- Millions of bus passengers across the country will continue to benefit from the £2 bus fare cap thanks to the Conservative Government’s long-term decision to redirect HS2 funding.
- Supported by almost £600 million of Conservative Government funding and boosted by redirected funding originally intended for HS2, bus fares will remain capped at £2 until December 2024. This extension will kick in from 1 November 2023.
- This means millions of passengers will benefit from cheaper travel – thanks to the new Network North plan to improve transport for more people in more places.
Jason McCartney MP has welcomed the Conservative Government’s decision to extend the £2 bus fare cap, bringing cheaper journeys to people across Colne Valley, Holme Valley and Lindley.
The bus fare cap had been due to rise to £2.50 but thanks to the Conservative Government’s decision to reinvest HS2 funding in ‘Network North’, it will remain at £2 across most of England until the end of December 2024.
This extension is only possible due to £36 billion of funding being redirected from HS2, funding the ‘Network North’ plan.
This plan takes the total government investment to keep bus fares down to nearly £600 million – with over 140 operators signing up to continue offering the cap across more than 5,000 routes. The Conservative Government is taking long-term decisions to make life better for the British people, and delivering on its five priorities to halve inflation, grow the economy, reduce debt, cut waiting lists and stop the boats.
Commenting, Jason McCartney MP said:
“Buses are vital to people across Colne Valley, Holme Valley and Lindley and keeping the cost of fares down will make a real difference to the lives of the millions of people who use them every day.
“That is why I am delighted the Conservative Government has taken the decision to the much-loved £2 bus fare cap across most of England.
“This will help people to keep costs down, as the Conservatives take the long-term decisions to halve inflation, grow the economy, and reduce debt.”
Commenting, Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said:
“Buses are the most popular form of public transport and help people across the country get to work, attend medical appointments, and see loved ones – that’s why we are extending the ‘Get Around for £2’ scheme all the way to 31 December 2024.
“Extending the £2 bus fare cap has only been possible with the redirected HS2 funding secured by this Government making the right long-term decisions for a brighter future, delivering immediate benefits and helping people save money.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
- The Conservative Government has extended the ‘Get Around for £2’ scheme until 31 December 2024. The bus fare cap had been due to rise to £2.50 but we are keeping the fares down at £2 until the end of next year to help millions of people make significant savings on their travel costs. The fare cap has helped cut bus fares in England outside London by 7.4 per cent between June 2022 and June 2023, with even bigger savings in rural areas where fares have dropped by almost 11 per cent (PMO, Press Release, 31 October 2023, link).
- Last week, the Conservative Government invested the first £150 million of a £1 billion plan to improve bus services across the Midlands and the North. Network North makes £1 billion worth of new funding available to improve bus services across the North and the Midlands. This announcement of £150 million is the first tranche of the £1 billion (DfT, Press Release, 23 October 2023, link).
- The reallocation of this funding is part of the Conservative Government’s £36 billion plan to redirect every penny of savings from HS2 to support more transport projects. The reallocation of HS2 funding as part of Network North ensures £36 billion of investment is made available to improve the daily transport connections that matter most to people, benefitting more people, in more places, more quickly (DfT, Press Release, 23 October 2023, link).
