Maximum fares are £2 to make buses more affordable

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Millions of people across England can save money on bus travel by introducing a £2 cap on fares for more than 4,600 routes.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said more than 130 operators outside London will charge no more than £2 per ticket from Sunday until the end of March.

The cap is paid out by £60m of government funding.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the buses are “a key part of our vision for a clean, efficient and modern transport network” (Belinda Jiao/PA)

A single fare for a three-mile journey outside London costs an average of about £2.80, but tickets can run over £5 for longer journeys in rural areas, according to the DfT.

It is hoped that this cap will help travelers who travel for education, work and medical appointments amid the cost of living crisis.

Trips with some of the biggest savings include between Leeds and Scarborough (£13), Lancaster and Kendal (£12.50) and Plymouth and Exeter (£9.20).

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “By helping commuters outside London save nearly a third of the average single bus ticket and taking two million cars off the road, the £2 bus fare cap is a great way to start the new year.

“Buses are an essential part of our vision of a clean, efficient, modern and affordable transport network for all.

“That’s why we’re investing £60m to encourage everyone to get on the bus and ‘get around for £2’.”

A report published in July by pressure group Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) highlighted how funding pressures had led to more than a quarter of English bus services being canceled in a decade.

In response to the introduction of the cap, CBT’s director of external affairs and former Liberal Democrat transport minister Norman Baker said: “Affordable bus travel is really a win-win.

“An end to bus fares in this way will help struggling families, reduce traffic congestion and carbon emissions, and inject new life into dwindling bus services.

“We think the £2 cap should be extended indefinitely.”

DfT has made more than £2 billion available for bus operators to keep services running in England during the coronavirus pandemic.

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It said it would “consider future support,” with the current emergency funding deal expiring in March.

Bus Minister Richard Holden told the Palestinian News Agency that he hoped the fare cap would increase passenger numbers.

He said: “We’ve been in a position where we’ve given an enormous amount of help to support buses through Covid and in recent months we’ve come out of the pandemic.

“But we really need to get those passenger numbers up.

“We’re back to about 80-85% on fares paid, and about two-thirds on affordable travel.

“What I really want to do is try to get away from a situation where we constantly have to allocate more money to subsidize the roads, and instead get people back on the buses so that they are more self-sufficient in the long term.

“I want to see that we get as close as possible to pre-pandemic levels.”

DfT figures show that the number of bus riders in Britain outside London has been almost 10% lower than pre-coronavirus levels in recent weeks.

Martin McTague, National President of the Small Business Association, said: “More than a third of small businesses consider public transportation important to their business.

So it’s encouraging to see support on bus fares as we battle tough economic conditions.

“This move is likely to encourage shoppers to go into towns and cities – just the fuel we need for economic growth.”

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