Bus fares in many places in England will be capped at £2 for the winter under a government-backed campaign to encourage people to return to public transport.
One-off rates for most services from major operators will be capped from January to March under the scheme.
The Department for Transport said its £60m grant would save almost a third on the average journey ticket price and reduce emissions and congestion by taking around 2m cars off the roads.
Activists welcomed the move, although it falls short of radical moves across Europe to cut fares and revitalize the use of public transport after the pandemic.
More than 130 bus operators, including National Express and Stagecoach, have signed up, while Go-Ahead said the promotion – branded ‘Get Around for £2’ – would save passengers more than 75% of the fare on some Yorkshire routes.
Graham Vidler, chief executive of the Passenger Transport Confederation which represents bus operators, said: “Traveling for £2 on the bus helps customers facing rising cost challenges and to try a new option travel”.
There is already a £2 cap in Greater Manchester, Liverpool and West Yorkshire, under schemes introduced by metro mayors in those areas. Single bus fares in London are £1.65.
The DfT said the cap would help the industry recover from the pandemic, which accelerated the decline in local services over the past decade, when a quarter of routes were lost.
Cash-strapped councils have already been unable to subsidize many services and, although the government has pledged £3bn to improve buses under a long-awaited national strategy, emergency funding absorbed a lot to maintain operations while passengers were kept away during the pandemic. .
Bus Minister Richard Holden said: “The scheme will also allow 2m off-road car journeys and it’s great to see so many bus operators signing up.”
Sign up for Business Today
Get ready for the workday – we’ll tell you all the business news and analysis you need every morning
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertisements and content funded by third parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
A similar pilot bus fares scheme, backed by £23.5m of government funding launched in Cornwall, has seen a significant increase in passenger numbers, the DfT said.
Activists urged the government to expand the scheme. Norman Baker, from the Campaign for Better Transport, said: “It’s such a win-win that it shouldn’t be limited to three months, but extended indefinitely, for the sake of our pockets, our economy and our environment”.