Season Tickets and Recreational Travel in Greater Manchester

'A Fare Deal For You' over the last century (Page 3)

Both GMS Buses and GM Buses North remained in employee ownership till April 1996. After fighting off bids from British Bus (now today's Arriva) and West Midlands Travel (now part of National Express), GMS Buses was the first to be sold. In March 1996 it became part of Stagecoach Holdings. The Perth based company was no stranger to Greater Manchester, having at the time owned Ribble for seven years. Under the moniker of Stagecoach Manchester, operated from its Ribble subsidiary, it competed against GMS Buses on the Wilmslow Road corridor, before selling its route to Finglands.

A month after, GM Buses North succumbed to FirstBus. The Aberdeen based company, formed by the merger of the GRT Group and Badgerline, had at the time already owned Pennine through Potteries Motor Traction. Under Stagecoach Holdings ownership, GMS Buses adopted the 'Stagecoach Manchester' name previously used by Ribble for their journeys on the 42 route.

Within its first year, Stagecoach aimed to make a maximum impact. In the summer of 1996, the Network 7 was reduced in price to £5.00 from £10.00. The impact was almost immediate leading to most Stagecoach Manchester passengers using prepaid weekly or monthly tickets. The result of which has seen increased boarding times at the start of each weekday caused by passengers renewing tickets. This led to Stagecoach Manchester launching a 4 week Megarider by 2008. Instead of being bought on the bus, it is only available online.

The following year saw the Network 7 ticket renamed the 'Manchester Megarider'. Since the launch, passengers aboard Stagecoach Manchester routes increased from 71 million to 85 million over ten years. Since its launch price of £5.00, the ticket returned to its £10.00 price tag in 2008.

Pushing the boundaries

With both the big bus owning groups consolidating in Greater Manchester and the rest of Britain, their season tickets became nationally recognised brands. Out went the regional names for each season ticket and in came almost universally known brand names. With the Big Three bus owning groups also rail franchise holders, a national brand became more important.

Whereas Stagecoach persisted with regional names for its season tickets, FirstGroup (as known since 1998 following the acquisition of Great Western Holdings) were the first to ditch its regional names. From 2001, all daily, weekly and monthly tickets were prefixed with 'First'. Its daily tickets became known as 'FirstDay', weekly tickets 'FirstWeek' and monthly tickets 'FirstMonth'.

2002 saw First Manchester expanding the validity of its FirstDay to West Yorkshire. This remains in use today, making it possible for the passenger to travel from Warrington to Leeds for £4.00 (2009 prices). Arriva North West, making further inroads into Greater Manchester, have since 1998 offered day saver tickets for travel within Greater Manchester. Other examples are available for travel throughout the North West, and the North West and North Wales. A day saver for travel on all Arriva buses outside London (and Green Line services) is also available!

As well as being able to purchase a FirstDay ticket within Manchester, its brand name is also instantly recognisable in other FirstGroup areas like Sheffield, Great Yarmouth and Glasgow. Whilst being passenger friendly, the pulling power of the brand also affects the independent operators. In Greater Manchester, this has seen Dennis' Coaches, A. Mayne and Son's and Bullocks' bus operations succumb to Stagecoach. Likewise, Springfield Coachways and Pioneer were absorbed by First Manchester. In Greater Manchester, regular passengers are more likely to pay for weekly or monthly season tickets as they offer more substantial savings on single fares - something which some of the small operators were unable to offer till recently.

System One

Though single operator tickets were gaining popularity, there was still a need for multi operator tickets. 1995 saw the Every Bus Saver and its bus/rail counterparts rebranded under the System One name. To avoid the chaos caused by tenders signed in the early years of deregulation, agreeing to support System One tickets became part of the contract between GMPTE and the operator itself.

Since 1981, Greater Manchester already had a multi operator day ticket in the form of the Wayfarer. Absent since the demise of Greater Manchester Transport was a similar ticket for travel only within Greater Manchester. With the Wayfarer ticket priced a little out of reach for journeys within the conurbation, this need was addressed in September 1998.

