NBC experiments with low fares
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A SURVEY just published by the National Bus Company on 12 experimental schemes involving fare reductions draws only vague conclusions.
Schemes involving London Transport, British Rail, Greater Manchester and Tyne and Wear PTEs were considered, plus the following companies in the National group: Crosville, Eastern National, Midland Red , Northern Group, Ribble, Southdown, London Country and Western National.
Increased revenue based on fare reductions was only possible in special circumstances, said the report.
The Stevenage "Superbus" scheme, which involved new liveries for buses, bus shelters at every stop and a vast publicity effort, as well as improved services brought increased revenue. So did the current "Reddibus" scheme at Redditch.
But these schemes were not considered typical examples as they both applied to New Towns and were both coupled with maximum publicity efforts. In schemes where fare reductions were applied to existing services, increases in revenue were virtually nonexistant and although in most cases the number of passengers rose slightly the increase in passengers did not equal the loss in fare revenue.
Many of the schemes in the report were aimed at attracting off-peak passengers, as in the case of a Southdown experiment in April 1975, where a 30 per cent reduction was offered and the increase in the number of passengers was considerable.
On services where reductions were low and journeys were short differences in revenue were negligible and in many cases caused an actual loss of revenue.
The report reveals that once bus passengers are lost for an alternative mode of transport it is very difficult, whatever the incentive, to win them back to buses.