Bristol inner zone day bus tickets - reduction from 18th October

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

I think you can only get non-contactless debit cards on special request now. The problem with them instead of operator-specific smart systems would presumably be recognising weekly and longer tickets.

Under 18s and those with Basic Bank Accounts are not issued contactless.

[JayMac]

Meanwhile First (a bus company in London) have an excellent system which allows the use of contactless debit / credit cards

Small point of order. FirstBus do no operate any TfL^» (Transport for London - about) tendered services.

Contactless can only be used to pay full Adult fare. No Concessions. no Travelcard Season. No Bus & Tram passes. No Railcards. It's an excellent system but is of no use to children, young adults, the disabled, the elderly. They make up a large percentage of bus users.

[Bmblbzzz]

OK - I may have misunderstood, but I thought the system used by TfL^» (Transport for London - about) recognised your usage pattern and gave you the best fare, i.e. if you travel every day it gives you the season rate. Is that not the case?

Might be ^ but then you have to travel every day, whereas you can buy a paper season ticket and it's hrvalid from the minute you buy it, even if you only use it a few times a week. In other words, with a paper ticket you don't have to build up history.

[JayMac]

Contactless with TfL^» (Transport for London - about) caps at either the daily or Monday to Sunday rate. Example caps for Zones 1-2 (all transport modes) are ^6.40 daily and ^32.40 Monday to Sunday. Bus only caps (across Greater London) are ^4.40 daily and ^21.00 Monday to Sunday.

For the Monday to Sunday rate you may not reach the cap if your first journey is on a Thursday for example. The week always ends on a Sunday (more precisely at 0429 the following morning) for capping purposes. To ensure maximum benefit you should make your first journey of the week on a Monday.

[TonyK]

When visiting the Metrolopse, I find it extremely handy, for reasons other than the speed of boarding. On Bristol's buses, I need to know what I am doing for the whole day to make the choice. If I spend ^4.00 on a day ticket but end up only making 2 journeys, I have lost a quid. But if I buy 2 single trips at ^1.50, then decide on a third outing, I shall curse my lack of conviction when I first boarded the bus. In London, it doesn't matter. The first two trips are ^1.50 each, the third ^1.40, every subsequent journey that day is free. Done in Bristol, it would not only speed up boarding, but would make the whole bus thing much more attractive.

This morning, I headed for the bus at Arnos Court to take me to BRI^» (Bristol Temple Meads - next trains). I was almost at the bottom of Bloomfield Road, by the Lloyds bank, when I saw a number 1 bus pass on the Bath Road. Blast, thought I, but I'll get the next one. I crossed four sets of traffic lights, and caught it. Not only that, I wasn't the last. And I didn't run. Those of you who know the area will know that it is a fair old step from where I was to the bus stop. I rest my case, although I profited on this occasion.

[JayMac]

Just received an email from First West of England advising of the new price of the Bristol Inner Zone Day ticket.

It also includes this line:

and between 19:00 and 04:29 the price reduces to ^3.

That's quite some reduction. From ^3 currently to ^3 after 18th October! 

[grahame]

I pulled this topic somewhat off topic - now split to a new topic on Didcot to Harwell Campus buses at
http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=16398.0

[Bmblbzzz]

I actually travelled by bus today! Got inner zone day passes (or whatever the actual name is ^ I've thrown them away now so can't check) for ^4 and ^2 for a return journey from Gloucester Rd to Cribbs, as apparently this is cheaper than specific tickets. Increased the cost of my son's AirHop (yes, it's still half term ^ back to school tomorrow, and about time too!) by 50%.  Train to Patchway would have been cheaper, I think, but slower (unless we walked to Stapleton Rd or TM^▸ (Train Manager, or possibly Ticket Machine, depending on context)) and less frequent, as well as involving a bit of a hike at the end.

[TonyK]

I actually travelled by bus today! Got inner zone day passes (or whatever the actual name is ^ I've thrown them away now so can't check) for ^4 and ^2 for a return journey from Gloucester Rd to Cribbs, as apparently this is cheaper than specific tickets. Increased the cost of my son's AirHop (yes, it's still half term ^ back to school tomorrow, and about time too!) by 50%.  Train to Patchway would have been cheaper, I think, but slower (unless we walked to Stapleton Rd or TM^▸ (Train Manager, or possibly Ticket Machine, depending on context)) and less frequent, as well as involving a bit of a hike at the end.

If that was ^4 plus ^2, then you've been had. ^4.50 would buy you the cross-operator Avon Rider which would have bought you the Glos Rd to Cribbs leg by Wessex, if that's how you did it, as well as the whole panoply of First bus services. Too bloody complicated, IMHO^▸ ('in my humble opinion').

[Bmblbzzz]

That was ^4 for me and ^2 for a child ticket.