First Bus fares - new outer area around Bath

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From my email - just received

New Bath Outer Zone

Following customer requests we are introducing a new Outer Zone for Bath from 2 November. At the same time the Bath City Zone will be renamed Bath Inner Zone.

The Outer Zone will stretch from the Inner Zone boundary up to approximately 12 miles from Bath City Centre. This includes places such as Frome, Chippenham, Midsomer Norton, Melksham, Yate and Bristol Bus Station.

It will offer significant savings for customers who only travel in these areas but currently buy a West of England ticket as their cheapest option. The Outer Zone tickets will be priced at ^6 Day, ^22 Week, ^80 Month and ^840 Year and include travel in the Outer and Inner Zones. Child and Student/16-21 year olds discounts will apply as normal. Plus there will be a new 10 journey ticket available offering 10 single journeys anywhere in the Inner/Outer zones at a discounted price.

Single tickets, Inner Zone (previously Bath City Zone) and West of England season tickets are unaffected and remain the same prices.

A leaflet showing the new zone map and prices will be put on all buses in Bath shortly and will be available from the travelshop in Bath Bus Station. You can also see the zone map on our website.

It looks like the return fare from Melksham to Bath (for example) may drop from ^7 to ^6 - except that the highlighted text talks about "only in that area" when it refers to the outer zone - so it may still be ^7 into the city centre.

I called the First Bus enquiry line to ask and they initially told me that no Bath zones were valid to / from Melksham. I then said that contradicted the email I had just received ... and they admitted to having the email but not being able to open it because it's in the wrong format ... couldn't make it up, could you.

I will clarify in due course, and see if I can find some wooly form of words for the Bowerhill Villager newsletter's "Stop Press" as that prints over the weekend ... unless anyone here knows?

[JayMac]

"The Outer Zone tickets will be priced at ^6 Day...  and include travel in the Outer and Inner Zones"

...appears pretty clear to me. You can use it across both zones.

I can't find a copy of this new zones map on the First WoE website though, despite the email (I received it also) saying it is available on the website.

[grahame]

"The Outer Zone tickets will be priced at ^6 Day...  and include travel in the Outer and Inner Zones"

...appears pretty clear to me. You can use it across both zones.

Silly me ... so busy trying to work out the previous sentence that I overlooked that one which clarified it.

[Lee]

For me, the big news will come not from what the email contains, but from clarification of what it leaves out.

One word - Trowbridge.

CURRENT TRANSWILTS RAIL FARES BETWEEN CHIPPENHAM-TROWBRIDGE

Off-Peak Day Return - ^5

Anytime Day Return - ^6

7 Days - ^22

1 Month - ^84.50

12 Months - ^880

CURRENT FIRST BUS SERVICE 234 FARES BETWEEN CHIPPENHAM-TROWBRIDGE

1 Day - ^7

7 Days - ^25

1 Month - ^96

12 Months - ^1050

NEW FIRST BUS SERVICE 234 FARES BETWEEN CHIPPENHAM-TROWBRIDGE (if Trowbridge is included in the new Bath Outer Zone)

1 Day - ^6

7 Days - ^22

1 Month - ^80

12 Months - ^840

Discuss.

[grahame]

I would expect Trowbridge to be in the new "Bath Outer" ... but then I would have expected the email / message to say that.  I would also have expected to see Bradford-on-Avon there, and I suspect that what's been done is a listing of the places on the periphery has been provided.  I would guess that Devizes and Warminster (and probably Westbury) are out of the zone, and that Radstock is in.   Can't confirm beyond what's in the email ... First customer service don't have details yet.

First Bus have priced themselves out of the market / made themselves unpopular within much of this zone by withdrawing return tickets and making the best value alternative a much wider area freedom ticket. I would suggest that much of the traffic has gone to Faresaver when / where they are available, and I know that some traffic on the 234 has gone to the TransWilts train service.  It remains to be seen if (and how much) of that would return to bus if this new fare structure does indeed include Trowbridge.   Price is just one factor in the switch from bus to rail which (in any case) is only one of a lot of reasons that people have been using the trains.

