On Air Now

Guess the local year

Noon - 3:00pm

Now Playing

Kiwi

Codeine

Reminder that £2 cap on single bus tickets is set to end

Lancaster Bus Station

A controversial rise in the cap on single bus fares is due to come into force on New Year's Day.

Single tickets, which are currently capped at £2, will rise to a maximum of £3 across most areas of the UK - including the Lancaster and Morecambe District.

The current limit of £2 was brought in under the previous Conservative government but was increased by the new Labour government in its October budget.

The £1 offer on most evening and Sunday/bank holiday routes, introduced by Lancashire County Council from goverment funding in May, will remain in place across the county for now.

There was a mixed reaction when the cap rise was announced.

The Beyond Radio Facebook page was inundated with comments, with a range of views.

Euan said: "Considering how cheap that is compared to a taxi, or a 50p per mile petrol cost, I’m happy!"

Andrew said: "When set against car parking charges + availability in some areas, this still represents excellent value for money, although I have no doubt there will still be plenty of folks who would strongly disagree."

Emma said: "It's alot of money just to go to town."

Antony said: "I've been saving 40p each time I've traveled by bus before the cap it was £2.40 from the Vale to town. So now it's going back to £2.40."

Janice said: "I used to get the train from Bare to Lancaster which was very unreliable, so now use the bus service. The fare increase is another sting for those who use the bus to get to a strange concept called WORK!!!!!"

Sarah said: "Who's gonna bother using buses at that cost? Jokers."

And Margaret said: "How are people on minimum wage going to afford this?"

Jim Davies, chair of the Lancaster District Bus Users Group, said at the time that they were "fairly relaxed" about the increased cap.

"I don't think anybody thought the cap would be permanent and we were worried that it would be abolished altogether," said Mr Davies, speaking to Beyond Radio in October.

"It's not as bad as it's been portrayed.

"It was only a cap on single fares. A lot of people who travel regularly won't really be saving an awful lot of money.

"The people who lose out, will be those who make longer journeys, people going up to the Lakes, Blackpool or Preston.

"£3 each way is still a bargain."

In the October Budget, the first by new Labour Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, the government announced that single bus fares will be capped at £3 from January 1 until the end of 2025, and nearly £925m would be invested to deliver high quality services and protect vital bus routes up and down the country.

"Millions of people will enjoy better bus services as the government invests over £1bn to protect vital bus routes and cap bus fares, particularly in rural communities and towns where there is a heavy reliance on buses," said a government spokesperson.

"The government’s announcement will ensure fares remain affordable from January 1 2025 and prevent a financial cliff-edge for bus operators that would have seen vital services put at risk across the country. 

"The £3 maximum fare cap will keep bus travel affordable while ensuring the cap is fair to taxpayers, helping millions of people access better opportunities and protect vital bus routes, particularly lifeline services in rural communities. 

"The cap will mean no single bus fare on routes included in the scheme will exceed £3, and routes where fares are less than £3 will only be allowed to increase by inflation in the normal way. 

"Local authorities and Metro Mayors can also fund their own schemes to keep fares down, as is already the case in London, West Yorkshire and Manchester.

"The cap is being funded by £151m from government until the end of 2025.

"Local authorities can use the £925 million to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities."

Read more: Lancaster bus users group speaks out as single fare cap rises to £3 in Budget - Beyond Radio

More from Local News

Recently Played Songs