Chirk bus passengers to fight fare 'inequality'
Bus users from a Shropshire border town say they are paying over the odds for tickets because they do not qualify for a day saver pass.
Passengers travelling from Chirk into Wrexham on the number two services have to fork out £6.20 for a return trip or £25 for a weekly pass.
But those picked up a couple of miles down the road at Newbridge by the same bus pay just £4.50 return and £14 for a week thanks to the Wrexham Saver Pass.
Although Chirk is within the Wrexham County Borough boundary, when passengers questioned bus company Arriva they were told the anomaly was because the Chirk bus was on the Oswestry to Wrexham route and was an Arriva Midlands vehicle, and not Arriva Wales.
Councillor Terry Evans, who has taken the matter up, said he was flabbergasted by the explanation.
"That is absolutely ridiculous," he said. "The bus that picks up passengers in Chirk is exactly the same bus that a few minutes later picks up in Newbridge where people save almost £2 a day or can get a weekly ticket for half the price."
He said Chirk people and those living along the Ceiriog valley, also in the Wrexham borough, were being unfairly penalised.
"A lot of people use the service to get into work in Wrexham," he said. "If you are on the minimum wage that is a lot of money over 12 months.
"We are not looking after our young people and those who depend on the bus as their only transport.
"If you an an apprentice, for instance, that sort of cost to get into work is taking up a lot of your wage.
"If you are a teenager and you want to go into Wrexham to the cinema or the shops, then how can you afford the cost?
"We need to ensure Chirk and Ceiriog Valley is moved into the Welsh Saver Zone so passengers can purchase a Wrexham Day Saver Ticket and stop this inequality."
Councillor Jones and Welsh Assembly member, Susan Elan Jones, have written to Welsh Assembly member and transport secretary, Ken Skates, about the "inequality".
