IT’S ALL change for small change on Reading’s buses as a radical shake-up launches next week.
Following Reading Borough Council’s successful bid for government funding, it is introducing a new flat rate £3.50 day fare for all bus services from Monday, March 13, regardless of which company is operating the services.
This means a resident could catch a Reading Bus to the town centre, but then use Thames Travel or Arriva for their next journey.
The tickets will be 10p cheaper if ordered via the online apps, and the child all-day, all-bus fare will be £2.80, or £2.60 on the app.
Group tickets for up to four passengers will be £9 peak time, and £5.50 off-peak: this starts at 9.30am on weekdays, and all-day at weekends and bank holidays.
The prices only apply to the Simply Reading zone. For journeys outside of it, the best fare will remain the £2 single ticket offer, which is subsidised by the government. This scheme is currently due to finish at the end of March, but it could be extended to the end of June.
The tickets have been funded from a £26.3 million grant from the Department of Transport for various investments in the borough’s public transport network. Reading received the third highest funding award in the country per head of population out of the 31 local authorities who were given the support.
Reading Borough Council will use the money to make a number of enhancements to the town’s bus network.
They include plans to extend the the Buzz 42 service and South Reading services, develop park and ride services to the RBH and the University, and update bus information and shelters.
There will be changes to the road layouts, including new bus lanes on the Oxford Road, Bath Road, Southampton Street and London Road.
An expansion of the South Reading MRT scheme for the A33 in a bid to speed up journey times between Mereoak park and ride and the town centre.
And there will be a Passenger Charter created with the aim of giving passengers a voice.
Cllr Tony Page, Reading Borough Council’s lead councillor for climate strategy and transport, said the funding was excellent news for the town, its transport networ, passenger and the environment.
“Our bus services in Reading are already acknowledged as some of the very best in the country with high passenger numbers putting us third in the country for bus trips per head of population and a range of routes and priority corridors which serve existing bus passengers very well and at competitive prices,” he said.
“This injection of funding now allows us to work alongside our bus operators and neighbouring councils on initiatives to further enhance the travelling experience. We hope to attract new bus passengers to even faster, more reliable and better integrated bus services in Reading.”
Cllr Page felt the investment was necessary as the bus network was “an essential component” of the council’s strategy to create affordable alternatives to car journeys, improve air quality and help with the council’s 2030 net zero plans.
“It sits alongside a range of sustainable travel investment by the Council which includes a brand-new railway station at Reading Green Park, opening soon, and a refurbished one at Reading West, as well as key new Active Travel cycle lanes on Shinfield Road and on Bath Road/Castle Hill,” he said.
The bus companies are also looking forward to the Reading All-Bus ticket launching.
Robert Williams, chief executive officer of Reading Buses said it would help make bus services in the town even more attractive.
“We are particularly excited about the new infrastructure that will help our customers get to their destination more quickly and comfortably,” he added. “We have worked very closely on the development of an Enhanced Partnership, and will be ensuring that all of the benefits will be reinvested into the services that we provide.”
And Luke Marion, managing director of Thames Travel said the firm was looking forward to working with the Council and other bus operators to deliver improvements for passengers.
“We know the new ‘Reading All-Bus’ multi-operator day travel ticket is something that many of our existing customers have been asking for, and we believe this scheme will make bus travel a lot more convenient, particularly in the Caversham area.”
Reading’s Bus Service Improvement Plan was drawn up early last year and is a blueprint for improvements and major investment in Reading’s bus services. It can be found at https://www.reading.gov.uk/BSIP and has been prepared in conjunction with all bus operators, including the Council-owned Reading Buses, and all neighbouring local authorities to the Greater Reading urban area.
