Calls for 'lifeline' bus fare cap to remain
Kyle NesbittCalls are being made for a "lifeline" cap on bus fares to remain, as the government prepares to announce its spending review.
Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale in Cumbria, asked transport minister Heidi Alexander to commit to keeping the £3 cap to ensure people could "actually afford to get to work".
The minister said any plans for bus fares would be announced on Wednesday, but she was "fully aware" of the importance of an affordable bus network.
Kyle Nesbitt, 40, who lives in Kendal and works at Grasmere Gingerbread, said he noticed his bus to work had been much busier since the cap was introduced.
The sales and merchandising manager said: "You definitely see more people on the buses now than you used to before the price cap came into play.
"It's quite a remote place to work in, Grasmere.
"It's not that far in mileage, but just in of day-to-day travel, anything that makes it as easy as possible and isn't causing a financial strain is something that should be welcomed."
Farron told the transport minister that, before the price cap came in, the bus journey from Kendal to Ambleside was the second highest in the country.
He said with many people on low income working in Cumbria, high bus fares meant they could spend up to a quarter of their salaries on transport.
'Ease congestion'
Mr Nesbitt said if the bus cap was to be removed his bus journey to work would be unaffordable.
"Going back to what it used to be - about £7 a journey or £50 a week for a - I just don't think I'd be able to sustain that long term," he said.
"Salaries do vary, but at least [the bus] is a lifeline that people can use to actually get here.
"It's a job - you've got to take the job where you can get it."
The Conservative government first introduced a cap on bus fares in 2023, meaning people would never pay more than £2 per single journey.
When Labour came to power last year the new government chose to continue to fund it for 2025, capped at £3.
Farron, a LibDem MP, said he would like to see the cap lowered to £2 again, to make transport "even more accessible."
He said: "By making the bus fare cap permanent, we can help people with the cost of living, ease congestion on our busy roads, struggling local businesses, and reduce our carbon emissions."
Alexander said the £3 cap currently only applied to one in six journeys because people who used buses regularly to go to work used weekly or monthly es, rather than buying single tickets.
She added: "I am fully aware of how important it is that people have an affordable bus network, that they have access to buses.
"That is something that I have been discussing a lot over recent weeks with the chancellor and we will be making making our announcement in due course."
Government plans on the bus fare cap are expected to be announced on Wednesday.