Following a successful trial on the 16th June 1998, System One launched a Bus only day saver ticket for use on all buses in Greater Manchester. This was extended to include bus and rail day tickets with equivalents for travel on train and tram, bus and tram, and all three modes of transport.

With several people unable to make the Travelshop, the local shop became another outlet. February 2007 saw PayPoint terminals dispensing System One passes.

Where Next?

The logical progression from standard paper tickets is that of electronic smart cards, similar to Transport for London's Oystercard. The idea is that one ticket would cover all routes without the need for he/she to flash his/her pass at the driver/conductor like a workplace security pass.

The current concessionary fare scheme identity cards allows for that provision, meaning a chip could permit entry to their desired bus/train/tram. With adult passes, this could be subject to the amount he/she has placed on their card, similar to a prepaid credit card.

GMPTE's Transport Innovation Fund application also allowed for this provision. With its electorate voting 4 to 1 against the proposals, this may be placed on hold. It may not be so for too long; Stagecoach Manchester's new ticket machines allow for smartcard technology at this very moment in time. A similar system has been in operation on First West Yorkshire routes in Bradford since 2001. Who knows?

Next page: Ticketing Timeline

Ticketing Timeline

Early 20th century: season tickets (or contracts as they were then known) gain popularity among rail commuters;
1922: Ashton Corporation introduces a 1/- day rover ticket, allowing a single clockwise/anti-clockwise journey on its trams and some Oldham Corporation joint services;
1923: formation of the LNER, GWR, LMS and Southern Railway created by the grouping of 120 smaller railway companies;
1948: UK nationalisation of the railways as 'British Railways';
1966 - 1969: dawn of one-man operated buses: fareboxes introduced on some services to reduce boarding times;
1st November 1969: formation of the SELNEC Passenger Transport Executive;
1st April 1974: SELNEC becomes Greater Manchester PTE, with its buses operating under the name of Greater Manchester Transport;
1974 - 1975: Bus and Rail season ticket introduced. Today's equivalent is the bus add-on element of any rail season ticket into Greater Manchester;
December 1975: introduction of the SaverSeven bus and rail weekly ticket, allowing unlimited bus and rail travel within a given zone or zones around Greater Manchester;
December 1979: the Clippercard is introduced, offering 10 single bus journeys for the price of 9 over given fare stage(s);
1981: Greater Manchester Transport, in partnership with the Peak National Park introduce the Peak Wayfarer day ticket, offering a day's unlimited travel by bus and train within Greater Manchester and the Peak District;
1982: new Clippercards introduced for off-peak travel (originally the Shop 'n' Save Clippercard) and passengers aged 16 - 18 (under the alias of the Teen Travel Club);
1982: Sunday Rover ticket introduced, offering unlimited bus travel on Sundays and Bank Holidays within Greater Manchester for 80p;
1983: monthly and annual versions of the SaverSeven introduced (as SaverMonthly and SaverAnnual);
1985: Saver Travel Club season tickets and Peak Wayfarer tickets made available at Post Offices;
January 1986: Teen Travel Club membership limit extended to 19 years. New weekly Teen Travel Club pass introduced (16 - 19 Bus Pass);
26th October 1986: the 1985 Transport Act sees the end of Greater Manchester Transport and the dawn of GM Buses: ticketing validity thrown into disarray;
1987: Busabout ticket introduced by GM Buses for travel on GM Buses routes only;
1989: GM Rail Ranger introduced for travel on off-peak British Rail services within Greater Manchester;
1992 - 1993 launch of Network 7 ticket, available for purchase aboard the bus;
December 1993: GM Buses split into three with Charterplan, GM Buses North and GMS Buses established as separate concerns;
1994: GM Buses North introduce 'The Big Orange' weekly ticket with 'slices' and 'segments' covering smaller areas;
1995: relaunch of weekly, monthly and annual season tickets under System One Travel name;
February 1996: GMS Buses sold to Stagecoach Holdings, resurfacing as Stagecoach Manchester;
March 1996: GM Buses North sold to FirstBus, then present owners of former independent company Pennine;
September 1998: new day rover tickets introduced by System One for unlimited travel by all buses, buses and trams, buses and trains, plus trains and trams;
2004: Clippercard tickets discontinued;
2007: System One Tickets made available through shops with PayPoint terminals;
12th December 2008: Greater Manchester residents vote 4 to 1 against Transport Innovation Fund proposals possibly ending a Manchester equivalent of London's Oystercard;

