Fuel cost 'causes bus price rise'

The company said fuel bills had risen by 16.8% since April

A Dorset bus company has blamed rising fuel prices for increasing its fares.

The cost of every ticket on Yellow Buses is to go up by 10p from Saturday, an average increase of 8.6%, although return fares have been capped at £3.

The price of Buzzcards and Flexis, which allow unlimited daily, weekly and monthly travel, has also been cut. Daily tickets fall from £3.70 to £3.

The company, which serves Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, said it faced a 16.8% rise in fuel costs since April.

John Ashmore, managing director of Yellow Buses, said: "Regrettably, we can no longer absorb the rise in fuel costs and an increase in single and return fares is the only option.

"However, the good news is that we've tried to protect our loyal, regular passengers by reducing the cost of our most popular Buzzcards, in some cases by up to 33%."