First Bus cuts fares and provides free onboard WiFi

First Bus

First Bus in the North of England has announced a series of forthcoming improvements including reductions in bus fares of up to 28%. 

From Monday 8 April the following fares will apply on all First buses in Greater Manchester:

Manchester FirstDay reduced to £4 (from £4.50) - a saving of 50p (11%)
Manchester FirstWeek reduced to £13 (from £18) - a saving of £5 (28%)
Child Weekly Ticket reduced to £6.50 (from £7) " a saving of 50p (7%)

In addition First has revealed a package that will see:

• The provision of free Wifi on all First buses in Greater Manchester
• All buses in Greater Manchester equipped with GPS technology that will provide customers with real time bus running information, and improve the punctuality of bus timetables
• Around 50 brand new single decker buses

The introduction of GPS and Wifi, in late 2013, will complement TfGM's Local Sustainable Transport Fund programme, a key part of which will improve infrastructure in Greater Manchester to allow, for example, traffic lights to change as late-running buses approach. Detailed sharing of data, in the longer run, will allow congestion to be reduced and punctuality to be improved. 

Customers with smart phones will know when the bus is coming before they've even left their homes.

Simon Pearson, Commercial Director for First in Greater Manchester, said: "First is absolutely committed to Greater Manchester and this package of improvements is part of a long term plan to get passengers back on the bus. At a time when some of the poorest households are spending over a quarter of their disposable income on buying and running a car, these improvements will give car drivers a real reason to reappraise the bus as a viable alternative." 

Councillor Andrew Fender, Chairman of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, said: "We've been working very closely with First to drive forward these improvements, which will be key to getting more people back on buses, so I'm delighted that they have listened to passengers and are now taking this across-the-board approach to improving services.

"The announcement is a real commitment to value for money fares, high quality, reliable bus services and better, real-time information.

"The move to significantly lower fares brings a level of consistency to bus fares in Greater Manchester. So regardless of where you live you'll pay a similar price, which is excellent news and means better choices for everyone when it comes to using local buses."