A campaign has launched calling for the bus fare cap in England to be reduced to £1.75 for some journeys. The cap is currently set at £3 for a single fare, after increasing from £2 at the end of 2024. The cap is voluntary with bus service providers up and down the country signed up to the scheme.
Under the policy, routes where fares are less than £3 can only be increased in line with inflation in the normal way, so fares remain below £3. A petition has launched urging for shorter journeys of under five miles, to have a reduced cap of £1.75.
The campaign to Parliament also calls for the the current £3 cap to be frozen for at least three years, for journeys of more than five miles. The petition reads: “With the cost of living crisis, we think the national bus fare cap limit of £3 for a single journey is being exploited by bus companies providing shorter journeys.
“For those travelling less than 5 miles in a single journey, we think the limit should be £1.75, in line with the TfL [Transport for London] bus fares. For any single journey longer than 5 miles, we think the rate should be frozen at £3 for minimum 3 years.”
A single London bus fare is currently £1.75. The petition also criticises the move to increase the bus fare cap from the start of 2025.
The petition urges: “We think the 50 percent rise of the cap from £2 to £3 is not reflected in the majority of salary increases and must be reduced to help those commuting.” If the petition reaches 10,000 signatures, the Government will have to issue a response.
If it reaches 100,000 signatures, the question will be considered for debate in Parliament. A full list of the bus operators signed up to the fare cap is available on the Government website.
Some people don’t have to pay for their bus travel at all. In England, you can get a free bus pass once you reach state pension age, which is currently 66.
People living in London over the age of 60 can get free travel on most transport routes in the capital.