On Trains & Buses

Travel news, views & information from Europe & North America by an independent public transport user

Sample Fares

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Looking at visitor statistics for this website, I have noticed that some have come looking for fare information. There may be services like CheckMyBus or BR Fares but these may not suffice for everyone and we live in times when economies aren’t performing anyway near as well as they should so there are bound to be other journeys for which people need fare information.

The cost of train journeys remains a particular hot button and it doesn’t help that the system for setting them is broken. That it is made all the more complex by notions of peak and off-peak travel doesn’t help either and this is amplified by the lack of clarity in who sets which fare. Then, there is the whole issue of the lack of part-time season tickets so there always will remain some room for improvement.

Bus travel is clearer in the above regard and feels like a Cinderella travel option in comparison to other forms of transport. Yet it is the form of public transport that gets the most use. While the railways need inter-operator travel, this is less the case for bus and coach services so it’s easier to see who sets which fare. There are many times when the lack of a joined-up transport system has disadvantages but here ironically is one in its favour.

High Peak Buses' Optare Solo in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England

So, I have collected the fares that I have encountered under two categories: bus and train. Tram travel isn’t in here yet though its appearance hasn’t been ruled out at all; it’s just that I’m not in the way of using that mode of travel so often. Fares are added as and when I meet with them and you’ll a date beside each one to see when it was last encountered. My collecting this information is not something that I do very actively so I’d like you to know when a fare was last checked; there will be some that change since I last checked so a little pruning may be needed from time to time. Still, I hope that it’ll give some guidance as to the cost of public transport in an era when money is tight for many people.

While the lists are of my own curation, that is not to say that I am closed to contributions from others. Sadly, I am not in a position to go finding out many fares for others so any help from visitors would be more than welcome. Therefore, you are free to add your suggestions using the form below so that I can add them.

When contributing, please be clear since some confusing messages have come my way and others made me ask how easy the site is to navigate. With clear suggestions, the list can grow and become even more useful as time goes along than if all the additions were my own. Maybe you even can answer questions from others.