National Express West Midlands

National Express West Midlands has announced that current bus fares will be frozen for the foreseeable future.

The region’s largest bus operator is freezing the price of all bus fares into 2010 to help the region recover from the effects of the recession. Bus fares have traditionally been adjusted at the start of each year.

The West Midlands has the highest unemployment levels in the country, with over 200,000 people out of work. National Express took the decision to freeze their bus fares to ensure customers can continue to access education and employment at a low cost.

Neil Barker, Director National Express bus and coach, said:
“Bus provides a vital link to education, work and healthcare across the region, with nearly 1 million journeys undertaken everyday. We have taken the decision to hold our current prices into 2010 to help customers feeling the pinch of the recession and to encourage more car users to try public transport.

We’re committed to continually improving the bus service in the West Midlands – making it safer, cleaner and more reliable for everyone. I think customers will be particularly pleased that our popular Daysaver ticket will remain at £3.30 to help people shop, socialise and visit friends at a low cost throughout Christmas.”

It is hoped the news will also encourage more car users to switch to public transport. Each double decker bus has the potential to remove up to 50 cars from the road and significantly reduce carbon emissions in the region.

With Copenhagen dominating news headlines over the coming week one of the biggest challenges facing the Midlands will be addressing the region's carbon footprint. Public transport will play a major role in reducing pollution and National Express has invested £12million during 2009 in cleaner, greener vehicles to support Birmingham's transformation to a low carbon economy.

Current ticket prices:

Daysaver: £3.30
Maximum Single: £1.70
Weekly Travelcards from: £ 12.50
Monthly Direct Debit Travelcards from: £38

National Express Coventry fares will also be frozen. The current fares are:
Daysaver: £2.90
Maximum Single: £1.50
Weekly Travelcards from: £10
Monthly Direct Debit Travelcards from: £28.75