Transdev extends its cut-price £1 bus travel deal across Lancashire and Greater Manchester

The news follows a review of the bus firm’s fares and tickets in Lancashire – and delivers a welcome boost for the region’s evening economy as cost-of-living concerns continue to rise.

The bargain flat fare for any single journey on any evening after 7pm was first launched by the bus operator during the Covid pandemic in June 2021, as part of a package of measures designed to encourage more people to get out and about across the region.

Early reaction proved positive with numbers on board during 2021 reaching 85% of pre-pandemic levels – having plummeted to just 5% at the peak of the first lockdown in March 2020.

The bus firm now says it has sold a million £1 evening tickets in 14 months since the offer was originally launched, while recording a 72% rise in evening journeys within Lancashire.

As a result, any journey wholly within Lancashire after 7pm on buses run by The Blackburn Bus Company, The Burnley Bus Company and Rosso – including Burnley to Preston, or Blackburn to Rawtenstall – will still be only £1.

Earlier this month, the company launched its ‘travel with granny or grandad’ scheme for under-19s.

Transdev Commercial Director Paul Turner said: “We know our buses have played a vital part in rebuilding Lancashire’s evening economy beyond the pandemic – and it was with that in mind that we first created our £1 after 7pm fare offer.

“We originally planned to offer it until the end of September 2021, but as it was clearly helping to attract more people back to our buses, we extended it to the end of last year and kept it going through 2022. The popularity of the offer is such that we can now carry on with it for evening journeys in Lancashire.

“The cost-of-living situation is concerning for everyone and so we hope that keeping the £1 bargain fare for Lancashire will help many people to continue enjoying everything our county’s town and city centres have to offer.”