Stagecoach urged to pull the plug on Dumfries and Galloway fares hike

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Bus giants Stagecoach have been urged to do a U-turn on a fares hike in Dumfries and Galloway. Stagecoach blamed rising costs and a reduction in subsidies for increasing journey costs by a whopping 15 per cent at the weekend.

Mark Ruskell MSP, the Scottish Greens’ transport spokesman, has written to company officials calling on them to reverse their decision.

And Dumfries and Galloway Greens spokeswoman, Laura Moodie, said: “A fare increase of 15 per cent for people in Dumfries and Galloway is just not acceptable. “Whilst we can appreciate the challenges faced by Stagecoach and other bus operators, it cannot be right for private companies to buffer their profits with increased passenger fares. “Right now, we need to be doing all we can to encourage folks back onto bus – and hiking fares is not the way to do it.Communities across Scotland deserve better buses. “We need wholesale reform of the way buses are run, from fare regulation to increased municipalisation, to prevent situations like this from happening again.” She added: “We must find a better approach that doesn’t leave passengers in Dumfries and Galloway out of pocket.” According to the Greens, Stagecoach operated at a profit of £72.7m in the last financial year and paid nine directors more than £3m, excluding shares, for 2022.

The previous year it is claimed that the nine directors received £1.9m in 2021. But Fiona Doherty, managing director, Stagecoach West Scotland said: “Businesses across the UK economy, including in the transport sector, have been facing significantly increased costs which have put pressure on fares. “Since 2019-20, Stagecoach has seen a 29 per cent increase in maintenance costs.