The Tickets

Clippercard: (1979 - 2004) allowed users 10 single journeys for the price of 9. Today's equivalent would be 'Une Carnet' style tickets offered by the Paris Metro and the London Underground, albeit in electronic rather than card form;
SaverSeven: (1975 - 1990) advertised as being 'just the ticket for buses and trains', available in 4 different zones. Replaced by today's System One Countycard, Traincard and Buscard tickets. Launch price (1975): £2.50;
SaverMonthly and SaverAnnual: (1983 - 1990) yearly and 28 day equivalents of the SaverSeven. Replaced by today's System One Countycard, Traincard and Buscard tickets;
Teen Travel Club: (1983 - 1995) launched to deter 16 - 17 year olds from taking up driving lessons. The predecessor of today's Young Persons' and Student bus only System One tickets were descended from the 16 - 19 season ticket (1986 - 1995);
Wayfarer: (1981 - to date) previously known as the Peak Wayfarer, allowing a day's unlimited travel in Greater Manchester, parts of Derbyshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire and Lancashire by bus, train and (since 1998) Metrolink. Since 1996, weekend versions have been made available. Launch price (1981): £2.50;
Sunday Rover: (1982 - 1986) 'hound around for a pound' so cried their 1983 advertising slogan! This ticket allowed access to all buses in Greater Manchester on Sundays and Bank Holidays. Launch price (1982): 80p;
Busabout: (1987 - 1993) GM Buses' series of 1 day, 7 day and 28 day season tickets, allowing unlimited travel on GM Buses services. Discontinued and replaced by the SuperGeM range of tickets following the split of GM Buses;
SuperGeM: (1993 - 2001) the forerunner of GM Buses' Busabout tickets, for use on both GM Buses North and GMS Buses services (and latterly First Manchester and Stagecoach Manchester). Abolished in 2001 following EU competition rules;
Tripper 7: (1993 - 2001) Pennine's own weekly ticket for use on all Pennine (later First Pennine) services;
The Big Orange: (1993 - 2001) GM Buses North's single operator weekly season ticket for all routes, available to purchase on the bus. Replaced by FirstGroup's FirstWeek and FirstMonth season tickets;
Bury Segment (1993 - 1998) A lower price weekly season ticket, bought on the bus for GM Buses North routes within the Bury area;
Moston Slice (1993 - 1998) A lower price weekly season ticket, bought on the bus for GM Buses North routes from Moston to Manchester;
System One Daysaver tickets: (1998 - to date) to complement its existant range of weekly and monthly tickets came a range of one day bus only, bus/train, tram/train, bus/tram, and bus/train/tram tickets. Launch prices (1998): £3.00, £3.50, £4.50, £5.00 and £7.00;
Network 7: (1994 - 1997) GMS Buses' bought on the bus 7 day ticket. Renamed 'Manchester Mega Rider' in 1997 by new owners Stagecoach Holdings who acquired GMS Buses in March 1996;
FirstDay (2001 - to date) FirstGroup's national brand name for day rover tickets. Launched in Greater Manchester in 2001 with a launch price of £2.00. Validity of Greater Manchester FirstDay extended to West Yorkshire and Lancashire the following year.

Bibliography:

Greater Manchester Buses, Stewart J. Brown; Capital Transport (1995);
Various bus maps and leaflets covering Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Transport Publicity Office/GMPTE (1974 - 2009);