Bus fares to increase from end of March

First Cymru, who operate the majority of services in South West Wales, have announced changes fro Sunday 30 March.

The cost of a day ticket will rise by £1 for adults and 70p for children and mytravelpass holders (16–21-year-olds).

The cost of return trips will increase by between 16p and 30p depending on distance travelled for adults using Tap On, Tap Off, and by between 10p and 20p for a child/mytravelpass holder when buying from the driver.

3-day and 5-day tickets will increase by £2.50 and £1.80 respectively for adults, and £1.70 and £1.20 for children/mytravelpass holders when bought from the driver.

Weekly tickets for adults will increase by £1.50, and 90p for children and mytravelpass holders.

The cost of other multi-day tickets bought on the website and mobile app, including monthly tickets, will also increase.

There are also changes to return prices in Pembrokeshire, but the cost of First Bus travel in the county will continue to be among the cheapest in south Wales the company have said.

Meanwhile, single tickets for adults, children and mytravelpass holders will be frozen, remaining at £3 and a maximum of £2, respectively, when bought on the bus.

Rob Pymm, Commercial Director for First Bus in Cymru, said: “Our changes in fares come at a time when we’re continuing to invest in our services, including last autumn when we were able to restore some services, add extra journeys and extend routes across south Wales.

“While we, like many businesses, continue to face higher costs, we’ve worked hard to minimise the increases to ensure bus travel remains the cheapest and most sustainable form of transport.

“It was also a year ago that we introduced Tap On Tap Off technology on all our services, which has proved really popular and has made bus travel quicker and simpler for thousands of passengers who use it to guarantee they get the best value fare for every journey.”

Meanwhile Neath-based South Wales Transport have also announced an increase in passenger fares from Monday 31 March.

A spokesperson for the company said: “We regret to inform customers that fares on our public bus services will increase from Monday 31st March 2025.

“The increase is necessary to maintain services following the UK Government decision to increase the National Living Wage above the rate of inflation and the increase in employer’s National Insurance contribution. These increases take place in early April.”

Single and return fares on South Wales Transport services will increase by 10p for journeys costing up to £1.50, by 20p for journeys up to £2.60, by 30p for journeys up to £3.70 by 40p for journeys up to £4.80 and will increase by 50p for journeys costing more than £4.80.

Multi-journey ticket prices will also increase for South Wales Transport services.

Swansea Council recently announced that it would provide services for free on certain days over Easter . The scheme sees the local authority pay bus companies directly for the services on those days, rather than by passengers on the bus.

The Welsh Government have announced that it intends to implement bus franchising for services in South West Wales by 2027 in a major change to the way services are commissioned and supported by local authorities and the Welsh Government.

(Lead image: First Cymru)