Safeguard Cuts More Fares and Introduces Contactless Payments to Encourage Bus Use

Published on: 3 Nov, 2018
Updated on: 4 Nov, 2018

A No 5 Safeguard bus on its way from the town centre

To encourage people out of cars and onto buses, Safeguard Coaches is reducing and simplifying every fare on its numbers 4 and 5 routes to the Royal Surrey County Hospital (RSCH) and Park Barn for a limited period.

The initiative follows last month’s fare reduction for all NHS staff at the hospital and coincides with a new ticketing and contactless payment system.

The new contactless ticket payment system equipment

Andrew Halliday, managing director at Safeguard, said; “Recent research shows Guildford ranks as the seventh most-congested major urban area in the UK.

Andrew Halliday

“With more than 90 years’ experience of running bus services in the Westborough and Park Barn areas, we also wanted to celebrate the introduction of a new ticketing system and contactless payment.  With this special offer, we are reinforcing our long-term commitment to the residents of Guildford as well as supporting the Borough Council’s plans to get people to abandon their cars in favour of sustainable options.

“With winter weather imminent and the negative impact this has on traffic congestion, we want to encourage commuters and shoppers to leave their cars at home and experience the clean, warm, frequent and reliable service we have to offer for their visits to the town centre and RSCH.

“By choosing the bus, we hope customers will realise the benefit of not having to negotiate slow-moving traffic or searching for a parking space when the bus can drop them in the middle of town or at the hospital entrance.”

Cllr Julia McShane

Cllr Julia McShane, a Lib Dem councillor for Westborough, the area served by the Safeguard services 4 and 5 said: “Safeguard provide an excellent service and I know from talking to residents and from reading comments on social media that our community really values them.

“I’m very pleased to see this new offer from Safeguard to encourage even more people to take the bus and to help lead the way in reducing congestion and air pollution.”

For a limited period, the initiative will see all adult fares reduced to £1.20 for a single fare and £2 return; a one-week season ticket to £7 and a four-week season ticket to £25, irrespective of where the passenger gets off.

Children aged five to 16 and university students will travel for £1 (either single or return), with a one-week season ticket costing £5 and a four-week season ticket costing £20. All fares can be paid in cash to the driver, through the new contactless payment terminal or with the “My Mobile” app on a smartphone.

Mr Halliday added: “The special fares work hand-in-hand with the timetable changes we made earlier this year to increase bus frequency to the hospital, with additional journey opportunities in the early evenings and on Sundays.

“We also increased the frequency of bus journeys between Guildford town centre and Park Barn to 10 an hour on weekdays, increased the bus service along Southway and Aldershot Road to the hospital to every 10 minutes at key times, and introduced a bus every 20 minutes on Sundays between the town centre and the hospital.”

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