'Cash-strapped' students call for bus discount

A group of "cash-strapped" university students called on a bus company to increase the age of its young people discount.

First Bus East of England, which provides services in Norfolk and Suffolk, currently offers discounted fares to young people aged five to 19.

However, Get on Board, a campaign group set up by students at the University of East Anglia (UEA), wanted the limit raised to 25 to help with the cost of living.

Piers Marlow, managing director of First Bus East of England, said he was "surprised by the campaign given the range of value fares already available".

The company currently offers UEA students an annual pass costing £320, which works out as £1.43 a day.

In January, along with other bus firms, First Bus East of England, which runs the majority of bus services across Norwich, increased the cost of adult single fares to £3.

It came after the government scrapped the £2 fare cap, which had been introduced by the Conservative government to ease the impact of inflation.

A spokesperson for Get on Board said it wanted First Bus to rethink its pricing strategy to "introduce a fairer system".

"The cost of travelling by bus from the university campus to the city centre and back is simply unaffordable for most students now," the spokesperson said.

"With the cost of living increasing year by year, student loans don't stretch very far, but using the bus service is essential for all students."

Get on Board started an online petition and said it planned to protest.

Piers Marlow, Managing Director, First Bus East of England, said: "While we understand that the cost of living is putting pressure on many people, including students, we're surprised by the campaign given the range of value fares already available to UEA Students, including the UEA Annual Norwich ticket and the UEA Solo Norwich ticket.

"We can confirm that we have not been contacted directly by the campaign group, but we'd be happy to speak with them to discuss their concerns and proposals."

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