Selaine Saxby, MP for North Devon, has welcomed the Governments support for public transport that will see bus fares for any single ticket reduced to £2 from January until March.
Passengers are being encouraged to “Get Around for £2” by bus from January to March in 2023, with bus operators having already launched a campaign to promote the government fare cap scheme.
The scheme will help families, commuters and other passengers save money this winter, backed by £60 million of government investment to cap single tickets at £2 from 1 January to 31 March 2023 across England, outside of London.
With the English average single local bus ticket costing £2.80, passengers will save almost a third of the ticket price per journey. However, in rural North Devon many tickets on popular routes cost more than this, so this is a massive saving.
The government has confirmed over 130 bus operators such as National Express and Stagecoach, managing routes from the north to the south of England will charge no more than £2 for their single tickets, helping passengers with travel costs for education, work and medical appointments as they face pressures from the rising cost of living.
Buses Minister, Richard Holden said:
“Brits love buses. They’re the most popular form of public transport in England, making up half of all journeys. So we’re investing £60 million to cap single bus fares at £2 to help families, students and commuters and help get people back on the bus.”
“The scheme will also take 2 million car journeys off the road and it’s fantastic to see so many bus operators signing up. So, if you’re in Carlisle or Weston-Super-Mare, Birmingham or Doncaster, make sure you hop on the bus and ‘Get Around for £2’ between 1 January and 31 March.”
This initiative builds on the allocation of more than £2 billion to support bus services in England through the pandemic and a commitment to fund improved services, new bus priority measures and new electric or hydrogen buses as part of Bus Back Better, the ambitious national bus strategy, published last year.
Selaine Saxby MP for North Devon, said:
“Ensuring the public can access affordable bus fares will encourage more people to choose buses for local journeys, which in turn will help to reduce carbon emissions as the country moves towards our Net Zero Targets.
We have seen some timetable changes and some staffing problems on our services across North Devon but Stagecoach have been hiring and to ensure we have a viable and reliable bus service going forward we need to use it.
I have also been in contact with North Devon Council about reopening the toilets and waiting room at Barnstaple Bus Station. We must be able to provide the facilities that people need and want to use. Whilst I am aware there are complexities in reopening, and there has been talk about what to do with them, we need to urgently see action to enable more people to get back on the bus and take advantage of the £2 fare.”
Tom Stables, CEO of National Express UK, said:
“More people using buses is good for the economy, environment and wider society. We know that great value, low fares encourage people to switch to the bus so are proud to join this scheme. And even better, we’re also freezing child fares at £1. Bus travel is simple, cheap and easy and there’s never been a better time to get onboard.”
Elsewhere, a bus fares pilot scheme, backed by £23.5 million of government funding, launched in Cornwall this April has already seen a significant increase in passenger numbers.
Working alongside the ‘Any Ticket Any Bus’ campaign, the fares pilot, running over 4 years, includes a £2.50 day ticket within towns or a £5 day ticket across all of Cornwall, which is valid across different bus operators.
