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Andy Burnham to bring back 2 bus fare cap slashing travel costs for millions

Bus users will see single fares limited to 2 across England from next year under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham's plans to offer a cost of living lifeline to hard-pressed voters

[Bus users will see single fares limited to 2 across England from January]

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Bus users will see single fares limited to 2 across England from January(Image: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire)

Andy Burnham has announced the return of the 2 bus fare cap, slashing day-to-day travel costs for millions of passengers.

Bus users will see single fares limited to 2 across England outside London from January. It is part of the new Prime Minister's plans to offer a cost of living lifeline to hard-pressed voters.

Without the cap, the government warned, fares could soar above 10 on some routes. The Prime Minister said: Good, affordable transport links are an essential. No one should be priced out of those and left behind.

But for too long people have said that cheaper transport isnt an option. I dont accept that. Ive done it before and I will do it again now: a 2 cap on bus fares for millions across the country.

Lower fares will help people get to where they need to giving them breathing space to help with the cost of living. 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 peoples lives.

[Andy Burnham visits Go Ahead Group, Bolton, in 2024]

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Andy Burnham is planning to restore the 2 bus fare cap(Image: Charlotte Graham/REX/Shutterstock)

The 2 cap was introduced by the Tories in 2023, but funding was only put in place until the end of 2024. Former Chancellor Rachel Reeves hiked it to 3 as she battled to balance the books. The current cap, which applies to around 5,000 bus routes across England, was planned to last until March 2027.

As Greater Manchester Mayor, Mr Burnham placed bus services under public control and imposed a 2 limit on fares in 2022. No10 said the last 2 fare cap saw an extra 30 million bus journeys in just 10 months.

There will be 400million of extra funding to support the move, with fare caps outside London expected to help millions of commuters. In the capital, the government said the majority of single fares will remain capped at 3.

Experts believe passengers in rural and coastal areas - where single fares are higher because of insufficient transport links - will see the biggest impact.

John Healey, who was named as Chancellor on Monday, said: We are capping bus fares at 2 for everyone throughout 2027, slashing fares by a third for millions of people, to help give them the breathing space they need.

This action to ease the cost of living is funded by savings made elsewhere, so theres no burden to British taxpayers, just pounds going back into their pockets.

And Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander added: "This is about making those everyday journeys easier and cheaper. We're cutting fares by a third to help with the cost of living, open up opportunities and keep people connected to work, school, healthcare and their friends and family.

The government said the money will come from changes to the way the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero funds international climate change projects.

[Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey, during new Prime Minister Andy Burnham's first Cabinet meeting in Downing Street, London]

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Chancellor John Healey said the move would give people breathing space(Image: Eddie Mulholland/Daily Telegraph/PA Wire)

It comes after Mr Burnham announced VAT on electricity bills will be removed in the autumn in one of his first acts as Prime Minister.

The new Labour leader, who told his first Cabinet meeting yesterday he wants to lead a cost-of-living government, said the move will put more money in peoples pockets.

After promising breathing space on the cost of living with a policy blitz, Downing Street said the move will knock 45 off the average bill from October 1.

Gathering his top team in the No10 Cabinet room for the first time today, Mr Burnham said: "Life's hard out there, isn't it, at the moment.

"You heard me talk about the doorstep in Makerfield. We need to every day think 'what can we do just to take that little bit of pressure off people's shoulders just to give them that little extra sense that help is coming so that they can have that bit of hope that things are getting better'."

He added: "We need to be a cost-of-living Government, getting that cost of living down, looking at all possible ways of doing that."

Highlighting the scale of the cost of living crisis, new research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) today shows the number of of households unable to afford basic essentials such as food and heating at a record high.

It estimated a staggering 7.4million low-income households were not able to afford at least on essential item in the last month.

JRFs chief economist Chris Belfield said: Andy Burnham starts his time as prime minister at a time when the cost-of-living crisis has never been more widely felt.

This ongoing crisis is not numbers in a spreadsheet, it is not graphs trending up or down, it is families not being able to afford basic essential goods like food, heating and basic toiletries.

He added: This is the challenge facing Andy Burnhams administration, but there is cause for optimism. Following the Governments intervention to take 150 a year off energy bills and falling wholesale energy prices, half-a-million fewer households are unable to heat their home than two years ago.

Earlier, No10 said scrapping VAT on electric bills - estimated to cost 850 million in 2026-27 - will be funded by savings from the scrapping of Keir Starmers already scaled-back digital ID programme. It was estimated the cost of the controversial scheme could run to 1.8billion over years.

But within hours, Starmer ally Darren Jones, who was sacked by Mr Burnham as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, cast doubt on how the policy would be paid for.

While welcoming the measure, the ex-Cabinet minister, who led work on the ID project, took a swipe at the new PM. He posted on X yesterday: The Digital ID program was unfunded. The government will have to set out how it will pay for its new policies at the Budget.

[As Greater Manchester Mayor, Mr Burnham placed bus services under public control]

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As Greater Manchester Mayor, Mr Burnham placed bus services under public control(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)

The government said the 1.8billion digital ID programme had already been scored by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) - meaning the money would have had to be found from the existing government budgets.

Downing Street insisted the plan to cut VAT from electricity bills is fully funded. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said: Its fully funded and will come into effect from October the first, and it applies and is funded for this financial year.

Newly appointed Chancellor John Healey said yesterday: "For too long, too many people have struggled with the cost of living. Todays energy tax cut will give families some breathing room on bills, and provide some reassurance this winter.

"This measure is funded this year from cancelling the Digital ID programme, and it will help bring down inflation while supporting households in every postcode.

In an action-packed day, new Defence Secretary Wes Streeting lashed out at Vladimir Putin after a Russian warship fired weapons off the British coast, branding the move "performative and irresponsible". He also welcomed defence ministers from Japan, Italy and Canada to London to discuss a pact to develop a new generation of fighter jets.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha to reassure Kyiv of Britain's support, and set out for the Philippines for high-level talks with ministers from the EU, Ukraine, USA, China, India, Canada, Australia and Japan.

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