The government scheme whereby most bus fares in England are capped at a maximum of £2 per single journey is being extended from its previous end date of 31 March until 30 June 2023. Bus companies participating in the scheme will receive a share of £75m that has been allocated to meet the cost.
At the same time, with bus passenger levels still 10 - 15% below pre-Covid levels and with bus operators threatening to make substantial service cuts, the emergency Bus Service Recovery Grant that was also due to end in March will now be extended for another three months. A further £80m will be distributed to operators to compensate them for maintaining services despite the loss of passengers.
With this further £155m the government now says it has provided £2billion in financial support to the bus industry since 2020.
Whilst the extension to the funding is welcome, it is surely time that the government accepted that to bring about the improvements to services that everyone seems to agree are justified and needed, the buis industry requires well-planned and long-term funding - and not just a series of temporary fixes.
Meanwhile in Lancashire our local £1 evening fare (any bus journey after 19.00hrs) and the "buy one, get one free" offer on Day Riders, whereby a ticket bought on Saturday can be used again on Sunday) will continue until at least 2025.
