Paying for a journey by public transport is now easier than ever! With a number of season tickets available in the area, contactless payments accepted on most services and even the option of purchasing and storing tickets on your smart phone you’ll find it super easy to find a payment method that suits you!
If you are a regular public transport user, make sure that you have spent some time exploring ways you could save some money. Paying on the day may be a quick and flexible option, but you could make some serious savings by buying a monthly or annual pass, or by booking your travel in advance.
Suffolk On Board
Suffolk On Board provides an overview of local ticketing options including multi trip tickets and the Endeavour Card, which offers reduced price fares for 16-19 year olds.
For further details, follow the link below.
First Bus Ticketing
Although your local bus services are provided by a variety of operators, Service 88, which provides a regular journey into Ipswich from Stowmarket is provided by First. If you’re likely to be using this service regularly it’s worth visiting their website to see how you could save.
For more information on the deals available, follow the link below.
Train Tickets
Finding good value train tickets is easier than ever, with a number of great online tools available! Stowmarket station has a ticket office and ticket machines, making purchasing train tickets in person really simple. Alternatively, the Trainline app gives you ability to purchase digital tickets to store on your smartphone, as well as giving you live journey information.
Booking train travel in advance is an easy way to get cheaper tickets, with the number of cheap advance fares available doubling in the last few years! Advance tickets are available to buy as far as 12 weeks before your date of travel and can usually be purchased up until 6pm the day before.
Season Tickets
If you’re making the same train journey three days per week or more, perhaps on your journey to work, then getting a regular season ticket could save you a considerable amount of money! Most season tickets of 7-days or longer can only be used by a specific person and will require a Photocard to validate them.
If you’re travelling between 2-3 days per week and need a little extra flexibility, new Flexi Season Tickets allow you to travel 8 days in 28 between specified stations, working out at 2.5 days of travel per week. The Flexi Season ticket will offer a minimum of 20% discount on an equivalent Monthly Season ticket, so definitely worth looking into if you know you’re going to be splitting your time between home and the office.
Use National Rail’s handy tool to calculate the cost of different season tickets by follow the link below.
If you regularly travel by train it’s worth checking if you’re eligible for a Railcard. You could be saving 1/3 on all of your train travel!
There are a number of different concessions for seniors wishing to travel locally and nationally in England, across all types of public transport. For more information about eligibility and the concessions available check out Age UK’s guide by following the link below.