Arriva put Prices up again

[Barney]

RE: Arriva put Prices up again

(26/02/2015 09:44)Dentonian Wrote:  Am I misunderstanding Enviro400's point? You both seem to be talking about Quality Bus *Partnerships*, but whilst you are saying you have to explain why each others tickets ARE accepted on the 86, you are also saying that they are not on other QBP routes because that is the point of Deregulation. Surely, all QBPs have the same rules - of which accepting each other's tickets is normally one of the main reasons for having QBPs.
Comparing with Retailers is a false comparison from the consumer's point of view. People will always need to eat and drink (the main revenue earner for Supermarkets), so the market will always be big enough to sustain competition. Buses won't as the market is in permanent decline as car ownership increases, and the industry is being priced out by the low cost of *using* cars, heavly subsidised rail fares, and politicially favoured Light Rail and cycling.

This thread has gone off on a tangent. The initial post questioned why Arriva fares have gone up in an area where Arriva is dominant. The simple answer is because there is little or no competition and passengers - many of whom don't or can't drive - have little or no option.

Regarding the Merseyside QBPS, all of these accept each other's day and weekly tickets but not monthly or annual ones. These routes are shared and each operator provides about 50% of the vehicles.

Personally, I believe that comparing bus operators to supermarkets is a valid one. I can think of several high street brands that have disappeared in the last decade because of a decline in sales, just like many bus operators. I would also suggest that Tescos recent announcement of a drastic drop in profits and store closures parallels First's sell-off of its unprofitable operations to its competitors.