Weekly bus tickets in Chippenham are to cost more from March 20, amid a raft of changes.

In 10 days’ time a weekly bus ticket, called a seven-day 'Megarider' by Stagecoach, will cost £14.50 if it is bought online. It is currently £13.50.

If bought on the bus, the same ticket will rise from £14.50 to £15.50.

Although some tickets are to cost more, the price of a day ticket bought on the bus will remain the same – at £4. If bought online a 'day rider' will cost an extra 10p more than the current £3.70.

The changes also include that the 28-day MegaRider tickets will no longer be sold by drivers on the bus and will be only available on the Stagecoach bus smartphone app. But the price will be the same as now, £54.

Stagecoach West has defended the price hikes, which are among increases across their network, by arguing that they “reflect the rising costs of running bus services” and that these are the first increases in almost two years for local bus fares.

The price increase is the latest blow for low-income Chippenham residents already hit by the soaring price of household energy and petrol prices which are approaching record highs.

READ MORE: The most and least expensive petrol in Wiltshire right now - and how to cut your costs

A Stagecoach spokesman said: “Since 2019, costs across the bus industry have risen by around 12 per cent, mainly driven by fuel and staff wage increases.

"Fares increases are below the annual rate of inflation of 7.5 per cent and will go towards the day-to-day running of services, as well as investing in improvements.”

Another “improvement” will be Stagecoach introducing a new flexible ticket, called the Flexi 5.

The spokesman said: “We're pleased to be introducing a new day ticket bundle: Flexi 5. [You can] save 20 per cent on your DayRider with our new Flexi 5 tickets – 5 day tickets for the price of 4. 

"It’s ideal if you’re not in the office every day, or if you just need a little more flexibility with your ticket.” 

The new Flexi 5 will only be available on the Stagecoach Bus app.

The new Stagecoach prices for an adult in Chippenham are:

Dayrider - £4.00 on the bus or £3.80 if bought on a smartphone app.

Seven-day Megarider - £15.50 on the bus or £14.50 via the app.

28-day Megarider - £54.00 (only available to those with access to buying online or via the app).

Flexi 5 - £15.20 (only available via the app).

For under-19s, the new prices are:

Dayrider - £3.00 on the bus or £2.80 via the app.

Seven-day Megarider - £12.00 on the bus or £11.00 via the app.

28-day Megarider- £41.00 (only available online or via the app)

Flexi 5 - £11.20 (available via the app only).