Government to restore £2 cap on bus fares in England
The bus fare cap in England will revert to £2 from January, new prime minister Andy Burnham has announced. The government says the policy, which
The bus fare cap in England will revert to £2 from January, new prime minister Andy Burnham has announced. The government says the policy, which is expected to cost more than £500m, will "help with the cost of living and give people the breathing space they need".
The previous Conservative government capped single bus fares in England at £2 in January 2023. It was initially only due to last three months, but was extended. As Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham brought in a £2 cap in September 2022, at that point funded by money from central government.
In January 2025, the England-wide bus fare cap rose to £3 under Sir Keir Starmer's Labour government, although Liverpool and Manchester are examples of city regions where fares have been held at £2. The original fare subsidy scheme applied in England, outside of London, with bus operators taking part on a voluntary basis.
The £2 cap was initially meant both as a cost of living measure and to encourage people back on buses in the wake of the pandemic.
The BriefWire