Get the bus for £1!

Late night shopping in Freshney Place? Heading out for tea with friends? Watching that much-anticipated new film at the cinema? Get there for just £1 on the bus.

North East Lincolnshire Council and its delivery partner, Equans, are delighted to announce a capped £1 bus fare across the borough all-day on weekends and after 6pm, Monday to Friday.

This offer aims to increase leisure and shopping activity within the borough with cheap and sustainable travel. The reduced fare will encourage passengers to travel more frequently over the Christmas period, further supporting local leisure and retail businesses in North East Lincolnshire.

The Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) survey, which was carried out earlier this year, found passengers used the buses mostly for leisure and shopping. Therefore, reducing the ticket fare by half its current capped price will hopefully encourage more people to use the bus for this reason.

The £1 fare is available for both adults and children and started on Sunday 12 November. This is a promotional price for a limited time only, subject to uptake on bus tickets as well as funding.

However, the Government recently announced that the single bus fares will continue to be capped at £2 until the end of December 2024 to help encourage greater bus usage. Bus fares, Monday to Friday, before 6pm will be capped at £2.

This initiative is funded by the Department for Transport under the Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus funding, which is additional to the £4.7m already allocated to North East Lincolnshire Council.

Councillor Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for environment and transport, said: “By offering cheap bus travel, we can help business growth and regeneration in the borough by encouraging people to come out and shop locally. The Christmas period is a great time to help small businesses thrive and shows support to the local community as well.”

Lani Lamming, Enhanced Quality Partnership Co-ordinator at Equans, added: “By cutting the fare prices in half on the weekends and weeknights, we hope this will encourage new users to travel by bus in the run-up to Christmas. It’s a time where people are spending money on presents and food for over the holidays, therefore we want to help reduce the costs of what people spend on travel.”

Roads Minister, Richard Holden, said “People up and down the country deserve a modern, reliable, and affordable public transport system. That is why we have provided North East Lincolnshire Council with over £5.2 million to boost its bus services. Supporting the Council with introducing £1 bus tickets is fantastic for local residents, who will now be able to go to the cinema, shop and see loved ones for less.”

Matt Cranwell, Managing Director at Stagecoach East Midlands, said: “Christmas can be a difficult time financially for many people, and so we’re delighted to be able to provide a £1 single ticket as part of the BSIP funding in order to further help people with the cost of Christmas. The £1 ticket helps avoid parking and petrol costs for those doing their Christmas shopping on a weekend or heading out with family and friends on an evening and supports our commitment to provide accessible public transport in the local community.”

Julia Thompson, Chair of Visitor Economy Services Retail (VESR) in North East Lincolnshire, said: “Our shops, restaurants, bars and local businesses are all looking forward to a busy Christmas season.  The cost of living this year has brought extra pressure for many families and so for those who can leave the car at home, it’s a great way to enjoy all that our town centres have available more affordably and rediscover the flexibility of travelling on the bus.”