The UK government has confirmed that more than 130 bus operators across England, including Stagecoach and National Express, will be participating in its Get Around scheme, which will see bus fares on single journeys capped at £2.
The scheme is intended to attract people towards public transport and away from private vehicle usage, while also providing more affordable transport options as the cost of living continues to increase.
Government figures suggest the scheme could see as many as two million cars taken off English roads.
What’s more, the financial savings for regular bus users could be substantial, with single tickets in rural areas sometimes costing up to £6.
Richard Holden, buses minister, said: “Brits love buses.
“They’re the most popular form of public transport in England, making up half of all journeys.
“So we’re investing £60m to cap single bus fares at £2 to help families, students and commuters and help get people back on the bus.
“So, if you’re in Carlisle or Weston-Super-Mare, Birmingham or Doncaster, make sure you hop on the bus and ‘Get Around for £2’ between 1 January and 31 March.”
A recent report from Stagecoach revealed that bus and active travel offers potential savings of up to £6,000 a year for vehicle owners, and that better incentives to use green transport modes could support the removal of one billion road miles a week.
The bus operator has also dedicated £50m to the purchase of 200 new low-emission vehicles across England, in addition to plans to increase its electric bus fleet by more than 80% in the next year.
The government scheme means all adult, concession and child single tickets on participating routes will cost no more than £2. Single tickets that previously cost less than £2 will remain at the same price.
So far, the government has allocated more than £2bn to support bus services in England, as part of its strategy to safeguard and improve bus services – named Bus Back Better – which was published last year.
