Ring and ride fares set to go up

RING AND RIDE FARES HAVE NOT BEEN INCREASED SINCE APRIL 2017 DESPITE INCREASING COSTS 12:44, 02 Jun 2025 Fares for the lifeline Ring and Ride service are set to increase for the first time

in almost a decade due to a rise in costs. If approved by West Midlands Combined Authority's (WMCA) Board later this month, users will see charges for a single trip go up from the

current £1.30 to £2. Board members are also expected to agree to award contracts to operators which will guarantee the service for a minimum of five years from December 1. READ MORE: BUS

PASSENGERS IN WEST MIDLANDS SET TO BE HIT WITH HIKES IN PRICES The service has been split into three 'lots' - Birmingham and Solihull, Black Country and Coventry - and operators

will be allowed to run a maximum of two. Demand for Ring and Ride services is growing steadily with figures showing 2,487 unique customers have taken a trip in the last six months. Article

continues below Bosses said the last week of March was the busiest since the start of 2020 when the service was hit by Covid-19. The authority still provides a subsidy of £6.467 million per

year to run the service but this is a far cry from 2010/11 when its budget was around £12 million. A report to the WMCA Transport Delivery Overview and Scrutiny Committee said fare income

brings in around £250,000 per year and this is reinvested into the service. But despite rises in inflation, Ring and Ride fares have remained the same since April 2017. These are also much

lower than the region's fixed route bus network - which will see fares increased further later this month - resulting in concerns people who don't need Ring and Ride to switch to

it. WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON IN THE BIN STRIKE? If approved, the new Ring and Ride fare structure will be: *£2 - Registered user aged 16+ / essential escort carer (up from £1.30) *£1 -

Registered user aged 5-15 (up from 65p) *£2 - Adult travelling with registered user (down from £2.40) *£1 - Child travelling with a registered user (up from 65p) *Children under the age of 5

will still travel for free The report said: "Ring and Ride is a highly valued non-statutory door-to-door transport service for registered customers who live in the West Midlands who

find it difficult or impossible to access fixed route public transport due to a physical or other qualifying impairment. "Typically, journeys are for shopping trips, non-hospital

medical appointments, visiting friends, day centres, lunch clubs and other social activities. "Some of the most vulnerable members of society, including those from protected

characteristic groups who already face significant transport barriers, rely on the service to maintain independence." It added: "Despite this reduction in funding the service has

seen continual increases in costs. "The budget reductions have impacted operation and consequently forced the service to shrink its offering over time by no longer providing the

previous ‘add-ons’ offered to customers e.g. dedicated group bookings services which helped to drive a lower cost per trip, focusing on delivering the original objectives of the service by

meeting the individual travel demands. "Fares are now significantly lower than the standard single bus fares despite the significantly higher level of customer service. The Ring and

Ride fares have been maintained at artificially low levels, Article continues below "The current scenario could also potentially drive people who don't need this service to switch

to it rather than using fixed route bus. "Without any fares adjustments the service will become increasingly unsustainable and place further pressure on the (Transport) Levy."