Bus price increases and alterations come into force

Ipswich Buses has brought in a range of changes to fares as well as a new service

New bus fare prices have come into force in Ipswich following a review.

Ipswich Buses previously said it had undertaken a "comprehensive review and adjustment" to its structure and pricing partly due to "the continuing rise in operation costs".

A new service, the 8B from Bramford to Ipswich, has also been announced.

Managing director, Dan Bassett, said the company had done its "absolute best to minimise the impact" on customers.

Ipswich Buses says these are the first changes introduced since February 2022

The changes have been introduced from 31 March.

Ipswich Buses said this is the first time alterations had been made since February 2022.

The service will now charge a maximum fare of £2 for any single journey while the "Town" £1.80 and old £2.30 single fares will be merged to create a flat £2 single fare.

A £1.50 short hop option will still be available to customers travelling only one fare stage.

In addition, the £3.20 and £4.20 return fares has been merged to create a flat £3.70 return fare.

The service has reduced its Town Day ticket to £4.50 which it said would "provide improved value for customers travelling on multiple services across the day".

One other change sees the Country tickets rebranded as Network tickets with passes to "underline their validity on the entire Ipswich Buses network", the company said.

No changes have been made to the school service fares and passengers under 20 will still be offered discounted rates.

An extension has also been made to the Town fare zone "allowing more customers to use buses at the lower Town fares".

The new 8B service will start on 15 April linking the villages of Bramford and Sproughton to the town.

'Value for money'

"We understand that any change in pricing requires careful consideration," Mr Bassett said.

"We also understand that, like us, our customers are also facing cost-of-living pressures, which is why we have done our absolute best to minimise the impact this will have on customers and kept any increases as low as possible."

He said the company believed the changes offer a "value for money service that contributes positively to our passengers' travel experience and the overall value we offer".

"Our team is committed to keeping Ipswich moving efficiently and as affordably as possible," he added.