New flexible ticketing options for part-time commuters
Bus operators are responding to new travel patterns with more part time and occasional visits to workplaces with Stagecoach Manchester and Reading Buses promoting flexible ticket options.
Stagecoach Manchester has launched a new Flexi Day 5 ticket aimed at customers who are now working more flexible hours, part-time or shifts as well as leisure commuters. The ticket gives five days of travel in any 30-day period for the price of four single tickets.
“We’ve been listening to our customers closely and, it is clear, that as we move out of the pandemic there is a need for increased flexibility for both commuters and leisure customers,” says Elisabeth Tasker, Stagecoach Manchester managing director. “As a result, we have introduced the Flexi Day 5 ticket to give local people the transport option they need and to ensure they can travel around the region in confidence as we look to return to normality.”
And Reading Buses is promoting its flexible easysaver10 ticket in response to changing travel habits with people working more from home. The operator points to Transport Focus research which says that 49 per cent of people say they would expect to work from home more in the future.
“We are noticing that many people are now only travelling to work for some days of the week and not the normal five they were doing before lockdown,” says Robert Williams, Reading Buses chief executive officer. “The easysaver10 is a great way for these workers to pay less for their travel and have the flexibility that the ticket is there whenever they need it. Easysaver10 is perfect as it never expires – the 10 pre-loaded single journeys stay on the app or smartcard until the holder is ready to use them.