Council leader calls for £2 cap on local transport fares to be made permanent

Single bus, metro and ferry fares across the country are to be capped from 1 January to 31 March Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

A North East politician has called on the government to make a £2 cap on local transport fares permanent, to help ease cost of living pressures on households.

Single bus, metro and ferry fares across the country are to be capped from 1 January to 31 March as part of the government's 'Help for Households' scheme.

Councillor Martin Gannon, chair of the North East Joint Transport Committee and leader of Gateshead Council, however, says he would like to see the fare cap extended beyond the end of March.

He said: “We’re a region focused on helping people get back onto bus, so we warmly welcome this Government initiative, which will make the nation’s most popular sustainable form of transport more affordable and will help to boost bus ridership at a crucial time for the industry.

“Welcome though it is, we would ideally like to see the Government extend the fare cap beyond March for longer, if not indefinitely, to make sure that it has a real impact.

“As a region we are working on bringing bus fares for young people right down, along with attractive region-wide multi-operator day tickets through our ambitious North East Bus Services Improvement Plan (BSIP). We are ready to roll this out once funding is confirmed by the Government.”

What is the scheme?

As part of a bid to encourage people back onto public transport, the government has pledged £60 million in funding to introduce a cap on travel fares.

The cost of a single journey will be limited at £2. This means passengers will make a saving of around 30% on the average single fare of £2.80 which applies to most routes in the region.

More than 130 bus operators across England have signed up for the scheme, which it is hoped will reduce carbon emissions as well as easing the financial burden on people who need to travel for work, education, appointments or recreation as other costs rise.

The cap will be in place between 1 January and 31 March 2023.

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