Campaigners urge Mayor to continue £2 bus fare cap

Campaigners have called on the Mayor of West Yorkshire to keep single bus fares capped at £2 despite a national rise.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed England's single bus fare cap would be hiked to £3 from January in her Budget speech.

Better Buses for West Yorkshire said any rise would hit the poorest people the hardest and called on Tracy Brabin to follow Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, in continuing the cap in 2025.

In a statement, Mrs Brabin said she was committed to keeping fares as low and affordable as possible and would respond to the changes "in the coming days".

In September 2022, West Yorkshire became the first area in England to introduce a £2 fare cap, with the government following suit in January 2023.

Earlier this year the West Yorkshire Combined Authority announced the cap would continue until at least March 2025.

It said the scheme had led to a rise in the number of people using busses across the county.

However, following the chancellor's announcement campaigners urged Mrs Brabin to commit to the scheme beyond the existing date.

Gareth Forest, from Better Buses for West Yorkshire, said keeping the reduced fare was "incredibly important".

Pointing to Burnham's decision, he said: "We want to see Tracy Brabin do exactly the same thing."

Ms Brabin said: "I believe that affordable, simpler fares are how you get more people using public transport, which helps reduce congestion, improve air quality and tackle the climate emergency.

"In West Yorkshire, our £2 Mayors Fares scheme has proven a huge success by increasing bus patronage and helping people manage the cost of living crisis, since it was introduced in September 2022.

"We are committed to building on this success and keeping fares as low and affordable as possible in West Yorkshire.

"The government is setting out a new national scheme to cap bus fares next year, and we will respond in the coming days about what this means for passengers in our region.”

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