At last, somebody else has put pen to paper to highlight the extortionate return bus fare to Exeter.

At last, somebody else has put pen to paper to highlight the extortionate return bus fare to Exeter. I have had several exchanges of correspondence with Stagecoach and they have tried to justify the eight per cent increase in fares as being due to 'external factors, including labour costs, energy bills, insurance and fuel costs'. I wonder how my employer would react to a request for an eight per cent pay rise for these reasons. Why are they allowed to get away with this?At least Mr Samuel (Journal letters, May 7) is not stuck with commuting on a daily basis to Exeter.My daily return bus fare is approximately 10 per cent of my net daily wages - this is out of order.I, too, use the 57 bus service from the Barrack Road bus stop - this is only three stops from the bus station. At approximately 4.10pm and 4.25pm, the single-deck buses are usually full by the Barrack Road stops and I frequently have to wait 45 minutes for a double-decker bus. I also raised this problem with Stagecoach and they have informed me that, as from September 1, there will be more double-deckers allocated to the 57 route - they are aware of the problem, but it seems they cannot sort it out for another four months. I am not happy, but what can one do?Name and address withheld.