Concern North Yorkshire families will become more isolated when bus fares increase

It was one of the measures announced in the Budget

Author: Kathy GreenPublished 31st Oct 2024

We're hearing how some North Yorkshire families will have to cut back on days out - once bus fares go up.

The £2 bus fare cap will be replaced by a new £3 cap until the end of 2025.

The bus fare increase were confirmed as part of Chancellor Rachel Reeves' first Budget, as the Government tries to bridge what it has called a £22 billion "black hole" in the public finances, but has already been labelled a "bus tax" by one opposition party.

These passengers in Northallerton aren't impressed:

"We've been using the buses more and more because of how cheap they've been, we've got several kids so it costs some money to travel."

"One of us will have to stay at home some of the times whereas we go out as a family now more because of how cheap it is, one of us will stay at home with the kids."

"We won't be able to go out on as many family days now because it's going up now and family days cost quite a lot."

Single bus fares in England have been capped at £2 outside London, where they are £1.75 per journey, for most routes, since January 2023

When it introduced the policy, the Conservative government said routes with some of the biggest per-journey savings were between Leeds and Scarborough (£13), Lancaster and Kendall (£12.50), and Plymouth and Exeter (£9.20).

The new Government said the £3 cap would save £12 on a ticket between Leeds and Scarborough, while a ticket between Hull and York would see a saving of £5.50.

A Government source told the PA news agency that maintaining a cap on bus fares was "hard fought for in the Budget process" and is largely aimed at helping passengers in rural areas.

The source added that analysis commissioned by the Department for Transport found the £2 cap was "not financially sustainable for the taxpayer" and "offered poor value for money".

The Department for Transport said maintaining the £3 cap until the end of 2025 would cost £151 million, while the Government was also providing £925 million for local authorities and bus service operators to improve routes.

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said capping fares at £3 would "avoid a cliff-edge at the end of this year and keep fares affordable across the country - improving access to opportunities, particularly in towns and rural areas, while offering value for the taxpayer".

She added: "Our bus revolution will give every community the power to take back control of their services, end the postcode lottery of services and turn the page on four decades of failed deregulation."

The Liberal Democrats have labelled the change "a bus tax" and described bus services as "the backbone of economic activity in communities across our country".

The party's environment spokesman Tim Farron said: "Keir Starmer's hike in the bus fare cap is without a doubt a bus tax.

"While this new Government has been left to make difficult choices, they cannot allow the burden of fixing the Conservatives' mess to be on people and small businesses across the country."

Mr Farron accused both Labour and the Conservatives of not understanding "that for rural communities, it doesn't matter if the cap is £2 or £3 if they don't have a bus service in the first place".

Silviya Barrett, director of policy and research at pressure group Campaign for Better Transport, welcomed the Government not scrapping the cap completely, but described the change as "a significant increase that could be costly to many".

She said: "The scheme's success has proven that by making public transport more affordable, more people will use it, and we strongly urge the Government to put a plan in place to keep fares low for years to come.

"It is vital that the Government now carries out a full review of what other discount fares could replace the cap in the long-term to avoid any further rises."

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