Bus fares to be capped at £2 per journey in Greater Manchester to ease cost of living burden

Andy Burnham says the cap comes at a "critical time" for many who are struggling with the cost of living.

Bus fares in Greater Manchester will be capped at £2 per journey to 'help ease the cost of living crisis', it has been confirmed.

Mayor Andy Burnham said the move will also see a daily cap on the region's public transport system of £5 and will save passengers "around 50% on some journeys".

The plans will see Greater Manchester become the first area outside London to have a regulated bus system since the 1980s, with the cap coming into force from 4 September.

But, residents are being warned if they do not use the system, the cap could become unsustainable, and potentially disappear.

What changes will we see to bus fares in Greater Manchester?

  • £2 max single fare for adults.

  • £1 max for under-16s.

  • £5/£2.50 unlimited travel in any day.

  • Free travel for passengers aged between 16-18.

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Mayor Burnham says the announcement comes at a "critical time" for many across the North West who are struggling with the rising cost of living.

He said: “As the most used form of public transport, with around 2.5 million trips every week across the city-region, introducing lower fares for bus passengers is the best way we can help the most people with the cost of travel right now."

The move will see journeys capped at £2 and a daily cap of £5.

Mayor Burnham continued to say: “While this is the right thing to do, we cannot at this point guarantee that this new fare structure will be permanent.

"It will be reviewed annually. But the more that people use the buses, the more likely it is that we will be able to sustain it.”

The move come as part of the mayor's Bee Network vision, which will see the region's public transport system combine trains, trams and buses in an in-sync timetable

A campaign has been launched on Wednesday, 17 August, calling on people to switch to public transport and help make the new fare cap financially sustainable in the long term. 

Mayor Burnham added: “Bringing our buses back under public control is an essential step towards creating the Bee Network - our vision for a London-style integrated transport system."

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