First Essex announces fare changes from 1st January
Local bus operator, First Bus Essex, has announced that fares are changing from 1st January 2025, in response to the UK Government fare cap increase from £2.00 to £3.00.
For those travelling with First Essex, this means that the maximum single fare will be £3.00, however 36% of fares will cost less than £3.00.
Key changes:
- The maximum single fare will be £3, but some shorter journeys will cost less.
- Shorter distance singles will start at £1.50, with the majority costing between £2.30 and £2.80 dependent on location.
- Those using Tap & Cap for multiple journeys in a day will never pay more than £5.50 in Colchester, £6.00 in Southend or £6.80 in Basildon and Chelmsford.
- Those who travel 5 days a week or more using Tap & Cap in Basildon or Chelmsford will not see any cost increase.
- For customer convenience, 10 single trip and group tickets will be available across all areas.
Piers Marlow, Managing Director of First Bus East of England, said: “Our fares will be changing on the 1st January in response to the UK Government’s £3 fare cap.
“Despite growing costs and increasing our network of services, we’ve worked hard to minimise the impact of this fare change and demonstrate our ongoing commitment to encouraging more people to travel sustainably by bus.
“Many shorter journeys will cost less than £3, with the starting price of a single trip between £1.50 and £2.80 dependent on where you are in Essex.
“Longer journeys, such as Southend to Stansted Airport or Basildon to Chelmsford, are still fantastic value at £3.00.
“We want to make sure that bus travel remains great value in Essex, and that our customers continue to choose the bus.”
A list of new fares can be found on the First Bus website.
Notes to editors
For interview requests and photography please contact Claire Quinton-Tulloch, PR Manager for First Bus East of England: claire.quinton-tulloch@firstbus.co.uk 07977 458565
About First Bus
At First Bus, we are on a mission to grow bus usage. We will get behind initiatives that move people out of cars and onto bus.
We’re one of the UK’s largest bus operators, delivering over a million passenger journeys every week for the communities we serve.
Transforming our business for the better, we’re putting our people and customers at the heart of all we do.
First Bus is committed to operating a zero-emission bus fleet by 2035. 15% of our will fleet now comprises of Zero Emission Buses (ZEBs).
We’re passionate about giving back to the communities we serve, which is why we’re helping local businesses to progress their own decarbonisation journeys with access to our charging hubs while our buses are on the road.
We also operate the Aircoach network in Ireland, Specialist Passenger Solutions, First Travel Solutions and Ensignbus.
First Bus is a division of FirstGroup.
Find more information on First Bus here: https://news.firstbus.co.uk/