Stagecoach Highland has announced that starting May 8, bus fares across the region will increase, following on from similar plans in the Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray.
The bus operator, which serves the majority of routes around rural Highland communities, is increasing fares by an average of 4.8%.
This comes after similar plans by Stagecoach Bluebird, which operates across the north-east, and First, which operates inner-city services across Aberdeen.
Bus travel is an important means of travel in the Highlands as it often is the only form of public transport to remote communities across the region.
However due to the rising costs of running services, fare prices have been had to be increased in line with operational costs.
Here are some of the most day tickets available and what you can expect to pay once fares increase from May 8.
- Inverness Zone 1 (Inverness City): £3.90 to £4.10
- Inverness Zone 1A (Inverness and Culloden): £4.50 to £4.80
- Inverness Zone 2 (Inverness, Dingwall and Drumnodrochit): £7.30 to £7.70
- Inverness Zone 3 (Inverness, Alness and Invergordon): £13 to £13.70
- Inverness Zone 4 (Inverness, Tain and Dornoch): £14.50 to £15.30
Under 22s will benefit from being able to travel free as part of the Scottish Government scheme to encourage young people to use public transport.
Rising fuel costs affect bus services
David Beaton managing director for Stagecoach Highland explained why the increase in fares is necessary.
He said: “Like many sectors of the economy, bus operators are seeing significant cost inflation, primarily driven by increased fuel and staffing costs.
“At the same time, the money bus operators receive in fares to keep services running remains significantly below pre-pandemic levels.
“As well as paying for the day to day running of the country’s vital bus networks, ticket costs help us to continue investing in improvements for our passengers, and pay for bus workers who have worked hard to keep communities connected and services running during the pandemic.”
To find out more about the fare increases visit the Stagecoach website.
Stagecoach and First both increase bus fares across Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray
