posted on Oct, 1 2008 @ 04:02 AM
Originally posted by Now_Then
I can pay £3.20 for a day rider - all the city busses all that day, so compare that to a £2.40 return the extra 80p is worth paying for even if you
know your only going in and out - it's nice to hand the ticket over to your mates to use.
When the bus is the best way to get to work all that week (I work all over) I can top up a card I have for £14, that gives me unlimited travel on any
city bus for 7 days.
The problem with DayRiders is that they
can't be used on all buses, they can only be used on the buses belonging to the company that issued
them or are in agreement with. I live in a town South East of Manchester and one half of the town isn't really served by StageCoach as First
dominate those particular routes.
Also, the DayRider fare is worked out so that whilst it appears to be value it actually isn't for most people. The fare is pitched to be slightly
over what the average bus user needs, which is two buses a day based on a single fare and the combined cost of these tickets is always slightly less
than the DayRider. It's not always much difference, maybe 30p or so, which seems cheap enough to think 'I'll buy a DayRider just in case I need to
catch another bus' which rarely happens. These extra 30ps (or whatever) offset any losses the company makes due to travellers making their
'savings'.
As far as I'm aware, 'the Return ticket' isn't a scheme that's used everywhere either. I've not being able to buy a return ticket to my nearby
towns in about a decade.
I actually love buses and wish more people would use public transport - and for the record, I don't drive or own a car - but, generally, the fares
are inordinately expensive in Greater Manchester.