Bus users have welcomed a suggested plan to cap fares at £2 over the Autumn as the cost of living continues to rise. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps revealed he wants to cap bus fares across all of England for a 12-month period.
Bus fares in London come in at a base fee of £1.65 but passengers travelling on services elsewhere in England can be charged up to £5, or over £5 for a day ticket. For example, Nottingham City Transport (NCT) charges £2.40 for one journey in 'Zone A' in the city, or£4.50 in 'Zone D' for trips further out.
All-day tickets can be purchased for £5.60 however and allows use on NET trams, trains and all buses. Speaking of the plans Mr Shapps explained buses are used “disproportionately by people on lower incomes” and said: “I propose that we set a £2 fare cap for every bus journey in England outside London this autumn, lasting 12 months.
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“This would inject some certainty into an unpredictable economic landscape, a spending roof that, unlike energy bills, cannot be breached. A simple measure that provides some much-needed reassurance deep into 2023.
“Too expensive? Well, a one-year cap would cost the taxpayer about £260 million, a sum far below those being suggested to soften coming energy price hikes.”
The Government policy would not come in to force before the end of Boris Johnson’s leadership, however, but it could be considered by his successor, Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak. The proposals come as worries across Nottingham continue to grow, with energy bills predicted to reach up to £5,000 by next year.
As such the potential price cap has been welcomed. Zofia Dudziec, 21, who studies biomedical science at Nottingham Trent University, said: "The bus is too expensive. It’s what I spend the most on as I study at the Clifton campus.
"It will help, especially as a student, plus people will use the buses more. However the buses here don’t accept Polish student cards so when my friends come to visit they have to pay the full bus fare price."
Elliott Bicker-Staff, 26, a junior doctor of Mansfield Road, says: "Transport is important as we want to get away from the car century. Making tickets cheaper helps people use their cars less.
"Investment into buses is great as it’s not just an investment into buses but it benefits the economy. So it helps the town centre from collapsing like it has done in other places.”
Shannon Frapwell, 28, small business owner at Made of Stars and full-time mum from Bingham, added: "We moved here three months ago so I haven’t used the bus yet. We are originally from London and I had an Oyster card which was capped at £18 a day but I could use the tube and buses with that.
"I do think it will help with the cost of living making buses more affordable. People are still working from home but for families it’s great to come into town centre for the day on the bus because parking is so expensive."
And Ken Bickerton, 62, of Beeston, who worked at Boots before retiring, said: "It’s a good idea, anything that brings the price down is. It depends though how far you are going on the bus.
"I don’t think it will help with the cost of living but considering everything it could help a little, it’s hard to say. I’m not sure it will help the town centre because people come in and spend money anyways. I don’t trust politicians, the local MPs are okay but I don’t think it will happen."
Trentbarton said it would not be commenting on the proposals. NCT was contacted for comment.
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