Millions of bus passengers in England have been hit by an increase in single fares – but the policy will not be felt equally across the country
Millions of bus passengers in England have been hit by an increase in single fares – but a confusing postcode lottery means the fare rise will not be felt equally throughout the country.
Labour has faced fierce criticism from campaigners over its decision to reduce the bus service subsidy first rolled out by Boris Johnson’s government to help with the cost of living crisis in January 2023.
It means the bus fare cap will rise from £2 to £3 for a single journey for millions of passengers from today.
However, the policy will not be felt equally across the country as many councils and mayoral authorities have decided to step in and fund further subsidies themselves.
In Greater Manchester, Labour Mayor Andy Burnham will keep fares at £2 until at least the end of 2025, while in Merseyside his counterpart Steve Rotheram will do the same until September.
But this leaves passengers in neighbouring authorities such as Lancashire facing a complex fare structure for some services.
The 464 service between Accrington and Rochdale crosses the boundary between one fare cap and another, for example.
Operator Rosso has told passengers that if they are travelling “wholly within the Greater Manchester area” they will pay a £2 fare, but if they are travelling in Lancashire, or crossing the boundary, they will pay £3.
In West Yorkshire, mayor Tracy Brabin will keep the £2 fare cap, but only until the end of March 2025, but in South Yorkshire mayor Oliver Coppard says the fare will increase to £3.
This means passengers using the 59 service, which runs between Wakefield and Barnsley, will pay £2 at one end but £3 at the other depending where they get on and off the bus.
In Shropshire, the Chaserider services operated by private firm D&G bus will see fares increase to £3, but services in Telford will remain at £2 thanks to extra funding from Telford and Wrekin Council.
In the North East, Labour mayor Kim McGuinness has stepped in to keep fares at £2.50 until the end of 2025.
Silviya Barrett, from lobby group Campaign for Better Transport, said: “This is a significant increase that will be a costly start to 2025 for many people.
“Buses are our most used form of public transport so they need to be affordable.
“The fare cap has proved popular with passengers and helped boost ridership, so the Government must now look for a long-term replacement for the scheme from next year to avoid any further rises.”
Michael Solomon Williams of the Campaign for Better Transport said: “We won’t know what effect the 50 per cent increase will have until we see how it goes. In some cases, people may find that daily or weekly passes become more attractive, hopefully encouraging more regular ridership.
“However, there is a concern that the increase in the national cap – alongside the rise in rail fares coming in March – sends the wrong signals about the need for a shift to more sustainable travel, especially while fuel duty for drivers remains frozen.”
After the increase in the cap was announced in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ first Budget in October 2024, a Government source said maintaining an upper limit for bus fares was “hard fought for in the Budget process” and is largely aimed at helping passengers in rural areas.
Analysis commissioned by the DfT found keeping the cap at £2 was “not financially sustainable for the taxpayer” and “offered poor value for money”, the source added.