England & Wales: £2 Bus fare cap
Feb 18, 2023, 7:40 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bridport, Dorset
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England & Wales: £2 Bus fare cap
The government scheme where around 130 bus operators charge a maximum fare of £2 per journey has been extended to 30 June.
In my part of the world this is a significant saving, with some bus fares along the Jurassic Coast (Weymouth/Dorchester - Bridport - Lyme Regis - Axminster) reaching over £10 return, normally.
Lifeline for bus routes as £2 cap on local fares wins extension | Bus fares | The Guardian
In my part of the world this is a significant saving, with some bus fares along the Jurassic Coast (Weymouth/Dorchester - Bridport - Lyme Regis - Axminster) reaching over £10 return, normally.
Lifeline for bus routes as £2 cap on local fares wins extension | Bus fares | The Guardian
Feb 18, 2023, 2:26 pm
#3
Moderator: UK and Ireland & Europe
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Biggleswade
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It's a great thing in theory, like free bus travel for over-60s, but the devil is in the detail.
The detail in this case is that the bus operators participating had to prove a certain amount of sustainability of the routes in question, to make sure they're not just taking the money and running. Fair enough? Well, until the law of unintended consequences kicks in.
Case in point: my local Stagecoach garage. To qualify for the £2 bus fare funding, it pretty much withdrew all its rural routes. Same happened in Cambridgeshire, and I suspect all over the country. Loads of villages left completely isolated from lifeline services for hospital visits, school transport, signing on.
Thankfully, my local authority was able to get a small operator to step in for two of the key routes. The bus fare is still £7, but now it runs every two hours instead of every half hour, albeit not very reliably.
The detail in this case is that the bus operators participating had to prove a certain amount of sustainability of the routes in question, to make sure they're not just taking the money and running. Fair enough? Well, until the law of unintended consequences kicks in.
Case in point: my local Stagecoach garage. To qualify for the £2 bus fare funding, it pretty much withdrew all its rural routes. Same happened in Cambridgeshire, and I suspect all over the country. Loads of villages left completely isolated from lifeline services for hospital visits, school transport, signing on.
Thankfully, my local authority was able to get a small operator to step in for two of the key routes. The bus fare is still £7, but now it runs every two hours instead of every half hour, albeit not very reliably.
Feb 18, 2023, 5:14 pm
#4
Join Date: Nov 2022
Programs: British Airways Executive Club - Silver, Nectar, Tesco
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Its actually been good for one of my local companies - East Yorkshire have even taken to putting double deckers on single decker routes to have enough capacity... This has caused some minor issues driver wise with "little bus" and "big bus" concerns
Feb 19, 2023, 5:09 am
#5
Ambassador: Emirates Airlines
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manchester, UK
Posts: 18,801
The £2 maximum charge is now permanent in Manchester (and I think Liverpool). Of course, that's now meant that services are reduced and even the shortest of journeys are £2 
There's also a daily cap of £5.50 if you buy a travel card.
There's also a daily cap of £5.50 if you buy a travel card.
Feb 22, 2023, 5:27 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bridport, Dorset
Programs: Mucci, BA Blue, Hilton Gold, Virgin Red
Posts: 2,161
It's a great thing in theory, like free bus travel for over-60s, but the devil is in the detail.
The detail in this case is that the bus operators participating had to prove a certain amount of sustainability of the routes in question, to make sure they're not just taking the money and running. Fair enough? Well, until the law of unintended consequences kicks in.
Case in point: my local Stagecoach garage. To qualify for the £2 bus fare funding, it pretty much withdrew all its rural routes. Same happened in Cambridgeshire, and I suspect all over the country. Loads of villages left completely isolated from lifeline services for hospital visits, school transport, signing on.
Thankfully, my local authority was able to get a small operator to step in for two of the key routes. The bus fare is still £7, but now it runs every two hours instead of every half hour, albeit not very reliably.
The detail in this case is that the bus operators participating had to prove a certain amount of sustainability of the routes in question, to make sure they're not just taking the money and running. Fair enough? Well, until the law of unintended consequences kicks in.
Case in point: my local Stagecoach garage. To qualify for the £2 bus fare funding, it pretty much withdrew all its rural routes. Same happened in Cambridgeshire, and I suspect all over the country. Loads of villages left completely isolated from lifeline services for hospital visits, school transport, signing on.
Thankfully, my local authority was able to get a small operator to step in for two of the key routes. The bus fare is still £7, but now it runs every two hours instead of every half hour, albeit not very reliably.
Feb 22, 2023, 5:29 am
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Bridport, Dorset
Programs: Mucci, BA Blue, Hilton Gold, Virgin Red
Posts: 2,161
It's a great thing in theory, like free bus travel for over-60s, but the devil is in the detail.
The detail in this case is that the bus operators participating had to prove a certain amount of sustainability of the routes in question, to make sure they're not just taking the money and running. Fair enough? Well, until the law of unintended consequences kicks in.
Case in point: my local Stagecoach garage. To qualify for the £2 bus fare funding, it pretty much withdrew all its rural routes. Same happened in Cambridgeshire, and I suspect all over the country. Loads of villages left completely isolated from lifeline services for hospital visits, school transport, signing on.
Thankfully, my local authority was able to get a small operator to step in for two of the key routes. The bus fare is still £7, but now it runs every two hours instead of every half hour, albeit not very reliably.
The detail in this case is that the bus operators participating had to prove a certain amount of sustainability of the routes in question, to make sure they're not just taking the money and running. Fair enough? Well, until the law of unintended consequences kicks in.
Case in point: my local Stagecoach garage. To qualify for the £2 bus fare funding, it pretty much withdrew all its rural routes. Same happened in Cambridgeshire, and I suspect all over the country. Loads of villages left completely isolated from lifeline services for hospital visits, school transport, signing on.
Thankfully, my local authority was able to get a small operator to step in for two of the key routes. The bus fare is still £7, but now it runs every two hours instead of every half hour, albeit not very reliably.
Also the bus companies only get 80% of the fare difference. Which is better than nothing I suppose.