HARD-PRESSED commuters in Irvine are set for another blow to their bank balances after the area’s biggest bus company announced an increase in ticket prices from next month.

Stagecoach West Scotland’s fares will go up by an average of 4.8 per cent with effect from Sunday, May 8.

The increase will affect the majority of tickets across the company’s west of Scotland network.

Stagecoach blames the increase on the rising cost of running bus services at a time when passenger numbers have yet to reach pre-pandemic levels.

The firm’s West Scotland managing director, Fiona Doherty, said costs in the industry had risen by 12 per cent since 2019, mostly driven by increases in staff wages and the cost of fuel, and pointed out that next month’s price increases were significantly lower than the annual rate of inflation, currently running at 9 per cent.

Ms Doherty said: “Like many sectors of the economy, bus operators are seeing significant cost inflation, primarily driven by increased fuel and staffing costs.

“At the same time, the revenue bus operators receive in fares to keep services running remains significantly below pre-pandemic levels.”