More bus journeys taken since £2 fare cap, says watchdog

More people are using bus services since the introduction of a £2 fare cap, a survey by a transport watchdog suggests.

Transport Focus surveyed more than 1,000 people and 40% said bus journeys were replacing ones they would have made by car.

The cap was introduced as a cost of living measure and to help bus firms bring passenger numbers back to pre-pandemic levels.

The cap is due to expire in June.

It was introduced in January and was originally due to expire in March, but was extended as bus firms warned that hundreds of services across England could be cut.

The fare cap is voluntary and applies to services outside of London. The cities of Manchester, Liverpool and West Yorkshire had already introduced £2 caps as part of longer-term schemes, which began in 2022.

Roads Minister Richard Holden said more than 5,400 routes were now part of the scheme, which would help people "keep money in their pockets while levelling up transport and growing the economy."

Transport Focus' survey of more than 1,000 people suggested that 11% of respondents were using the bus to travel more - up from 7% in January.

Awareness of the scheme has also increased, the watchdog said, with three quarters of regular bus users aware of the £2 fare cap. Respondents showed the highest awareness in the north East, Yorkshire and Humberside and the north West of England.

Awareness of the scheme was lowest in the West Midlands, Transport Focus said.

The majority of respondents to the survey thought the cap was helpful in battling rising costs as inflation - the rate at which prices rise - hits near record levels.

David Sidebottom, director of Transport Focus, said the bus fare was having a "big impact", as cheaper fares were "vital in winning passengers back".

He added that the cap was "providing a lifeline for bus routes up and down the country".

Transport Focus spoke to 1,111 people in March, all aged under 65 and living outside London.

"Before it was about £4 for a single journey and £7 for a return which is so expensive. £2 is a great price and should be made permanent," one passenger told Transport Focus.

The Office for National Statistics had said the £2 fare cap was a contributing factor in inflation slowing down in January.