Metro cards

Patexpat · Post by **Patexpat** » Fri 24 Jun, 2011 9:48 am

surfing around the transport sites as I tend to do< I remembered that as a lad I used to have a Metro card - valid for a month on both buses and trains all over West Yorkshire for er, 5 quid! I'm sure that was the price unless my memory fails me. As a volunteer worker on the Worth Valley private railway I really got my monies worth for the month commuting from Leeds to Haworth! Suffice to say I was a little bit shocked to see what today's prices are!

Post by **tyke bhoy** » Fri 24 Jun, 2011 10:49 am

Fortunately work pay for my annual card upfront and then deduct it from my pay over the next 10 months. Its also discounted by Metro because of the number of cards my employer purchases. It would certainly be a major investment paying privately for an annual card upfront.Because I have a card I can't give 100% accurate comment on the fares but I think its just short of £2 for a non concession fare payer to even set foot on a bus in W Yorkshire. There are exceptions like the underhand 95 service deal of University - Arndale Centre for £1. There are also plenty of options on all day tickets by the various operators if you can get by with services from that single operator. Arriva and Worst also mirror the Metrocards with their own weekly, monthly and annual passes but again if you need a bus by a different operator you will need to pay, and its pretty difficult to stick to one operator if you are traveling all over Leeds.

Cardiarms · Post by **Cardiarms** » Fri 24 Jun, 2011 3:39 pm

What annoys me is that the prices are set so that you have to use the bus at the weekend or more than just work during the week. If you just want it to commute with there's no benefit unless you can get a deal like the above.

Post by **mhoulden** » Sat 25 Jun, 2011 12:05 am

In 2001 I was paying £68/month for a 5 zone Metro card and now I'm paying £82/month for a 3 zone one (a 5 zone one now costs £122/month but I moved house so I don't need one any more). Although I work from home I travel by bus several times a week so I do need some sort of pass, and I use 3 different companies pretty regularly (First, Arriva and Centre Bus) so a Metro card is the only option. With one buses cost about £20/week. Without it would cost more like £30. If I was still in my old office it would probably cost about £50 /week if I paid individual fares.Interestingly the threat of regulation has encouraged some of the bigger bus operators to set up something called the Association of West Yorkshire Bus Operators: http://www.wymetro.com/news/releases/110617 .

raveydavey · Post by **raveydavey** » Sat 25 Jun, 2011 8:46 am

Whilst a MetroCard can offer savings over individual fares (if you use public transport enough), they are still expensive compared with traveling in your own car for most people. before you get to the issue of convenience.Still, what did the powers that be expect when they privatised public transport? All those companies now have to make a profit (over £100m profit a year in the case of Worst bus).Plus rather than keeping fares down, Metro seem determined to spend huge amounts of public money on schemes that never happen (how much was wasted on Supertram and to date on the trolley bus plan?) and ones that are excessively pointless and perpetuate monopolies (the continuing spread of mis-guided busways)?

Post by **tyke bhoy** » Sat 25 Jun, 2011 10:21 am

Chair of the ABOWY (who is based in Brum) wrote: I can confirm that ABOWY represents a range of small and large operators. Active members include First, Arriva, Transdev, Centrebus, Godsons Coaches, Ross Travel, Utopia Coaches and Stagecoach. Harrogate Coach Travel has recently asked to become involved. Other operators have expressed an interest but haven?t been active, partly due to their limited operations in West Yorkshire or difficulty in resourcing regular meetings. Yes thats right he is based in Birmingham. The above is extracted from a letter replicated in this metro document http://www.wymetro.com/NR/rdonlyres/27A ... Item16.pdf

BIG N · Post by **BIG N** » Wed 29 Jun, 2011 4:39 am

tyke bhoy wrote: Because I have a card I can't give 100% accurate comment on the fares but I think its just short of £2 for a non concession fare payer to even set foot on a bus in W Yorkshire. Nick - I cant speak for Worst bus but our step up and go fares at Arriva are as follows -Starting with a one stage ( or sometimes two stages ) single at 80p we then step up through the stages as follows - £1.30, £1.70, £2.10, £2.30, £2,60 to a maximum of £2.80 The only exception to this is on the Dewsbury Rd route between the White rose and Leeds which comes in at 80p, £1.20, £1,50 and £1,70 - these fares were brought in to compete with First on that route but are out dated now since First brought in those strange Short, medium and long hop fares around Leeds.Our Arriva all day ticket is £4.20 and that covers all of West Yorkshire and some services as far as Barnsley or a weekly ticket comes in at £16.00 with the same covarage - both are very good value.If your only travelling one or two days a week and are using two or more operators then by far the best value ticket is the Metro day ticket at £5.00 which covers all operators in west Yorkshire.

Post by **tyke bhoy** » Wed 29 Jun, 2011 10:41 am

Hi Big N. I believe my wife paid £1.70 last time she went to Wakefield Bus station on "the Track". It's a distance of only 2 miles and a quick count has the bus station as the 11th bus stop after boarding at the 1st so the 80p and 130p fares must be for very short trips. I had forgotten about First's "hops" but it looks unless you are travelling what should be walking distance for most (unlazy) people then its at least £1.90 http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/leeds/t ... ple_fare/I agree there are a myriad of alternatives to the single journey single fare including the £5 Metro day but the document I highlighted from Metro criticises the AWYBO proposals for a lack of the cross operator option that Metro provides.

Patexpat · Post by **Patexpat** » Wed 29 Jun, 2011 11:26 am

SO it looks to me that the price of a DAILY bus only Metro pass today is the same as what was a MONTHLY bus AND rail pass about 30-ish years ago? Ok feeling old now ...

patter · Post by **patter** » Wed 29 Jun, 2011 2:13 pm

Oddly enough, the first short-hop tickets are for longer hops than they advertise, £1 gets you all the way from the corn exchange to the little tesco on Roundhay Road, about 1.6 miles - its one of my regular trips the odd times I've not got the bus pass with me