Bus Fares To Go Up To £2.50 For Month Of November

With another £17.2 million invested in South East bus services confirmed today, the Government has also confirmed the £2 cap will end on October 31 and rise to £2.50 for the month of November.

The announcement that the Government has delivered a further £17.2 million to the South East to support buses until 2025, added that the £2 cap would end at the end of October and fares would go up to £2.50 until November 30.

The Government says the fare cap has cost an extra £200 million on top of the announced investments.

It's not clear how much fares will rise to after November 30.

The latest investment will mean that "residents across the South East will benefit from lower fares, improved reliability and better bus services".

Roads Minister Richard Holden, confirmed today (September 28) that fifteen local authorities in the South East will receive their second £17.2 million allocation of the Bus Service Improvement Plan+ (BSIP+) for 2024-25. 

The funding follows the first £228.9 million BSIP+ and BSIP investments for the South East for 2022 through to early 2025, taking the total government support to help improve bus services in the region to more than £246 million over three years. 

Local authorities can use the new BSIP+ allocations in several ways, from introducing new services, or enhancing existing ones in the weekends or evenings, or to making tickets cheaper through reduced fares for elderly or young people,

They can also use the investment to protect bus services with low passenger numbers, so that residents in the South East who rely on them for essential services can continue to access their local bus. 

Roads Minister Richard Holden said: 

“Buses are the most popular form of public transport, and so many residents in the South East rely on their local service to get to work, attend medical appointments, and see loved ones. 

“We are delivering for local communities across fifteen local authorities by providing a further £17.2 million to improve and protect essential local services, as we continue to boost transport connections in the South East to grow the economy.” 

The £2 fare cap has cut travel costs particularly in rural areas, where buses are crucial for so many people to get around, with the average fare dropping by 10.8% in rural and non-metropolitan parts of England.  

Silviya Barrett, from Campaign for Better Transport, said:  

“We’re pleased the £2 bus fare cap we campaigned for has been a success, reducing fares and boosting passenger numbers.

“The additional funds for local authorities announced today are also welcome and we hope that this is just the start of ongoing investment in bus networks across the country.” 

These initiatives take total government support to protect and improve bus services while keeping fares low in England to £3.5 billion since 2020. 

While it is the responsibility of bus operators and local transport authorities to ensure an adequate provision of bus routes, the Government continues to work closely with the sector to support local areas in dealing with changing travel patterns while managing pressures on the taxpayer. 

Janette Bell, Managing Director of First Bus said: 

“We welcome the certainty provided by today’s confirmation of the next tranche of local authority funding allocations.  

“We look forward to working together with our local authority partners to deliver the best services possible for our customers. At First Bus we are driven by a passion to get more people using the bus and we welcome any funding that makes taking the bus an easier travel choice.”