Single adult bus tickets in England are being capped at £2 in a new scheme funded by the UK government.
National Express and Stagecoach are among more than 130 bus operators taking part in Get Around for £2, charging no more than £2 for their single tickets.
The scheme is set to run from January to March 2023 in areas outside of London, backed by £60m of government investment to help passengers with travel costs for education, work and medical appointments as they face pressures from the rising cost of living.
With the average single local bus ticket costing £2.80, passengers will save almost a third of the ticket price per journey. In some rural areas ticket prices can cost over £5.
Get Around for £2 is part of the government’s Help for Households campaign and will also help the bus industry continue its recovery from the pandemic by encouraging greater bus use, the Department for Transport said.
Tom Stables, chief executive of National Express UK, welcomed the scheme and said that the company is also freezing child fares at £1.
The government said it will continue to work closely with bus operators and local authorities and consider future support to help passengers continue accessing reliable and affordable bus services after March.
