I will continue battle with Transdev for fairer fares

Over the past fortnight, I've been busy back at work down in London, back running surgeries, and getting things done.

Now something important has happened in Burnley, Padiham, and Brierfield.

Oliver Ryan says the battle with Transdev will not be over until the company creates a "proper Burnley bus ticket".

placeholder image — Oliver Ryan says the battle with Transdev will not be over until the company creates a "proper Burnley bus ticket".

People spoke up. Hundreds signed my petition. Parents, students, and commuters got in touch. We made clear that the increase in the U-19s weekly bus ticket from £13 to £20 was out of order and outrageous.

And I'm pleased to say, that because of our campaign Transdev – the company that runs our buses – has partially backed down.

That matters.

Let me say this clearly: while I'm happy they are listening and have been constructive, this is not good enough.

Even on their new price – down from £20 to £18 a week – that is still a 35% increase. That’s not a tweak, nor is it reasonable, it’s a serious hit to your back pocket. And, it completely misses the point.

Most people here in Burnley do not want a Lancashire ticket. We do not want to be forced to pay for the option of touring the county. We do want a Burnley ticket – something simple and affordable for local, everyday journeys: the school run, college, work, and home again.

This is not a lifestyle choice. It’s basic infrastructure. It’s a public service. Transdev says they based this on a consultation.

But let’s be honest about how that works in the real world. The parents buying the school tickets every week will not have known the consultation was happening. The relatively content people did not respond. The only people who would respond are those who previously had to buy two tickets and were unhappy. Fair enough.

However, this means the company has fixed things for one group – and given the finger to everyone else.

It's not fair. It's just not good enough.

Yes – they’ve listened. And that only happened because you signed my petition and we put our case.

But until there is a reasonable price offered, and preferably a proper Burnley bus ticket back on the table, this fight is not over.

I’ve secured a meeting with senior Transdev officials. I’ll keep pushing. And if we need to escalate this publicly, including a rolling protest, then so be it.

We, the people of Burnley, will not let this stand. We will not stand by and watch a global mega-giant rip off families across our town – it’s not on.