Bus passengers face second fare rise in months

Stagecoach previously said the increase was due to cost pressures

A bus company has raised some of its fares for the second time in five months.

Stagecoach ticket prices in Newcastle, Sunderland and Teesside rose on 31 August, with weekly fares going up by between 80p to £1.

The same fares rose between £1.50 and £2.00 in April – leading to an overall increase of between 14 and 18% in five months.

The BBC has approached Stagecoach for comment. The bus firm previously said the earlier fare increases were due to "increasing costs".

North East Public Transport Users Group chair Vicki Gilbert said members were "extremely disappointed" by further fare rises.

She said: "We call on Stagecoach and other bus operators to commit to fixing fares for the foreseeable future to avoid pricing even more public transport users off their services."

'Profits before people'

In Newcastle a weekly pass has increased in price twice since April. It first went from £17.50 to £19 on 20 April and then rose again to £20 on Sunday. Overall the price of a weekly ticket rose by 14% in five months.

In Sunderland the cost of a weekly pass rose from £14.50 to £16 in April and then rose again to £16.80 on Sunday – an overall increase of 16%.

Teesside weekly passes saw the greatest percentage increase over five months going from £15.50 to £17.50 in April and then to £18.30 on Sunday – an 18% hike.

Fares for flexible and day-rider tickets have also increased for the second time in five months.

However the cost of under-21 single tickets have remained fixed.

The rises also do not affect the national bus fare cap for single journeys, which is £2.50 in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and County Durham after it was subsidised by by the North East Combined Authority from January until December 2025, and £3 on Teesside.

In response to its Easter Sunday bus fare rises, Stagecoach previously said: "Following an extensive review of our increasing costs, we've strived to minimise the impact this will have on customers, and we have kept any fares increases as low as possible."

But North East Mayor Kim McGuinness accused Stagecoach of "putting profits before people".

"This is why I am clear we need to take buses back into public control," she said. "So we can set fair ticket prices to encourage public transport use and put investment into the network to make things better for passengers."

The Tees Valley Combined Authority has also been approached for comment.