A BUS company that operates services in Glasgow has announced a surge in prices for passengers.

Stagecoach West Scotland will increase fares by about 15% to cope with increases to its three largest costs: wages, fuel and engineering parts.

The increases will kick in from April 2, 2023.

A spokesperson from the company explained that the bus operator had "encountered several challenges" including the impact of the pandemic and staff shortages on top of rising costs.

Passenger levels have also not returned to pre-pandemic figures.

The Scottish Government provided emergency funding to make sure that there was a level of bus service available for people to access local amenities.

Stagecoach claims the funding was not "commercially sustainable" and "after being reduced over the last year" will be withdrawn "altogether" from March 31, 2023.

The decision to increase fares was made to "future-proof" the viability of the bus company's network.

Fiona Doherty, managing director of Stagecoach West Scotland, said: “With operating costs continuing to rise, we will be making changes to our fares from April 2 to prioritise investment in our people, our fleet and our customers. 

“We understand the cost of living pressures our customers face, and we realise that fare increases are not welcome, however, we strongly believe our fares still represent good value for money.”