‘THE Single Fare is not the Standard Fare.” Pardon? “The Standard Fare for any journey at any time on any Transdev Lancashire United bus is £20.”

What – twenty quid for one local bus journey? Who’s going to pay that?

“Should you fail to purchase any other type of ticket from the bus driver when you board, or present a valid pre-purchased ticket; pass; or travel permit, you will be charged the Standard Fare of £20.”

Ah, so it’s not a single fare, nor a standard fare – but a penalty. Why confuse everyone when anywhere else – including on the railways – “standard” means what the basic, ordinary fare?

The quotations above are taken from the website of our local bus operator, Transdev. I’d gone online to find out how informative it was about its fare structure. The website is decorative, but frankly pretty hopeless – and others rather more tech-savvy than me found the same.

Two weeks ago, at a local residents’ meeting in Meadowhead Junior School, one resident complained in strong terms that the high level of bus fares made it prohibitive for him and his family to go into town. £12 just on fares.

The problem, in Blackburn, and most other places outside London, is that bus companies and local authorities are caught in a spiral of decline in bus services. Higher fares mean fewer passengers. It’s cheaper to go by train into town (£1.40 from Mill Hill, or Ramsgreave/Wilpshire) than bus – and there are better discounts – but, of course, you have to live near a station.

London has a completely different arrangement. Buses are heavily subsidised, from the congestion charge. Journeys are up, congestion is down. There were more bus journeys in London last year than the rest of England combined. The average Londoner makes 279 bus journeys each year – outside it’s 51.

Breaking this spiral of decline in our bus services and, above all, making it possible for lower income families to enjoy the simple pleasure of a trip to town, is a priority for me.

Let’s have what London has. Why not?