Government extends £2 maximum single fare again to Dec 2024 as HS2 to Manchester ditched
4 October 2023
As has been anticipated for a few days, the Prime Minister has confirmed that the leg of HS2 from Birmingham to Manchester is to be scrapped. Instead, similar levels of transport funding will be put into a wide range of projects in the north and across the country. Within the package of measures announced is the extension of the £2 maximum single bus fare scheme to end of December 2024.
The measure was initially brought in as a short term measure for 3 months at the beginning of 2023; then it was extended to end of June 2023; then again to end of October 2023; now it is going through until at least the end of 2024.
This is good news for bus passengers and, hopefully, for bus companies and bus travel in general.
Update
6 October 2023
Following a conversation with the managing director of Go Cornwall Bus, it is clear that the Prime Minister's announcement about government funding for the continuing the £2 maximum single fare scheme is not quite as clear cut as they are suggesting. It is the case that government funding is being provided to bus companies but the funding is a rather arbitrary distribution of monies to companies in such a way that it does not guarantee that the companies will not lose money by charging the below market fare of £2. Some companies may be better off; many will be worse off.
The message to passengers should be to take advantage of the cheap fares and try to use buses more. That way, increased passenger numbers will enable the bus companies to generate more revenue in total and make it more likely that the companies can continue to operate the services at this fare level. If there is not increased patronage of the buses, the scheme may fizzle out and fares will have to rise again. As usual with buses, the message is “use them or lose them”.