Short hop bus fares to go up 30%:

Short hop bus prices will climb by 30% on Saturday because the municipal subsidy’s funding is running out.

When the national £2 bus price expired last year, Brighton and Hove City Council chose to use funds provided by the central government to support shorter rides limited at £1.

However, the funds set aside for this has been depleted faster than envisaged, so the subsidy on Brighton and Hove buses will be reduced by 30p per ride beginning Saturday.

A council spokesman stated, “Our subsidy is being reduced because the budget we have utilised to subsidise bus tickets for the past 11 months has been depleted due to popular demand for our offerings over this time period.

However, we will continue to provide a subsidy to keep fares low within the boundaries of our resources.” The amount the council will pay the bus firm will be reduced from 70p to 30p for short hop fares, raising the price passengers pay from £1 to £1.30.

The fare for medium single journeys will also rise from £2.50 to £2.60, as the council subsidy is reduced from 30p to 20p.

The government funding for the council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) will continue to be used to provide free transportation for youngsters travelling with adults. Unaccompanied minors will continue to pay 50p each off-peak journey.

The daily £6 citysaver ticket will also be available until the end of the year for those purchasing it using the Brighton and Hove Buses mobile app, online keycard, or travel stores.

However, the daily citysaver fare for tap-on, tap-off, or cash on the bus will increase from £6 to £6.60.

The weekly citysaver, which is now priced at £25 wherever you buy it, will increase to £26 if purchased in advance or £28.70 if purchased on board. The council received £27.9 million in 2021 to improve bus services.

The funds were spent on subsidising community bus routes, launching express routes 1X and 3X, and a variety of other initiatives.

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