IMAGINE the outrage if ScotRail announced it was hiking train fares by more than 10%.

There would be a middle class commuter revolt. An army of angry men and women clutching Costa coffee cups would be marching on Parliament demanding the rise be scrapped.

Quite frankly they wouldn’t get away with it. So why should a bus firm be allowed to ramp up fares well above inflation and scrap unaccompanied child fares while it’s at it.

First Bus in Glasgow to its credit, this week, listened to the voices who said it was unacceptable to increase jobseeker fares at the same time as Jobcentres were closing in the city and people would have to travel further.

It should re-consider some of the other fares like the 40% increase in child fares that will have a damaging effect on the finances of many families.

Peak service train fare rises are capped at inflation in Scotland which is 3.6% and off peak 1% lower.

Why is it right that there are strict limits on train fares preventing inflation busting increases but bus passengers are expected to just lump it when fares rocket by 10% or more.

Are bus passengers the 2nd class citizens of the public transport world.

First Bus froze fares for tickets bought on mobile phone apps, which is good news for those who use that method of payment.

But to be punished financially just because you pay in good old fashioned pounds and pence, legal tender, is not acceptable.

A bus trip is a bus trip. Why is it ok to charge one person one fare for a journey of say 2miles and someone else gets to pay less just because of how they choose to pay.

It costs the same for that person to be taken the exact same distance.

It has cost bus firms money to install new ticket machines which accept phone app payments and contactless.

Is it the case that people who are not using those methods are being charged extra to pay for technology which offers cheaper fares to someone else?

If so that is very unfair.

Perhaps someone doesn’t have a phone because they can’t afford it or can’t afford the most up to date models that the payment app requires. Nokia 3310 users will be outraged and rightly so.

Many people still have no need or desire to own a super smart bells and whistles mobile phone. Why should you need to spend upwards of £25 a month to get cheaper bus fares. In what world is that fair.

First Bus is not the only operator to be increasing fares. McGill’s is also increasing many of its fares form Monday.

If the bus firms are increasing fares there needs to be something similar to the train operators to keep those increases in check.

They also need to explain exactly why the increase is necessary.

Most importantly the bus bosses need to show passengers that they are getting value for money and that by increasing fares they will get improved services.

Sadly that is not happening at the moment for far too many passengers who rely on the bus as their mode of transport.