‘Rip-off’ bus fare rise slated by campaigners

Better bus campaigners have reacted angrily to news that Stagecoach are set to “rip off” passengers with another increase in fares on their routes across the North East of Scotland.  

Stagecoach quietly made the announcement on its website last week that prices would increase across Scotland from Sunday 3^rd May. As people across the North East face rising costs as a result ofthe the war in Iran, campaigners described the move as an “unashamed display of greed” from the bus giant.  

Stagecoach failed to clarify how much fares would be increasing by, whether any passengers would be spared from the rises and what was the reasoning for the increase. In April 2025, Stagecoach increased fares by around 10%. 

Stagecoach made nearly £100m in profits in 2024. 

A campaign calling for buses in the Grampian region to be taken back into public control was recently launched across the North East, with public meetings held in Aberdeen and Peterhead, and a petition to council leaders collecting signatures. 

The new campaign, called ‘Better Buses for Grampian’, is following a model which has already seen success in other parts of the UK, including delivering greater public control of Manchester’s transport system. In 2025, a similar campaign by Get Glasgow Moving won a commitment from the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) to create a publicly coordinated regional bus network.  

Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Transport Campaigner Emily Donnelly commented,  

“At a time when bus passengers across Scotland are struggling more than ever with bus services run by Stagecoach which don’t arrive on time, are poorly communicated, and already eye-wateringly expensive, it is simply incredible that Stagecoach have chosen to hike up their prices and further rip off ordinary working people. 

“This unashamed display of greed from a privately owned company who already receive significant government subsidies, and in 2024 raked in nearly £100 million in profits, is yet more proof that Scotland needs a much better bus system.  

“Buses should be high quality, publicly-owned, affordable, there when you need them and run in the interest of workers, community and the environment. Local campaigners in Strathclyde, Grampian and Fife are all pushing for regional public control of bus networks, and we will continue to take this fight for better buses further.”