Scheme to cap bus fares at £2 to be rolled out to help with cost of living crisis

The scheme, for places like Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield, was first announced by Labour Mayor Tracy Brabin in May, with single fares capped at £2 and day tickets at £4.50.

Now, just before the scheme came into force yesterday, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that a £2 journey cap will be extended across England from January next year.

The Government has pledged £60m aimed at helping bus operators to cap single adult fares at £2 per journey for three months to March, incentivising greener travel.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the move will provide direct support to thousands of households across the country.

He said: "This £60m boost will mean everyone can affordably get to work, education, the shops and doctor’s appointments.

"We know people will be feeling the pressure of rising costs this winter, and so we have been working hard this summer to provide practical concrete help that will lower daily expenditure."

The £2 cap came into force in some parts of northern England yesterday. Initially covering Labour Mayor regions Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire, it will soon roll out in Liverpool.

In Greater Manchester, passengers can save up to half fare on some journeys. The move was brought in a year earlier than planned, with Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham saying this was the big g est system shake-up in close to 40 years.

He said: "Hundreds of thousands of households across Greater Manchester are deeply worried about money, with fears of even higher bills just around the corner."

In West Yorkshire single journeys are now capped at £2 in some areas, with unlimited journeys for £4.50 a day on the MCard app, representing a saving of almost 20 per cent.

Mayor Tracy Brabin said: "You can hop on a bus from Huddersfield to Halifax, or Bradford to Bingley, and know that you won't have to pay more than £2 for your trip.

"As our communities face a crippling cost-of-living crisis, we're determined to do what we can to help ease the burden."

Severe cuts to bus routes in England were avoided last month due to new Government funding, after it was announced £130m will be made available to keep services running.

The DfT will now work with operators and local authorities to bring in the capped fare scheme, which it claims some 90 per cent of operators have expressed support for.

Alison Edwards, policy director at the Confederation of Passenger Transport, called it an "eye-catching initiative" and said she was looking forward to seeing how it could work in practice while supporting operators long tern.

Labour however labelled the plan inadequate and accused it of being a "half measure". Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said: "The Government's temporary 90-day reprieve after years of soaring fares fails to match the scale of the crisis.”