First Buses are to bring back £1 student bus fares from Sunday 15 September, after negotiations led by SU President Jake Verity.
This marks a success for one of his campaign promises, as he pledged to bring back the £1 student singles during his bid for election in spring.
The price of student singles had increased over the last couple of years, to £1.20 on First – and, a few weeks ago, £1.30 on Stagecoach buses. However, students travelling on bus routes operated by First will soon have the opportunity to return to the cheaper prices of previous years.
“I’m absolutely delighted that I’ve managed to sign this agreement with First to reintroduce £1 Bus fares for our new and returning students,” Jake said.
“I promised students that when I ran for this role, I would make this happen, and I’m incredibly pleased that it has come to fruition.
“Students deserve to have a cheap single fare that ensures they have affordable, safe and accessible transport in this brilliant city.
“I’m hoping that this is the start of an excellent relationship between both us and First going into the future and I’d encourage all students to make the most of the £1 bus journeys during the next few months, to make sure the scheme continues in the new year.”
The £1 student singles have only been reintroduced on a trial basis until the end of December this year, and the SU President is encouraging students to make use of the cheaper prices, in order to show First that it’s worth continuing the agreement into the new year.
As part of the agreement, student weekly tickets will be scrapped by the end of September, and monthly tickets are expected to go up slightly in price.
However, Jake says the agreement works out best for the majority of students, with around 75% of student trips using single tickets in the city.
First operate a range of student-heavy bus routes in the city, including the 95 to Walkley and the 52 to Crookes.
Alan Riggall, First South Yorkshire Commercial Director, said: “We’re delighted to be working alongside the Sheffield Student Union in reviewing our prices and ticketing offers for Students.
“We have listened to the feedback and the importance of the £1 single fare has been made clear to us. The revised package will be trialled until the end of December this year, and hopefully if proved to be a success we can make the arrangement more permanent.
“In order to keep fares low we need more people to use the bus, so we urge all students to consider the bus when travelling around Sheffield.”