Axed pensioners’ discount costs National Express

The Government’s decision to axe the right of pensioners to discounted, long-distance coach travel is costing National Express £15 million this year.

The Coalition cut the Coach Concessionary Travel Scheme, which paid for half-price, long-distance travel, in November.

Coach giant National Express said that it had launched its own Senior Coachcard, giving a third off fares for £10 a year, but sales had been “slower than expected”.

Without their half-price discount, seniors’ spending on National Express coaches is down by 40%, or £2.8 million, year-on-year.

National Express has sold about 100,000 of its own senior concession cards, and the company said that extending them to include airport routes had doubled the weekly rate of sales.

Elsewhere, commuters packing onto C2C trains into Fenchurch Street helped the transport group pocket 10% more in rail revenues in the first three months of the year.

Also, revenues at its British bus unit grew 4% on the same period a year ago — thanks to price rises, as the number of bums on seats hadn’t risen, National Express said.

The transport operator’s success on the buses contrasts with the picture at rival FirstGroup, which last month admitted impoverished households in the North had cut back on taking the bus.

National Express also benefited from its yellow school bus business in North America, where revenues grew 6% thanks to new contracts.

The transport company’s shares today rose 2p to 218.7p.