WEEKS after its soaring fares took a hammering from councillors, bus firm Arriva is introducing a range of cheaper tickets for St Helens and across the region.

Regular passengers are now able to travel within Merseyside for £15 per week as part of a three-month fare reduction.

Arriva Merseyside took the decision to extend its Liverpool Weekly Zone Saver to cover St Helens, Wirral and Southport.

Normally, they would have to buy a North West Saver for £19.

The transport giant is also introducing a Merseyside Child Saver for £10 a week, which is a reduction of £2.50.

Although there is no evidence that the company is reacting to political pressure or negative headlines, the news comes seven weeks after local politicians rounded on the town’s largest bus operator at a meeting of the full council at St Helens Town Hall.

Councillors condemned the most recent price hike, which saw a minimum fare rise from £2 to £2.10, labelling fares “extortionate” and “unaffordable” for the poor.

They also unanimously voted through a motion for St Helens Council to support Merseytravel to apply greater pressure on bus firms over fare increases.

Announcing the summer reductions, Arriva Merseyside’s area managing director, Howard Farrall, said it would make weekly bus travel “an even better value choice.”

However, Moss Bank Labour Councillor John Fulham, a St Helens Council representative on passenger transport authority, Merseytravel, said more needs to be done.

He said: “Affordable transport is crucial in allowing people to get about for work, school, to get groceries etc, and hopefully this summer offer will prove to be popular.

“I will be calling on Arriva to make this temporary reduction permanent so people can bank on keeping their spare cash for themselves.”