First promise continued value for money on the buses as fare increases are announced

First Manchester mTicket use is growing at over 60-per-cent year on year

First Manchester is set to increase fares from Wednesday, January 2, but is continuing to offer customers what it insists is the best value for money when they purchase tickets in advance of boarding the bus via its mobile ticketing App.

Some fares have been frozen on the mTickets App, but most of the tickets purchased on-bus from the driver will increase.

The best value fares are being offered to mTicket customers, making it the cheapest way to get around, which includes the local fares on specific routes (i.e. Rochdale Road, 348/350 and South Manchester tickets).

For example, a Manchester FirstDay ticket will cost £4.80 if purchased via mTickets or £5 if purchased from the driver, and a Manchester FirstWeek is £16 via mTickets or £17 if purchased from the driver.

First Manchester introduced new state-of-the-art ticket machines in September 2018, which has enabled customers to pay for their bus tickets in new ways, including via contactless.

mTicket use is growing at over 60-per-cent year on year as people switch to more convenient options.

Data also shows that boarding with an mTicket is twice as fast in comparison to purchasing a ticket from the driver, so the business is continuing to promote mTicket take up by offering the best value fares on its mTickets App.

Ian Humphreys, Managing Director at First Manchester, said: “These changes are essential to allow us to continue to operate the highest level of service possible for our customers.

"We have worked hard to keep any increases to a minimum and continue to offer customers the best value fares via our mTickets App.

"Our focus on encouraging more customers to purchase mTickets will continue, as this helps improve journey times and punctuality, which are all factors that we know are vital to customers.”

For full details on the tickets available, please visit: www.firstgroup.com/manchester

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