced that bus fares across Greater Manchester will be capped at £2 a journey and £5 a day from the first week of September.
Describing the price drop as ‘a glimmer of light in tough times’, Burnham also revealed that fares will be capped at £1 for under sixteens, and that passengers aged between sixteen and eighteen will travel for free.
Burnham added that the cheaper fares will be paid for by ‘more people using buses’, before pointing out that many are ‘a third or half full at the moment’.
In the wake of his announcement, Burnham then launched a campaign calling on the public to ‘Get On Board’ and use buses when the lower fares come into force.
However, he admitted that Greater Manchester’s bus system still needs improvement, pointing out that he won’t be using the buses because they wouldn’t get him to work on time.
He said, as per the Manchester Evening News: “I do get public transport all of the time. I just live in an area where I have to get the train because I wouldn’t get into the office on time.
“It’s just a reflection, I’m afraid, of where the bus system is at at the moment. It isn’t the easiest to use, the routes don’t always go where you want them to go and as quickly as people want them to go.
“So I’m a bit of a victim of that at the moment. But I do use public transport all of the time – I use the tram all the time, I use the bus – and I’m not asking anybody to do anything that I’m not doing myself.”
He went on to acknowledge the financial pressures people are under at the moment, which is a contributing factor to why local leaders agreed to subsidise bus fares.
This comes as all buses in the city-region prepare to be brought back under public control for the first time in decades following a series of legal battles with bus firms.
But back in June, Burnham announced plans to fast-track the new fare structure from September to help passengers with the ongoing cost of living crisis.