Stagecoach announces changes to North Devon fare zones

• Changes to North Devon fare zones effective from 30 October 2016
• New ‘Barnstaple Plus’ zone for Barnstaple, Bideford and Braunton
• Simplified fare structure across Barnstaple Town and Barnstaple Plus zones
• Changes to some season ticket prices

Stagecoach South West has announced today that, from 30 October 2016, it will be making changes to its North Devon fare zones.

In recognition of customer journey patterns, the operator is introducing a new ticket zone, ‘Barnstaple Plus’. This covers Barnstaple, Bideford and Braunton, providing a more affordable alternative to the North Devon zone.

The new zone covers the popular North Devon Wave route 21 between Bideford, Barnstaple and Braunton, the 19 between Bideford and North Devon Hospital, and all other routes on that corridor including the 5B, 75B, and the 75/75A between Bideford and Atlantic Village. A key feature of the new zone will be a reduced price Dayrider Plus (£3.50 instead of £3.90) which will replace return fares. Unlimited travel for up to 7 days will remain at £12.50.

A simplified fares structure is also being introduced in the Barnstaple Town zone, return fares being withdrawn and replaced with just three single fares (£1.00, £1.20 or £1.50) plus day and weekly tickets. This change comes in advance of improvements to the Barnstaple town service 8 due to commence on 3 January, to help pay for increased frequencies to Whiddon Valley and Rose Lane, and ensure the on-going viability of the rest of the services.

Return fares will continue to be available for the wider North Devon area and there will be increases to North Devon Dayrider and Megarider prices, reflecting the introduction of the newer, more compact travel zone.

Dayriders will cost £3 (Barnstaple), £3.50 (Barnstaple Plus) and £4.20 (North Devon). Weekly Megariders will cost £10 (Barnstaple), £12.50 (Barnstaple Plus) and £15 (North Devon). 13 and 52 week tickets and Termrider tickets will only be available for the North Devon zone.

Robert Williams, Commercial Director for Stagecoach South West, commented: “We are introducing the changes to support the on-going viability of our North Devon network. We believe the new ‘Barnstaple Plus’ zone will be particularly popular with our customers by providing unlimited travel across three of the main towns in the area. We are also conscious of the feedback received regarding our town services in Barnstaple since the last changes, and need to set ourselves up to deliver them.”

Full details of the changes are available in ‘service updates’ at www.stagecoachbus.com.