DIAMOND Bus has come under fire from Cofton Hackett residents who have seen their fares doubled.
Since taking over the 145 and 145b service from IGO, Diamond Bus has increased the charges from around £3.50 to more than £7.
Coun Peter McDonald, said: “Diamond is charging extra to ‘cross a border’ with Birmingham that does not exist.
“Cofton Hackett is clearly in Worcestershire and not Birmingham, therefore those passengers catching the bus in Cofton are already in Worcestershire and cannot cross a border that is not there.”
Coun McDonald claims the bus company moved the boarder for its own benefit to put Cofton in the West Midlands area rather than Worcestershire.
He added: “I have called officers from Worcestershire County Council to resolve the matter immediately.”
Cofton Hackett resident Greg Cook who has been using the 145 service for five years said there had not been a change to the bus route or journey time.
“I’m pretty disgusted because the bus is a lifeline for people who have restricted ability or don’t own cars.
“In all my years using the 145 service the price has never gone up, until now.”
Diamond Bus told the Standard the public transport boundary between the ‘Transport for West Midlands’ area and Worcestershire County Council actually lies in Cofton Hackett.
A spokeswoman said: “Passengers boarding the service at Groveley Lane bus stops will be boarding within the Transport for West Midlands boundary.
“If they are travelling past Rednal Island towards Bromsgrove, they will be crossing the border into the Worcestershire Council transport district.
“This is where our Ticketing Zones change from West Midlands to Worcestershire.
“Obviously if any customer feels they have been charged incorrectly for their journey, we would encourage them to get in touch with us to look into their case individually.”
