(14 Dec 2024, 4:19 pm)Adrian wrote It's about making the modal shift to public transport attractive and affordable. People simply won't do it when the prices are too high, and capped (or reduced fares) aren't all of the solution, they're a good chunk of it.
Day tickets are fine, but I'd say most use them out of necessity. When you've got a hub and spoke model like we have, most people have to change bus at some point to complete their journey. I'd say most people using Day Tickets aren't doing it to make loads of journeys, they're very likely just making a simple return trip.
Weekly/Monthly tickets are have never adopted to new ways of working, and I think on the most part, work on the basis that people still travel into a workplace 5 days a week. I think most operators tried to combat this with 'Flexi' products, but the pricing of those is complete nonsense. A Tyne & Wear Flexi 5 is £29.50, versus £30.00 if you bought 5x TNE T&W Day Tickets. I'm not naive enough to think that doesn't have something to do with the reimbursement formula for the BSIP tickets though...
The best absolute model would be to allow people to have a smart ticket, with fare capping across a day, week, month and year. Whatever you do or travel on, you can never exceed set caps. I don't think we'll get very far on that until the adults take over.
Honestly can't disagree with that at all. It's where we need to be, it's why imo we should be focusing on selling tickets on what will be the caps will ve in the future as a stop gap which over time will only be available over the tap and go system. Obviously not ideal, but the system isn't there but we need something for frequent travellers as the fares are awfully high lately in some areas like you said.
No doubt there's big issues with subsidising anything else right now though as no doubt the government won't be paying the national level money across so the local governments will have to fund the whole scheme which obviously they're not going to be doing. The TNE tickets, which are named after something that doesn't exist now ironically, are very hidden all of a sudden after being pushed massively before these singles came in.