16 March 2007

Dear Colleagues,

Yesterday we announced details of the annual fares revision for our services, effective from 26th March. In contrast with previous years we had some difficulty getting the media to cover the story as it was generally good news for passengers!

Most bus and rail fares will be unchanged or decrease. This is mainly due to the success we have had during the past 12 months and the strong growth in passenger numbers. It means we are able to give back to passengers the benefits of our growing and successful public transport network. This should also encourage even more people to make the switch to bus and train and so ‘lock in’ a cycle of growth and success for the company.

You will have seen all the details of the revision elsewhere. On NI Railways and Ulsterbus we are introducing off peak day return fares at ‘33%-off’ to fill capacity during the day and in general we want to reward those passengers who travel with us regularly and encourage occasional users to travel more often.

Of course the strategy is not without risks. Ongoing growth and success rely on more than low fares – it also needs high standards of service every day. Although, I must say, it is good to be in a position to be saving our passengers money at a time when they are facing increasing costs elsewhere.

Be sure to tell your friends!

Philip O'Neill

Acting Chief Executive

It is good to be in a position to
be saving our passengers money at a time when they are facing increasing costs elsewhere