Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayor Proposes Retention of £2 Bus Fare Cap

The Labour mayor for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Dr Nik Johnson, has put forward a proposal to maintain the £2 bus fare cap. This suggestion is scheduled for discussion at an upcoming meeting next week. In October, the government declared its intention to increase the national bus fare cap from £2 to £3 starting in January. Meanwhile, the mayor of Greater Manchester has already pledged to keep the £2 cap within his jurisdiction. Documents released in advance of the extraordinary meeting of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority board indicated an estimated cost of £1m to maintain the cap for the three-month period from January to March 2025. This funding would be sourced from the Bus Service Improvement Plan grant, a fund allocated to local authorities for the purpose of supporting bus services. Approval from two-thirds of the Combined Authority board is required to utilize these funds for the fare cap. The board comprises councillors representing various parts of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. The extraordinary meeting is scheduled for Friday, 13 December. Discussions regarding funding for April 2025 and subsequent periods are planned during the budget-setting process for the upcoming financial year. The Combined Authority currently provides financial support for additional concessionary fares. For instance, the Tiger Pass offers a £1 bus fare cap for individuals under the age of 25. Furthermore, the authority has sanctioned the payment of fares for concessionary pass holders prior to 09:30. According to documents released before the meeting, the authority has solicited feedback from bus companies. These documents indicate that an increase in fares to £3 “may result in lower patronage and therefore lower overall income and revenue for operators, which may put pressure on viability”. In a separate development, the Combined Authority has been conducting a consultation regarding a franchising system. This consultation concluded in November, with a decision on whether to advance with the system anticipated in January. For updates on Cambridgeshire news, follow BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available for review.