The Birmingham-based bus operator is also investing £22 million in buying even more of the popular top-spec Platinum double deckers with extra leg room, free wi-fi and USB chargers.

For the second January in a row, on-bus cash fares - that’s single tickets, daysavers, off-peak daysavers and group tickets - will not go up in price. This means the bus company’s biggest-selling product, the off-peak daysaver, still costs what it did in 2014.

And tickets bought using contactless bank cards are on sale in January - they’re down 10p.

National Express West Midlands Commercial Director, Nick Vane, says:

“We know our customers really like contactless. In November 2018, we made our 2 millionth contactless sale, just two months after the millionth one. Looking at the numbers, I think we’ll get the 3 millionth contactless tap in January 2019.

“And now contactless is even better as it’s 10p cheaper in our ‘January sale’.

“Also in mid-January, we’ll be bringing in a new subscription ticket, which will make it easier for people to buy weekly tickets. It’ll be really simple to buy - we deliver the ticket every week straight to your mobile phone using our popular and convenient mTicket app.

“It will auto-renew, so you don’t have to sort out your ticket every week. But you can easily ‘pause’ it if you need to, for instance, if you’re going on holiday.”

Roger Lawrence, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) portfolio holder for transport and leader of City of Wolverhampton Council, said:

“Our Bus Alliance agreement with operators includes a commitment to keep fares as low as possible.

“So it’s encouraging to see a price freeze on many National Express products in 2019 although we are conscious that some passengers will see an increase in line with inflation on direct debit season tickets.

“Research shows that keeping fares affordable can be a key factor in why people choose to go by bus. The frozen or reduced fares announced today are therefore a step in the right direction because more bus passengers will mean less congestion and cleaner air.”

Come January, it will have been a year since National Express West Midlands introduced their “no more twirlies” pre-0930 for concessionary pass holders. Since then, senior citizens across the West Midlands have bought 800,000 of these £1 tickets.

For all the details about National Express West Midlands 2019 fares, see  https://nxbus.co.uk/west-midlands/news/national-express-west-midlands-fares-2019-2018-12-18