Bus boss welcomes Burnham government's £2 fare cap
Martin Giles/BBCA bus company boss has welcomed the government's announcement that most single bus fares in England will be capped at £2 from January.
Charles Sanders, who runs Sanders Coaches, based in Holt, Norfolk, said: "It's going to be good for all of our passengers... because they're going to see a one-third reduction in their current fare."
The fare cap on participating buses outside London is backed by £400m of extra funding and will run until December 2027, the government says.
The Department for Transport said it would "particularly benefit" passengers making longer journeys "in rural and coastal communities, where fares can often be significantly higher".
A £2 fare cap was first introduced in 2023 by the Conservative government. It rose to £3 last year.
Sanders said it had "made a big difference" to his business.
"We did see quite a lot of growth in 2023, not so much when it went to £3 in terms of growth, but we didn't lose passengers," he said.
"So those that we'd managed to convert tended to stay with us as a company.
"And it'll be interesting again next year when they go back to £2 to see if more people give up cars and start using the bus."
He added a single traveller working five days a week could save £10 on five return journeys.
"So it's going to make £500 a year difference, perhaps, to some people," said Sanders.
In January, Norfolk County Council said its Bus Service Improvement Plan had "transformed" public transport and there had been a 26% increase in passenger numbers since 2022.
More from Norfolk:
Martin Giles/BBCSanders said he was also hoping the fare cap would apply to routes used by school children during term, to help more families.
He said under the current scheme "buses that run school days only" were exempt.
"Parents who are paying for their children to go on those vehicles to school, they're still paying full price."
Earlier in the year, Sir Keir Starmer's government announced £100m of additional support for bus travel, including making it free for children aged five to 15 on participating services in August as part of the Great British Summer Savings Scheme.
The £2 cap policy came the day after new prime minister Andy Burnham's government announced a cut in VAT, currently at 5%, on household electricity bills from October.
Reacting to the fare cap, shadow chancellor Mel Stride accused the government of not specifying where the money was coming from.
Liberal Democrat transport spokesman Olly Glover said the government was leaving millions of people behind, particularly those in rural areas with few or no buses.
Reform UK said any help with the cost of living was welcome but the party's chairman accused Burnham of having "walked into No 10 with absolutely no plan".
The Greens said lower fares were of no use if "buses aren't there".
Do you have a story suggestion for Norfolk? Contact us below.
Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
