April 21, 2022 8.00 am This story is over 22 months old

Dogs ride for free in new Stagecoach bus fares

A £4.50 cap on single tickets

By Local Democracy Reporter

Stagecoach has changed its fares and services for the first time in three years, introducing reductions, increases and even free dog travel.

The changes will kick in from April 25, for services across Stagecoach East Midlands, which covers Gainsborough, Grimsby, Hull, Lincoln, Mansfield, Scunthorpe, Skegness and Worksop.

Besides human travellers, Stagecoach has also announced that dogs can travel for free on any bus services, with well-behaved dogs travelling at the bus driver’s discretion, so long as they sit on the floor and not the seats.

Singles will start from £1 across the region, with customers paying no more than £4.50 a single journey, and there are now only four different price bands for singles and returns, based on your length of travel.

For example, currently an off-peak single from Lincoln to Sleaford costs £6.80, but that will be reduced to £4.50 from April 25, while a £7.70 single to Skegness from the same start point will also be cut to £4.50.

A new flexible set of DayRider tickets will be introduced, including Flexi 5 and Flexi 10 bundles that give customers 12 months to use their unlimited daily travel tickets and save up to 30% when compared to buying tickets individually.

As well as this, the company is introducing a wider range of tickets for people aged 19 and under, an age bracket that has risen by three years to offer more access to discounted tickets.

Better value has been pledged across the board, with East Midlands Connect Day Out tickets now costing £7.80, down from £9.30, family tickets for two adults and three children replaced by five person group tickets from £12, and new Day Out tickets for just £5.

Matthew Cranwell, Managing Director of Stagecoach East Midlands said: “Stagecoach is a business well known for innovation and we are introducing new ticket types to simplify our bus fares and ensure that bus travel is convenient, affordable and straight-forward whilst still offering great value for money.

“The introduction of a wider range of tickets for young people is focused on enabling them to better access more affordable transport, through a ticket range suited to different needs.

“Following the pandemic, with the focus on a more flexible lifestyle, our new Flexi tickets enable people to travel on a great value ticket at times that suit them.

“Improving the range of our tickets available for purchase both online and through our app means we are well placed to welcome customers on to our services and play a key role in rebuilding the economy and reconnecting our communities in a sustainable way.”

All changes to fares and services can be found on the Stagecoach website, with breakdowns for each area in the East Midlands region.