Two reject Rider rise
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• Wakefield-based West Riding Group and Pontefract independent South Yorkshire Road Transport are refusing to follow Yorkshire Rider by imposing an 8.5% fare surcharge.
With fuel prices starting to rise again, most operators have followed the lead set by York shire Rider on both cash fares and pre-paid tickets, and have kept to a common fare scale.
But WRG believes that a fuel surcharge will drive passengers away and damage long-term growth. It does not rule out an increase if fuel costs continue to rise, but plans to absorb costs for as long as possible.
"We are investing in the future because we've seen how quickly ridership can fall," says West Riding managing director Mike Hunter. ''['he company has performed well financially and we don't want to sting the passengers and run the risk of losing them permanently."