Louise Haigh‚ Transport Secretary announced that the current bus-fare cap wont continue as-is after late-2024. The government is moving towards age-specific support instead of the one-size-fits-all approach (which started at £2 and recently moved to £3)
The new system will focus on young peoples needs — similar to how senior citizens get special rates. “Through evaluation of the £2 cap weve found that the best approach is to target it at young people“ Haigh explained on a sky-news broadcast
A mega-funding package worth more than £1bn is coming to help local transport services; this includes:
- £712m for councils to boost local routes
- £243m to keep fares reasonable
- £150m supporting current £3 cap
- Extra money for under-served areas
Rural communities are getting special attention with this cash-injection — places like Isle of Wight and Torbay will see record-breaking funding. The transport dept says theyll keep fare rises tied to inflation rates; which means not all tickets will jump to maximum prices
The upcoming Buses Bill aims to change the old 80s-era system letting local authorities take charge of their networks and operations. Haigh also touched on last months P&O ferries situation: “I accept that my language was an unhelpful distraction“ she noted about calling them a rogue operator
The plans that we inherited would have ended the cap completely on Dec 31