Cost of living crisis Sheffield: Bus tickets to be capped at £2 for three months
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The £60m plan could see some passengers save more than £3 per single bus ticket, according to the Department for Transport.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps said the move will provide ‘direct help’ thousands of households.
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Hide AdBut Labour said the plan ‘fails to match the scale of the crisis’. The energy cap for a typical household will rise to £3,549 a year from October and is expected to increase further in January.
And it comes as South Yorkshire services are slashed by a third due to cuts.
The DFT says the average bus fare for a three-mile journey currently is about £2.80, meaning the new price cap would save passengers 30 per cent of the price each time they travel.
Bus operators covering more than 90 per cent of the network in England have signed up for the scheme, the DfT said.
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Transport secretary Grant Shapps said: “Buses are by far and away the most used form of public transport, so ensuring almost all bus journeys are no more than £2 will assist passengers over the winter months and provide direct help to thousands of households across the country.
“This £60 million boost will mean everyone can affordably get to work, education, the shops and doctor’s appointments.
“We know people will be feeling the pressure of rising costs this winter, and so we have been working hard this summer to provide practical concrete help that will lower daily expenditure.”
Alison Edwards, policy director at the Confederation of Passenger Transport, said the £2 cap would attract new passengers.
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Hide AdShe added: “We look forward to understanding in detail how the proposed fare cap will work in practice to ensure it supports the long-term sustainability of bus networks, which are vital in connecting communities with jobs, education and skills, as well as friends, family, and essential public services.”
In June, South Yorkshire mayor, Oliver Coppard, said the withdrawal of Covid funding for buses had created the threat of 'the biggest and most damaging cuts for a generation'.