More than 1 in 10 people are using the bus more as a result of the £2 bus fare cap, according to a survey by Transport Focus.
The newly published results of a poll of 1111 people under the age of 65 and living in England outside London also reported that just over half were aware of the scheme, which began on 1 January and is due to end on 30 June.
The survey follows up one carried out by Transport Focus in January and published in February which focused on awareness of the £2 fare cap on single journeys, which was linked to a package of government funding.
Of those surveyed most recently, 11% said they were now using buses more due to the scheme and 31% said they might use buses more in future but had not yet. Fifty-eight per cent said it would make no difference to how they used buses.
Awareness of the fare cap grew only marginally from 53% in January to 56% in March, when comparing the two surveys. The research also found that 18% of those who were aware said it had increased their use.
Not surprisingly, increased take-up was highest among those who were already regular users. It was reported that 40% of those who frequented the bus at least several times per week were using the mode of transport more.
Households without a car (21%) were more likely to have increased their bus use, versus 11% for those with one car and 6% for those with two cars.
People with the lowest income are travelling by bus more, the survey reporting this to be 15% of those earning up to £21,000 – up from 8% in January.
Researchers also discovered that 24% had “definitely used” the £2 fare cap and that 6% had “possibly” used it.
Take-up of the fare cap was highest among under-25s (30%) – compared to just 19% for 55-64-year-olds.
Of those who said they were using the bus more, 42% said it was instead of using a car and 27% said it was instead of walking or cycling.
The scheme was initially due to end on 31 March but in February this was extended three months. On 27 February, it was noted that 148 operators were using the scheme but some had decided not to. Criticism of the scheme centred on concerns that the method of reimbursement could lead to revenue loss. The government allocated up to £60 million to the project in January to March and this was increased to £75 for April to June.
Regarding the planned end of the £2 fare cap, First Bus Managing Director Janette Bell told routeone on 21 February that operators needed to think more longer-term about fare structures.
“I do think the scheme has been important but equally customers are now coming back to the bus and I think it’s really important that we now have fair value, fair pricing and that needs to be beyond the £2 fare cap,” she said.
“It was launched as a support, as a time-bound promotion, so I think we have to look forward to make sure we can capture the benefits that have come out of that and the new customers that we have and ensure they keep coming back.”
