Letter by e-mail to all Greater Manchester Councillors 5 April 2011

Dear Councillor

Changes to bus travel in Greater Manchester

Following recent and misinformed local press coverage which could lead to
confusion, at the first meeting of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee
yesterday, it was agreed that I should write to all Councillors across Greater
Manchester to provide an update in relation to the changes to concessionary fares in
Greater Manchester. The changes came into effect on Sunday, 3 April 2011 and from
that date, the flat 80p concessionary bus fare changed to half the adult fare. In
addition, people over 60 travelling on buses, local trains and trams before 9.30am on
weekdays now have to pay the full adult fare, but they will still be able to travel
within Greater Manchester free after 9.30am and at all times at the weekend. The
changes also affect five to 16-year-olds, students up to the age of 19, who have a
Concessionary Permit for trips to and from a Greater Manchester school, and some
disabled people travelling before 9.30am.

There have also been changes for some people living outside Greater Manchester.
From Sunday 3 April, the local concessionary fare scheme no longer applies to
journeys which involve travel outside of Greater Manchester to areas including
Poynton, Glossop, Whitworth, Bacup, Edenfield, Stubbins, Edgworth and Belmont.
A map showing the new boundary is available here
http://www.tfgm.com/pdfmaps/Concessionary_Fare_Map_Schematic_March_2011.
pdf

As before, if a child travels across the boundary of Greater Manchester they are
eligible for the concessionary fare for the portion of their journey that is within
Greater Manchester. For the element of the journey outside Greater Manchester,
they will pay the full child fare. They will only need one ticket for the journey and
drivers will be able to tell them how much they will pay for the whole journey.

Transport for Greater Manchester Committee is a Joint Committee of the GMCA Greater Manchester Combined
Authority and the ten Greater Manchester district councils
Fares information

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has tried to keep passengers informed not
only about the changes to the local concessionary scheme but also about the fares
they will pay.

I enclose a table showing the fares offered by some of the major operators in Greater
Manchester. Customers are being directed towards more specific information via the
TfGM website www.tfgm.com.
For passengers on normal services, bus drivers will know how much the fare will be.
Passengers can also obtain fares information from the bus company that runs the
service they use; bus company contact details are available through the webpage
www.tfgm.com/passes.
If a child uses a Yellow School Bus or a dedicated school service provided by TfGM, a
new, simple fare structure has been introduced. This is based on the approximate
distance each stop is from the school and three fare bands apply: £1, £1.20, £1.40 for
single journeys. The maximum a child will pay is £1.40 for a single journey on this
type of service. Where return fares are available, the maximum a child would pay is
£2.40. Again, further details are available through the website
www.tfgm.com/passes.

The fare bands have been adjusted appropriately to take account of the fact that
some school services have a longer, winding route in order to pick up children. The
bands will apply service by service, and drivers will know which bus stops on their
route mark the transition between bands. Children can ask the driver about fares or
they can find out from the bus company that runs the service. Details about which
company runs each service is available at www.tfgm.com/passes. The larger bus
companies also publish their fares information online.

New ID arrangements

From Monday 16 May 2011 children aged 11 – 16 will have to show drivers one of
the new “igo” passes to confirm they are eligible to pay the new concessionary child
bus fare to travel in Greater Manchester. Children of any age will need an igo pass to
buy a Junior Bus Saver season ticket or any other ‘saver’ product. The existing ID-16
pass will not be accepted as proof of eligibility after 15 May 2011.

Transport for Greater Manchester Committee is a Joint Committee of the GMCA Greater Manchester Combined
Authority and the ten Greater Manchester district councils
An igo pass costs £5 and is only available to children who live in Greater Manchester,
or attend full-time education at a school in Greater Manchester. You can find out
more at www.tfgm.com/igo. Children and parents must remember that without the
igo pass, drivers will be able to charge a higher fare after May 15.

Communications
TfGM has been making every effort to communicate the changes in the
concessionary scheme to passengers across the conurbation. Emails have been sent
to Heads of every school across Greater Manchester enclosing a draft letter to be
used to send to parents and a reminder about this letter was sent last week.

13,000 posters have been placed at key bus, Metrolink and rail locations and
distributed to bus operators and over 60,000 leaflets have been distributed. Adverts
have also been placed in local newspapers during March and radio and television
interviews have taken place to help to raise awareness.

In preparation for the changes, meetings have been held with bus operators to
ensure consistent planning and all of the bus operators have confirmed that drivers
had been fully briefed.
Information about igo and about concessionary fares is available on the TfGM
website at www.tfgm.com/passes and in leaflets at TfGM Travelshops and main bus
stations in Greater Manchester.

If you have any questions that are not answered by this letter or by the information
on our website or leaflets, please contact Susan Wildman our Director of
Communications & Customer Services, at susan.wildman@tfgm.com or Natalie
Loughborough our Passenger Services Executive, at
Natalie.Loughborough@tfgm.com.

Yours sincerely

Councillor Keith Whitmore

Chair

Transport for Greater Manchester Committee is a Joint Committee of the GMCA Greater Manchester Combined
Authority and the ten Greater Manchester district councils
Summary of major bus fares changes

Current Prices New Prices Change (%) Effective

Adult day Adult week Child day Child week Adult day Adult week Child day Child week Adult day Adult week Child day Child week Date
Notes £ £ £ £ £ £ £ £
First Mcr 4.10 16.00 2.10 7.00 4.20 17.00 2.10 8.50 2.4% 6.3% 0.0% 21.4% 03-Apr
Stagecoach Mcr 3.50 11.00 n/a 7.00 3.70 11.50 1.85 5.75 5.7% 4.5% n/a -17.9% 03-Apr
Arriva - Mcr zone 1 3.70 12.00 2.10 8.00 3.70 12.00 1.85 6.00 0.0% 0.0% -11.9% -25.0% April
Arriva - Bolton/Wigan zone 1 4.00 15.00 2.10 8.00 4.00 15.00 2.00 7.50 0.0% 0.0% -4.8% -6.3% April
Green Triangle n/a 12.00 n/a n/a n/a 12.00 n/a 6.00 n/a 0.0% n/a new 03-Apr
Finglands - selected services 3.00 n/a n/a n/a 3.00 n/a 1.50 n/a 0.0% n/a new n/a 03-Apr
Finglands - inner n/a 6.50 n/a n/a n/a 6.50 n/a 3.25 n/a 0.0% n/a new 03-Apr
Finglands - outer n/a 8.50 n/a n/a n/a 9.50 n/a 4.75 n/a 11.8% n/a new 03-Apr
Rossendale 2 Range of Rover tickets with wider boundary 4.00 16.00 2.00 8.00 new new new new 03-Apr
System One 4.90 17.90 n/a 8.00 5.40 19.00 2.70 9.50 10.2% 6.1% n/a 18.8% 03-Apr

Notes
1 - Arriva have indicated that they will be increasing their prices during April - but not yet by how much or the exact date
2 - Rossendale have reduced their fares for "a limited period"

Transport for Greater Manchester Committee is a Joint Committee of the GMCA Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the ten Greater Manchester
district councils