Bus fares rise but still good value, minister says

Three, five and seven day saver tickets have all risen in cost

Some bus fares on the Isle of Man have risen weeks after a £2 cap trial ended.

The single use 60p ticket has now gone up to £1.10 per journey, however Infrastructure Minister Chris Thomas said it was only used for 1% of passengers "for one in 100 journeys".

He said while some prices had remained static and others had risen, the fares all "still represent good value".

There are increases of £4 and £5 for the five-day and seven-day saver tickets respectively.

The one-day saver ticket however remains unchanged and Mr Thomas said about one in 12 people would be affected by the changes to the five-day saver.

'Encourage walking'

"We have increased the prices on those cards," he said, adding: "We still believe it represents good value."

Where journeys were very short, Mr Thomas said the price rise could "encourage people to walk", while for longer journeys £1.10 was a "reasonable cost".

The fares remained "very low" compared with neighbouring jurisdictions, he added.

A previous £2 cap on bus fares failed to attract more passengers and Mr Thomas said the Department of Infrastructure lost £55,000 per month during the trial.

Mr Thomas said: "To get more people to go onto the buses we've got to make them run quicker between Ramsey and Douglas, and quicker between the ports from Douglas."

"That will mean having them stop less along the way," he added.

A number of changes are being considered as part of an ongoing bus review, which aims for better routes and reliable services to encourage more passengers in the future.