[John R]

Chippenham to Trowbridge, around 22 mins by rail, up to an hour on the bus.  If the station is convenient at both ends and the times are convenient it's not a difficult decision.

[Lee]

I think the "ifs" are very much key.

For example, the route of the 234 was recently changed to run via Leap Gate (outskirts of Trowbridge heading towards Melksham) replacing the 236 town bus service. This persuaded one of my work colleagues to switch to the bus as they can now commute directly from their front door to just round the corner from the office in Chippenham. Add to that the ^16 possibly being knocked off their monthly ticket from November, and they have ended up with a pretty good deal all round.

Now, I should point out that they are very strongly supportive of the new TransWilts Rail services, and do use them for days out further afield, but for day to day purposes the bus is a no brainer for them.

[Lee]

Interesting update for you - I visited the Travel Shop at Bath Bus Station, and the Customer Services person has been told that the Bath City Zone is being renamed the Bath Inner Zone, but has been told absolutely nothing about the imminent introduction of the Bath Outer Zone, despite a supply of relevant leaflets apparently soon to be available from there.

They are also apparently receive the email communications, but have yet to receive anything on this.

Therefore, the only evidence we have that anything at all is happening lies with grahame and bignosemac - the First Bus shops, phone lines and websites apparently know nothing.

[Lee]

New Bath area maps from 2 November 2014 have appeared on the First Bus website, but do not show any zones:

http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/bristol_bath/assets/pdfs/journey_planning/maps/bath/Bath_Network%20Map-WEB.pdf

http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/bristol_bath/assets/pdfs/journey_planning/maps/bath/Bath_Area_Map_WEB.pdf

[grahame]

Therefore, the only evidence we have that anything at all is happening lies with grahame and bignosemac - the First Bus shops, phone lines and websites apparently know nothing.

From me again ... received from First Bus

Bath Outer Day
^6        Adult
^4.20        16-21 year old / Student
^3         Child

Bath Outer Week
^22        Adult
^15.40        16-21 year old / Student
^11        Child

Bath Outer Month
^80        Adult
^54        16-21 year old / Student
^40        Child

Bath Outer Year
^840        Adult
^588        16-21 year old / Student
^420        Child

Bath Outer 10 Journey
^24        Adult
^16.80        16-21 year old / Student
^12        Child

[Lee]

The omission of Pewsham estate in Chippenham is unlikely to go down well - It seems very ironic that someone has obviously taken time to ensure that the zone extends out of Melksham town centre to include all of the Forest and Bowerhill, but is content to deny Pewsham residents the lower fares that the Derriads, Brook Street and Chippenham Central areas will be able to benefit from.

I was on the 231 to work in Chippenham today, and a Outer Zone poster was on display, along with leaflets being available with the relevant details, containing a map that is noticeably simplified from your version in terms of boundary stops - It just shows one in Chippenham for example (Chippenham Bus Station). I can still see the drivers having a rather long day explaining it all though, particularly to the Pewsham contingent...

The other big news of course is that not only is Trowbridge in, but so is Westbury. On the face of it, the new Outer Zone fares seem to offer decent savings for season ticket holders between Westbury-Chippenham compared to the train, although day bus tickets/train returns and weekly tickets remain very closely matched.

CURRENT ADULT RAIL TICKET PRICES BETWEEN WESTBURY-CHIPPENHAM

Off-peak Day Return - ^5.50

Anytime Day Return - ^6.50

7 Days - ^24

1 Month - ^92.20

12 Months - ^960

However, you will always need to change buses from service 265 to service 234 in Trowbridge, with the major difference in overall journey time likely to minimise the attraction of choosing bus over rail. For example, the direct Westbury-Chippenham rail journey takes around 25 minutes, which is almost exactly the same time as the first leg of the bus journey takes between Westbury-Trowbridge!

However, this is largely academic, given that the daytime bus connections miss by a couple of minutes in both directions...