Bus fares rose on routes across Keighley last weekend due to increasing fuel and insurance costs.

Local bus company Transdev also blamed a reduction in council funding for the need to push up fares.

Most single and return tickets rose by ten or 20 pence and there were changes to many day, week, month and annual tickets.

Nigel Eggleton, Transdev’s director of sales and marketing, said the company understood the increase would not be welcome news at such a difficult time.

But he said: “As everyone knows from their own domestic bills, costs have risen significantly.

“The Government’s reduction in the Bus Service Operators Grant from April 2012, which partly refunds some of the excise duty we pay on the fuel we buy, means that we will be facing a shortfall of almost £200,000 this year.”

Mr Eggleton said Transdev had tried to keep increases as small as possible, and had frozen some fares.

He said: “We want people to continue using our services and have done what we can to keep the price of season tickets as low as possible for those people who use our buses most often.

“Our K-Card range still represents great value for money, rewarding loyalty and significantly cutting the cost compared to single and return fares.”

Mr Eggleton said unlimited travel around Keighley cost less than £1 a day with a monthly ticket bought online, and unlimited travel across Transdev’s network as far as Leeds, Bradford, Skipton or Ilkley could cost as little as £2.50 a day.

More information is available on keighleybus.co.uk, from the Travel Centre in Keighley Bus Station and on buses.