An ambitious programme of public transport initiatives in Reading has helped make bus journeys more reliable, convenient, easier and cheaper.
More than five million Reading All-Bus tickets have been sold since the scheme was introduced in March 2023 as part of the Council’s £26m Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). The ticket allows all-day travel on services run by several different bus operators in the Reading area and has saved passengers more than £5million in total since its introduction.
Government funding, which subsidised the scheme, is now coming to an end which means the ticket will no longer be available in its discounted form.
From Monday 2 June, until at least the end of 2025, the costs of a Reading All-Bus ticket will be £4.90 from an app and £5.40 on the bus from the driver. The Young Persons All-Bus ticket will cost £4.20, the Group All-Bus ticket will cost £10.80 during the peak period and £8.80 off-peak.
All-Bus tickets can continue to be used on all Reading Buses, Thames Travel, Carousel and Thames Valley Buses services within the simply Reading area. Passengers will be able to purchase cheaper tickets for use on each individual operators’ services only.
The Council secured £26m government funding, the third highest award in the country, to deliver an ambitious programme of bus service improvements in April 2022. The aim was to increase bus passenger numbers after patronage fell significantly because of the COVID pandemic.
Figures released in November 2024 showed there had been an 11% increase in bus passenger journeys to 19.5m in 2023/24. Reading continues to have the third highest number of passenger journeys per head of population in England, outside of London.
The council has worked in partnership with bus operators to deliver a wide range of improvements as part of the BSIP funding including:
- The Reading All-Bus ticket
- Introduction of convenient Tap-on Tap-off payment method on board
- New Sunday 650 service for Green Park Village and Mereoak Park & Ride
- New Buzz 9 service linking south Reading communities with the new Reading Green Park railway station
- Phase 5 of the South Reading Bus Rapid Transit scheme on the A33, linking up existing stretches of bus lane, installing additional bus stops to give access to local shops and businesses and a new pedestrian and cycle bridge.
- Introduction of new bus lanes in Oxford Road and London Road
- Subsidised fares of only £1 for return journey and parking on Winnersh and Mereoak Park & Ride services
- Launch of Buzz 18 route serving Tilehurst Triangle, Kentwood Hill, Portman Road, River Academy, Rivermead Leisure Centre and Reading town centre
The Council received a further £2.4m BSIP funding in February this year which will enable improvements to community bus services, including the Buzz 9, Buzz 18 and south Reading routes as well as improvements to the Bennet Road junction on Basingstoke Road.
Cllr John Ennis, Lead Councillor for Climate Strategy and Transport, said:
“The Council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) has so far been successful in helping to bring passenger numbers close to the level they were before the COVID pandemic. Reading already had an excellent bus service and the BSIP funding has allowed us to introduce a wide range of improvements to make bus journeys even more reliable, convenient, easier, faster and cheaper.
“Encouraging more people to travel by bus takes cars off roads, reduces congestion, improves air quality and benefits the health of Reading residents. Of course, the government funding was never going to last forever and, unfortunately, the Council does not have the resources available to continue subsidising bus travel at the same level. This inevitably means that some of the BSIP benefits will be reduced, but we are committed to continue working on making public transport even more attractive in the future.
“I am pleased that a further injection of government cash received in February means that the Council can make improvements to the Buzz 9 and 18 services, which have been widely welcomed by the communities they serve, as well as increasing Sunday services in south Reading.”
(Pic: Reading Borough Council)
