West Yorkshire’s bus fare cap scheme – which has a separate funding source from the England-wide Bus Fare Cap Grant (BFCG) equivalent – will continue until at least March 2025.
Councillors on the West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s (WYCA) Transport Committee voted on Monday to extend the capping, which comes via the region’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding.
The so-called “Mayor’s Fares” came into effect in September 2022 and mean passengers pay a maximum throughout the country of £2 for a single journey or £4.50 for a day ticket.
The BFCG scheme, meanwhile, is applied across England by participating operators outside of Greater Manchester, the Liverpool City Region and West Yorkshire, which use BSIP funding, and London, which has single fares below £2. It is due to run until the end of this year.
Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, announced results of the authority’s survey showing the positive effects of the capping scheme.
A quarter of those surveyed said they were travelling by bus more now and two thirds of these said this was due to the price cap.
Of the 1,028 respondents, more than 40% said the Mayor’s Fares had helped them manage the cost-of-living crises. Nearly 60% said the price caps made it easier for them to travel around the county. Half of the respondents who were using the bus more often had switched from using private vehicles.
Ms Brabin says: “I’m delighted to see that our trailblazing Mayor’s Fares have had such a fantastic impact on bus use.
“This success proves that there is an appetite for well-priced bus travel in West Yorkshire.
“Our Mayor’s Fares are helping us build a better-connected region where more people use greener and more sustainable ways to travel so I’m delighted we’re able to extend into 2025.”
Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, Leader of Bradford City Council and WYCA Chair, adds: “We know the cost-of-living crisis continues to have a major impact on families and individuals across our region.
“So it is really positive to hear that, since this scheme was introduced, more people have used local buses to travel to see friends, loved ones or to work because of the cheaper Mayor’s Fares.”
