Transport Secretary Louise Haigh gives update on future of £3 bus fare cap

It was announced astatine the Budget the headdress connected autobus fares volition spell up from £2 to £3 astatine the commencement of adjacent twelvemonth done the extremity of December 2025. Fares little than £3 volition lone emergence by inflation.

The £3 headdress connected azygous autobus fares could beryllium targeted astatine younger radical and agrarian areas from 2026, Louise Haigh has suggested.

The Transport Secretary hinted that alternatively than extending the wide headdress erstwhile much the authorities volition research different options successful the coming year. Last period it was confirmed astatine the Budget the headdress would beryllium extended - costing £150million.

But it was announced the headdress volition besides spell up from £2 to £3 astatine the commencement of adjacent twelvemonth done the extremity of December 2025. Fares little than £3 volition lone emergence by inflation.

Ms Haigh told Sky News's Trevor Phillips: "The plans we inherited would person ended the headdress wholly connected December 31. We've stepped successful with backing to support (the cap) astatine £3 until the 31st of December adjacent year, and successful that period, we'll look to found much targeted approaches."

"We've, done valuation of the £2 cap, recovered that the champion attack is to people it astatine young people.

"So we privation to look astatine ways successful bid to guarantee much targeted ways, conscionable similar we bash with the concessionary fare for older people, we deliberation we tin make much targeted ways that volition amended promote radical onto buses."

Pressed connected whether determination volition not beryllium a azygous headdress aft December 2025 but subsidies volition beryllium targeted astatine definite groups of people, she replied: "That's what we're considering astatine the moment.

"As we spell done this year, arsenic we person that time, whilst the £3 headdress is successful place, due to the fact that the valuation that we had showed it hadn't represented bully worth for money, the erstwhile cap."

It came arsenic the Transport Secretary also revealed wherever £1 cardinal successful backing will spell to present London-style buses nationwide arsenic portion of a monolithic Budget boost. She confirmed £712 cardinal successful backing for section authorities to amended services, alongside a further £243 cardinal for autobus operators.

Areas receiving an "unprecedented" magnitude of backing see Peterborough, the Isle of Wight, Torbay, Cambridgeshire, Leicester and Torbay.

Speaking connected Sunday, she said: "If you unrecorded successful a batch of tiny towns oregon villages, you've not got a autobus earlier 9am oregon aft 5pm and that's what stops radical catching the bus."