Multi-operator bus ticket plans for Lancashire

Lancashire bus passengers could eventually be able to buy a single ticket that can be used on all services in the county – regardless of the firm operating them.

The ‘Any Bus’ smart card scheme would enable travellers to hop hassle-free between buses and potentially cut the cost of more lengthy and complex journeys.

Transport bosses at Lancashire County Council are planning to roll out the initiative in phases and aim to cover the whole area by 2029, subject to funding being available.

The Fylde coast is set to be the first part of the county to receive the full Any Bus service – with the single tickets also being valid for use on Blackpool’s trams, allowing passengers to make an easy shift between the two different modes of transport.  No date has been revealed for its introduction.

The scheme is already partially operating in Preston, but a meeting of the authority’s environment, economic growth and transport scrutiny committee heard that it had been hampered by one operator declining to take part – meaning promotion of the service in the city had been limited.

However, Andrew Varley, County Hall’s head of service for public and integrated transport, said “negotiations” with that firm – which he did not name – were ongoing in order to get them on board with the concept.  The county council’s website states that Preston’s Any Bus smart card is accepted on only five services operated by Preston Bus, but is not valid on eight others.

Explaining the principle of the scheme, Mr. Varley said:  “You basically buy one ticket and you can transfer between buses – and we sort the monies out in the background.

“It’s something that takes time to roll out and we need to get one [trial] in place just to see how it works, but the intention is…to [introduce it on] every service in the county.”

Head of highways Matthew Townsend acknowledged that Any Bus would require “a lot of different agreements and a lot of different negotiations” before it could come to every corner of the county, but he said it would be “better for the people of Lancashire as whole” than the current arrangement.

As well as a Lancashire-wide day ticket, tickets for multi-operator bus travel within different zones would also be available.

The committee was told there were related plans to develop a single app for Lancashire bus passengers, which would bring travel information together in one place.

Members heard that although the Fylde coast scheme would incorporate trams, there were currently no plans to include the Knott End to Fleetwood ferry service – although it was an “ambition” to do so eventually.

BUS BOOST

There were almost 40.4m bus journeys undertaken in Lancashire between April 2023 and March 2024 – a nine percent increase on the previous 12 months and three percent higher than the last pre-pandemic year of 2019/20, after which bus travel took a hit.

Lancashire has introduced a series of fare incentives as part of the county’s bus service improvement plan, which the county council developed with Blackburn with Darwen Council.   They include a £1 flat rate for bus travel after 7pm – with 1.5 million such tickets having been purchased in the first 18 months after the offer was introduced in January 2023.   £1 flat fares have been available all day on Sundays since May this year.

A nationwide government initiative which has seen bus fares capped at £2 per journey since last January is currently scheduled to end on 31st December, but has previously been extended.