Decision looms for £2 bus fare cap

Bus travel is the most popular form of public transport in the Liverpool City Region, accounting for over 80% of all journeys made every day.

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00:00This month could prove crucial for the future of the £2 bus fare cap.

00:06In Chancellor Rachel Reeves' first financial statement to the House of Commons last year,

00:10she confirmed the limit for a single bus trip would be increased to £3.

00:13In response, almost £5 million was poured into the Liverpool City region's transport budget

00:18in a bid to retain the £2 charge cap for single journeys until September of this year at least.

00:25Introduced in 2022, the limit had been due to expire at the end of last year.

00:29No confirmations yet been received as to the future of the project within the Liverpool City region.

00:35In June's spending review, Ms Reeves confirmed the national £3 scheme would be extended through to March 2027.

00:43Metro Mayor Steve Rotherham confirmed the retention of the fee, admitting it hadn't been an easy decision.

00:48In May, Liverpool City region combined authority officials confirmed they're in discussion with Whitehall

00:54on how to keep fees down on Merseyside.

00:56The new reduced fare was agreed with bus operators in the region for an initial three-year period.

01:02It's funded by the £12 million bus services improvement plan allocation

01:06secured by the Mayor and combined authority from the Conservative administration.

01:11Bus travel is the most popular form of public transport in the region,

01:15accounting for over 80% of all journeys made every day,

01:20as spokesperson for the Liverpool City region combined authority said.

01:23We're currently in discussions with government and local operators about bus funding

01:29and remain committed to making travel as affordable, accessible and reliable as possible.

01:34With plans now in place to bring our buses back under public control through franchising,

01:39we're working to build a better, more passenger-focused network for the future.

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