North East Mayor welcomes £2 bus fare cap
North East Mayor Kim McGuinness has welcomed new Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s decision to limit all single bus fares to £2 from January.
The move is aimed at helping people with the cost of living, breaking down barriers to travel, opening up opportunities and boosting local economies.
Mr Burnham said: “Good, affordable transport links are an essential. No one should be priced out of those and left behind.
“For too long people have said that cheaper transport isn’t an option. I don’t accept that. I’ve done it before and I will do it again now with a £2 cap on bus fares for millions across the country.”
He added: “Lower fares will help people get to where they need to and some breathing space to help with the cost of living.”
The Mayor said the fare cap would be of particular benefit to the regio.
She said: “We need to see the Prime Minister hit the ground running and it has been good to see immediate action on the cost of living.
"I have called for bus fares to be cut back to £2 because I know this will make a massive difference to people in the North East,”
She added: “When speaking to people across our region, I hear time and time again that the cost of living is the single biggest challenge they're facing and we must do more to tackle this.
"More passengers use the bus here than any other form of public transport put together, so cutting fares is going to make a huge difference."
The Government says buses are a lifeline for many communities, providing essential routes into work, training and education as well as childcare, health care and leisure and the last £2 fare cap saw an estimated 30 million more journeys taken in just 10 months.
The move is being backed by £400m in extra funding and the Government says says the cap will particularly help passengers in rural and coastal areas to save money, where single fares can be higher.
A lack of access to affordable transport is also a major practical barrier to young people entering the workplace – meaning cheaper fares will help young people struggling with travel costs to get into work.
Mr Burnham added: “As I said on my first day in office, I will build a country for everyone, everywhere.
"That means more connected communities, better access to opportunities, and a lighter load on people’s lives.”
The move comes after the Government announced £100m for free bus travel for all children in England on participating services this summer.
This cap comes alongside the first rail fare freeze in 30 years announced earlier this year, saving passengers £600m, with commuters on some routes saving more than £300 a year.