More than 130 bus operators to offer £2 tickets

More than 130 autobus operators extracurricular London volition statesman capping azygous big fares astatine £2 adjacent period arsenic portion of a government-funded strategy to assistance radical prevention money.

National Express and Stagecoach volition beryllium among those to present the headdress successful England from 1 January to 31 March.

Single section autobus fares successful England outgo £2.80 connected mean but tin transcend £5 successful agrarian areas, the authorities says.

Labour described it arsenic a "half measure" aft "years of soaring fares".

The cities of Manchester, Liverpool and West Yorkshire - each of which person Labour mayors - person already introduced £2 caps arsenic portion of longer-term schemes.

The Department for Transport, which primitively announced the strategy successful September, said buses were the astir fashionable signifier of nationalist transport successful England, making up fractional of each journeys.

It said the authorities was spending £60m connected the headdress to "help families, students and commuters" portion taking "two cardinal car journeys disconnected the road".

According to latest authoritative figures, the fig of radical travelling by autobus has been rising but remains good beneath pre-Covid levels.

At the aforesaid clip section autobus fares successful England were up 4.2% successful the 3 months to 30 June erstwhile compared with the aforesaid play past year.

The authorities says the strategy volition assistance the autobus industry's recovery, portion besides enabling passengers to save.

It besides said the headdress was "an important step" successful ensuring passengers got a just deal.

The Campaign for Better Transport, a charity, welcomed the headdress but said it should beryllium extended.

Spokesman Norman Baker said: "Capping autobus fares volition assistance struggling households, chopped postulation congestion and c emissions, and inject caller beingness into dwindling autobus services.

"It's specified a win-win that it shouldn't beryllium restricted to 3 months, but should beryllium extended indefinitely, for the involvement of our pockets, our system and our environment."