South Yorkshire mayor plans to keep £2 cap on tram fares until summer

Oliver Coppard said he wants the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) to continue funding the limit on ticket prices until at least the end of June but it will need some support from the government to extend it further.

It was introduced to match the £2 cap on bus fares but unlike the bus cap – which is paid for by central government – the tram fare cap is paid for by the regional authority through grant funding and its cost of living fund.

Mr Coppard said: “With the extension of the bus £2 fare cap to the end of June, we had difficult decisions to make about whether we can afford to continue funding the cap on tram fares.

“Today, working closely with Stagecoach Supertram, I have recommended that the SYMCA continues to fund the £2 fare cap on trams until the end of June.

“Without government support for the £2 cap on tram fares, we’re going to struggle to keep the cap going past the end of June, but I’ll be lobbying government for support to extend the scheme on both our bus and tram network into summer and beyond.”

The transport and environment board of the SYMCA will meet on March 30 to discuss the proposal and decide whether to approve it.

Future of trams in South Yorkshire

SYMCA is bringing trams back under public control next year, meaning it will control services, infrastructure and finances.

It is also considering whether doing the same with bus services would work.