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17
Feb 2023
Government extends £2 bus fare cap for three months
The government has announced that a cap on single ticket bus fares will be extended for three months.
The move means single bus fares will be capped at £2 until the end of June 2023.
It could be good news for passengers of the Harrogate Bus Company and Connexions Buses, which are among more than 130 transport firms taking part in the current £2 fare cap supported by government funding.
It was introduced at the start of January and was due to finish at the end of March. But the Department for Transport announced today it was providing £75 million to extend the scheme until the end of June.
It added that details of the bus operators which are continuing the £2 fare cap scheme would be confirmed in "due course".
The Stray Ferret has contacted Harrogate Bus Company and Connexions to confirm whether it will be continuing the scheme.
The £2 cap has reduced the cost of a 29-mile journey from Ripon to Leeds on the 36 bus by 73 per cent from £7.50 to £2, while the cost of a ticket from Harrogate to Bradford on the Flyer A2 has fallen by 63 per cent from £5.40 to £2.
Ministers hope the initiative will reinvigorate bus services amid fears many routes will be cut when funding runs out.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:
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Meanwhile, the government also announced a further £80 million in bus recovery grants.
The grants are designed to help to support commercial bus operators in England due to the ongoing impacts of coronavirus and drop in passenger numbers.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said:
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