Bus passengers across the Liverpool City Region will soon be able to travel anywhere for no more than £2.
The new single adult fare has now been ratified by the city region's Combined Authority at its meeting on Friday. This means that some passengers will see a saving of up to 13% in the cost of a single journey regardless of which service they use.
The agreement will also see young people continue to benefit from all day unlimited travel for just £2.20 by capping MyTicket until 2025. While the plans have been rubber stamped, the new prices won't come in immediately.
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The new fare is subject to agreement with the bus operators and for an initial three-year period. The ECHO understands the hope is that the new fares will be implemented by the autumn.
Speaking after the fare cap plan was agreed, Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said: “This marks another massive step on our journey to revolutionise our region's buses. Hundreds of thousands of people rely on buses to get about every day, yet too often they tell me that they are still too expensive, too unreliable and too confusing - I want to put that right.
"We've listened to people's concerns and have responded with direct action that will help ease the financial burden - especially during the cost-of-living crisis - by making it cheaper to travel on our bus network. This is just a down payment on my wider ambitions, though. I’m fighting to win London-style funding that will allow us to build a public transport network that is better connected, faster, and cleaner. If it’s good enough for the capital, then it’s the least that we should expect."
Earlier this year the Liverpool City Region took an important step towards the major reform of its buses after local leaders voted to confirm franchising as the preferred model for running the network – a landmark move that would reverse the industry’s deregulation in the mid-1980s and give local leaders powers to set routes, timetables and fares.
The Combined Authority says plans are also in the works to simplify the region’s wider ticketing system under a ‘tap and go system’ that would allow for greater freedom and flexibility with passengers guaranteed to always pay the cheapest fare.
Subject to confirmation, the £12m Bus Services Improvement Plan (BSIP) allocation will be used to fund the new £2 fares which are designed to encourage more people to use the bus by helping them travel further for less as well as helping the environment.
However, it is only the start as more funding is needed to realise the ambition set out in the BSIP and deliver the bus services that local people have asked for including additional evening and weekend services as well as more hydrogen buses.
