New bus fares for Bristol and Bath announced by metro mayor

Dan Norris said the fare cuts were aimed at helping people cope with the cost-of-living crisis

A metro mayor has urged passengers to use buses after confirming cheaper single and return fares across the West of England.

Dan Norris made the appeal after announcing all single tickets in Bristol and Bath will be reduced to £2 for adults and returns will cost £3.50.

However, starting from 25 September, day rider tickets in Bristol will increase from £5.30 to £6.

Children will pay a £1 flat rate across the whole West of England.

The rest of the West of England will see cost reductions for adults with a 12-mile journey dropping from £6.50 to £3.70 and a return from £7.50 to £5.

Outside of Bristol and Bath, day rider tickets will drop from £7.50 to £7.

Mr Norris, who leads the West of England Combined Authority (Weca), covering Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire, said the new fare package delivers on his pledge for simpler and cheaper bus fares.

He hopes the reductions will "help a little towards easing the cost of living crises for locals, and will go a long way to addressing the big challenges on the buses at present".

Mr Norris said: "At a time where the challenges on the buses are so huge, this is a real opportunity to create that virtuous cycle of more fare income to reinvest in our bus network, which in turn will mean better buses for everyone."

The scheme is a joint initiative from Weca, North Somerset Council and the bus operators, including FirstBus and Stagecoast West.