First Manchester announces new tickets and price freeze among fare changes from Sunday 6 March

Ian Humphreys, Managing Director of First Manchester

First Manchester – one of Rochdale’s local bus operators – has announced the launch of a new range of flexi tickets and reduced or frozen the cost of singles among fare changes which will take effect from Sunday 6 March 2022.

The new flexi tickets are designed to encourage more people to use the bus as travel behaviour adapts following the pandemic with work and leisure patterns changing.

The fare changes are the first to be made since January 2020. Single fares for the longest journeys will reduce to £4 for an adult and £2 for children, a decrease of 11 per cent. The cost of all other singles will be held at the current price.

Price increases for weekly tickets will rise in line with the rate of inflation while day tickets will rise by 50p for adults and 25p for children with the family ticket unchanged at £10.

All price changes will also apply to mTickets bought on the app.

New habits in commuting and hybrid working have been responded to with the creation of a 3-day ticket valid over five days and a 5-day ticket which can be used for trips over eight days.

Ian Humphreys, Managing Director of First Manchester, said: “We are pleased that we have been able to bring down the cost of some single fares and hold current prices on others.

“Where prices are increasing, we have worked to limit these for customers as much as possible so we can balance the challenge of maintaining a sustainable network as we build back passengers to pre-pandemic levels.”

He added: “We appreciate that customer travel habits have changed significantly and are delighted to be able to introduce new products.

“Our new flexi tickets create more options to fit travel needs. I encourage customers to check into these to make sure they get the best value.

“We have also continued to ensure that the average cost per trip of making multiple journeys remains low.”

Posters explaining the fares and new flexi tickets will begin appearing on buses from this week.

Details can also be found by visiting the First Manchester website.