A RISE in the price of season tickets for bus travel in Oxford's SmartZone came into effect yesterday.

The Oxford Bus Company, Stagecoach and Thames Travel, which operate the SmartZone, covering all of Oxford and adjacent areas including Kidlington and Kennington, said tickets had gone up by an average of three per cent.

It means a four-week ticket which was £50 is now £51.75 and a 13-week SmartZone ticket increases from £128 to £132.50.

The last increase in SmartZone fares was a year ago.